Casual Cool

Set for release in 2027 is J.J. Abrams’ The Great Beyond, a sci-fi movie marking the Star Wars director’s hotly anticipated return to the big screen. It has, so far, remained shrouded in secrecy, aside from a single logline that mentions a young newlywed couple struggling to survive against a supernatural entity. We know that Mackey stars alongside A-listers Samuel L. Jackson, Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega, but can she tell fans what else to expect?

“There’s only so much I can say,” Mackey demurs, “but I definitely can speak about my experience.” And she does, mostly by gushing about her colleagues, J.J. (“I adore him”) and Powell, whom she describes as “diligent and dedicated”. She is, however, able to say a little more about Peaked, an A24 comedy directed by Molly Gordon (The Bear) that follows two former high-school bullies who decide to crash the 10-year class reunion they weren’t invited to. Slated for a mid-2027 release, the comedy also stars Laura Dern and Connor Storrie.

For Mackey, the film is about tapping into generational anxieties and the sudden leap into adulthood that happens as you enter your 30s. “I feel like I’m stuck in the age that I was when Covid hit,” she says, mid-Marmite spread. “Molly and I were talking about this recently, and it’s this feeling of knowing what we were doing in our early 20s, and then, suddenly, it’s like, oh, why is everyone so stressed? Why is everyone being a grown-up? And you have to relearn everything.”

The project Mackey can say the least about is Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, a new adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s 1955 novel of the same name, which serves as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and is set in the magical worlds of Charn and Narnia. Directed by Greta Gerwig, and with Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan in starring roles, the film couldn’t have higher star power. Although unconfirmed by Netflix, Mackey is rumored to be playing Jadis, the White Witch, the last Queen of Charn, a beautiful, proud and powerful sorceress.

“I’ve never really worked with young actors before,” Mackey says of her co-stars, David McKenna and Beatrice Campbell, both 13, who play the film’s leads, Diggory and Polly, respectively. “They’re so talented. It really changes you as a performer because you start to see it through their eyes.” How was it playing the villain? She laughs, politely sidestepping the request for details, but assuring me that her role was “very fun” – particularly because of the scale of the film, which is reportedly set to be among the most expensive projects Netflix has ever made.

Like many young stars who become global celebrities overnight, Mackey is still getting to grips with fame. “It changes how you step out into the world,” she says, thoughtfully. “But I’m not like Diana, or whatever. It’s not like I can’t leave my house.” What she does notice, however, is being looked at more, and the increasingly strange chasm between living both a public and private life.

“I’ll be doing normal things, and then suddenly I’m at Cannes, and I get so, so self-conscious. I’m aware of my skin, my hair, my body. Things I just don’t notice in my normal life because I’m with people I love.” This kind of thing has been playing on Mackey’s mind more than it used to. “I’m taking care of myself, but I still feel like it’s never enough.”

When it comes to fashion, Mackey insists she steers clear of French cool-girl archetypes. Nevertheless, she is the embodiment of effortless chic, whether on set for her PORTER cover shoot, dressed in Alaïa, Givenchy and Gucci, or enjoying some toast over breakfast, in low-key indie labels. Today, she is wearing a simple white T-shirt, minimalist khaki bomber jacket, tailored pants and a pair of black mules by Spanish brand Paloma Wool. She looks undeniably cool, in a very casual way. “I don’t consider myself a particularly fashionable person,” she says, shyly. “When I feel a bit more confident, I wear certain things that are a little more daring. But mostly, I just want to be comfortable and elegant.” She namechecks other established European brands, such as Phoebe Philo and Parisian label Lemaire.

Perhaps some of Mackey’s mystique is down to the fact that the majority of her friends are outside the industry. Over the course of our conversation, she references an older female friend (“she’s like my London mum”) and her “chosen family”, many of whom are writers and musicians. There are also several mentions of her partner of five years, French director and photographer Martin Aleman, “a very tasteful man” who is leading the design of her current apartment refurbishment. “He’s been brilliant because he just has this architectural brain, so I’m learning a lot.”

They met on a beach in Mallorca. Not in the sea, I ask, half-joking? “Yes,” she laughs, “in the actual sea. Honestly, it’s ridiculous. I can’t even talk about it because it’s such a cliché. A Frenchman in the ocean. I was swimming, and so was he. Three days later, there was an end-of-summer party in this village and he was like, well, if I’m meant to see her again, she’ll be there. And I was.”

Mackey has only ever met her partners organically – and by the sound of it, hasn’t spent much time navigating the labyrinthine modern dating scene. “I’m not very good at playing games,” she says. “I was never into dating. I just hardcore fall in love. I’m like, ‘This is my person,’ and that’s it.”

In the run up to a busy press tour for The Great Beyond, Mackey plans to make the most of her downtime over the summer, which will offer a mix of working out, watching films by iconic directors such as Louis Malle and Federico Fellini, and listening to music – her eclectic taste spans PinkPantheress and George Riley to classic jazz and Italian funk. Recently, she has also been writing a short film. “I’m just playing around,” she says. “But I feel like it’s really calmed my brain down.”

Mostly, though, she’s focusing on the refurb – and the small joys that accompany it. “It’s the first time in life that I’m going to have my own things organized. All my books are going to be out of their boxes and my vinyls are going to be out. My pots and pans will be in a drawer. I’ll finally get to create my little nest,” she smiles and pauses, “before I have to leave it immediately.”

As she looks out on what is set to be her biggest year yet, there is a calmness to the actor. She might be in the midst of a whirlwind new chapter, but she remains grounded. “I’m very fortunate,” she says, smiling. “But I’m happy that I still get to spend time with my friends and family. And I guess I’m just planting the seeds for what’s next.”

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