“Pablo Neruda’s ‘Ode to the Onion’ (1954). I find his adoration of simple objects appealing. It springs to mind when I’m cooking.”
“Italian ceci, or chickpeas. They should be roasted or fried, so they’re crispy, and garnished with nothing but salt and pepper.”
“Why eat chocolate when you could eat an apple? That’s how I feel.”
“Charlotte Rampling in Andrew Haigh’s ‘45 Years’ (2015). I watched it in preparation for [Celine Song’s] „Past Lives“ (2023), und es war das erste Mal, dass ich die chirurgische Präzision verstand, die es braucht, um Naturalismus zu betreiben.“
The actress reveals the song that played while she walked down the aisle at her wedding. By Megan Lovallo
“ ‘The World of Love’ (2025) by this Korean director Yoon Ga-eun. The subject matter is difficult — it’s about a 17-year-old victim of sexual assault, and it manages to be devastating while brimming with joy.”
“Matthew Chong is still in his final year of Yale’s playwriting program. I’ll go with ‘Lessons’ (2023), which takes place at a music conservatory. It’s a psychological drama in which a teenage prodigy is forced to decide how much she’s willing to give herself to greatness.”
“I sing ‘I Feel Pretty’ [from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s 1957 musical, ‘West Side Story’] an Tagen, an denen ich es nicht tue.“
“Usher in Paris in 2023, 100 percent. He was singing and sweating and roller-skating and stripping, all at a very, very high level.”
“ ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ — the [1996] Lauryn Hill und die Fugees-Version, nicht die [1973] Roberta Flack eine. Das ist seit Jahrzehnten meine Wahl, obwohl ich es teilweise aus Respekt vor Freunden, die es zu oft gehört haben, zurückgezogen habe.“
Greta Lee, photographed in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2026, wears a Givenchy by Sarah Burton dress and bra, givenchy.com. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“I know I’m not Chinese American, but if anyone wants to do a Wendi Murdoch biopic, I’m raising my hand.”
“Easy. The Matilija poppy. It’s a California native flower — the one that looks like a giant fried egg. In that sense it has no dignity, but I just love it.”
“I’ve stolen my mother’s vintage silk blouses. They’re all from the ’80s and by brands like St. John or Escada. The silk is aged, likely sweat stained, almost threadbare, but when I wear them I feel so close to her.”
“New York. No other city has this unique blend of people caring so much about what they wear and also not at all.”
Issey Miyake dress, us.isseymiyake.com. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“There’s a Korean oral folk tale called ‘The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon,’ about this hungry tiger who’s planning to eat an entire family but stops when he hears a baby crying. Then the mother tricks the tiger by mentioning a persimmon, which he believes is a monster. A lot gets lost in translation, but it’s one of the most well-known Korean fables — my mother grew up with it; my grandmother too — and I appreciate its long-lasting absurdity.”
“Budakirkja (1848), or the Black Church of Budir, in Iceland. It’s this all-black structure in a [moss-covered] Lavafeld und so verträumt. Ich war vor einem Jahrzehnt dort und habe versucht, auf die Toilette zu gehen.“
“This is the most annoying and bougie answer but, if I could be an old lady, retired in Manhattan, the penthouse suite of the Greenwich Hotel is where I’d like to live. It’s a convenient location and it’s tricked out, so let’s just assume I’m nearing the end of my life and deserve these luxuries.”
“Billy Crudup in ‘Harry Clarke’ (2017), a one-man play by David Cale. Billy played something like 19 different characters. When I went to see him do it, I was considering doing [the TV series] „The Morning Show“, in der er mitspielt, und sein Auftritt war so virtuos, dass ich beschloss, alles zu tun, um mit ihm zusammenzuarbeiten.“
Erik Charlotte corset, skirt, jacket and bustle roll, erikcharlotte.com; and Celine shoes, celine.com. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“The Picasso Museum in Paris and the Museum of Hunting and Nature — they’re just a few blocks away from each other, and I consider them a package deal. My favorite thing I’ve seen at the former was a 2023 show where [the French artist] Sophie Calle vertuschte Picassos Gemälde. Das Museum für Jagd und Natur verfügt über die einzigartigste Sammlung von Präparatoren, und meine Lieblingssachen dort sind die Schubladen mit gefälschtem Tierkot.“
“The chicken from Zuni Café in San Francisco. It’s just roast chicken with panzanella, but it’s perfectly done.”
“Wong Kar-wai. He’s singular in terms of his visual style and what he’s achieved in the medium.”
“If it isn’t [Wong Kar-wai’s] „In the Mood for Love“ (2000) ist Richard Linklaters „Before“-Trilogie. Als ich als junger Mensch „Before Sunrise“ (1995) sah, hat es mir geholfen, die Schönheit des Alltags zu schätzen.“
“It’s between ’Romeo and Juliet’ (circa 1596) and ‘King Lear’ (1606), but whereas most people age out of infatuation and suicidal, star-crossed love, competing for your parents’ affection and money is timeless.”
The Row coat, top and shorts, therow.com. Photograph by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan
“A pair of 2022 chairs that were carved from Douglas fir by the artist and designer Minjae Kim — one for each of my sons. He’s subverting what I would call traditional Korean lacquered furniture. If you look closely, you’ll see that each chair is shaped like a person.”
“My grandfather grew up on a ranch in South Korea and was a billboard painter during the Korean War. He also made all these incredible paintings of ranchers and horses. One of them can be seen in the very exclusive museum known as my living room. It’s of a Korean cowboy wearing chaps and a white cowboy hat, sitting on a horse that’s midair.”
“Do you know the character Santiago from [the 1952 Ernest Hemingway novella] „Der alte Mann und das Meer“? Er ist ein spanischer Fischer in Kuba und träumt von seiner Heimat, während er seine Erfahrungen als Einwanderer verarbeitet. Das kam mir wunderbar und beunruhigend in den Sinn, und ich lachte darüber, wie sehr ich mich mit diesem Mann identifizieren konnte, der tagelang versuchte, diesen Marlin zu töten, nur um ihn dann von Haien fressen zu lassen. Er verfügt über eine solche Beharrlichkeit und Würde im Angesicht einer Niederlage, was für mich eine Metapher für das lebenslange Streben nach Kunst und Filmemachen ist – wie rutschig es sein kann und welche Verwüstungen es gibt.“
“It’s called ‘Late Fame.’ It hasn’t come out yet and I’m in it. I’m so proud of this movie, which was written by Samy Burch. Willem Dafoe plays a postal worker who was formerly a poet and revives his relationship with art later in life. I play a middle-aged aspiring theater actress. She’s a type of woman I feel is dying out — the original New York diva.”
“Me doing ‘To Be, or Not to Be’ from ‘Hamlet’ (circa 1601) in my theater class as a sophomore in college. Because it was so humiliating, it was moving. I was sick of seeing so many of my male peers do it and was attempting a ‘step aside, boys’ moment, and then I just bombed. It’s actually incredible I survived that moment and am now an actor.”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Hair by Johnnie Sapong at the Wall Group using Leonor Greyl for Benjamin Salon. Makeup by Grace Ahn at Day One using MAC Cosmetics. Set design by Peter Klein. Production: Hen’s Tooth Productions. Lighting director: Timothy Shin. Digital tech: Mike Preman. Photo assistants: Ricky Jhou, Kendall Pack. Set designer’s assistants: Jared Zagha, Ronnie Burress. Stylist’s assistants: Hannah Schatzle, Avantika Nehru
The actress GRETA LEE, photographed in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2026, wears a Givenchy by Sarah Burton dress and bra, givenchy.com. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Hair by Johnnie Sapong at the Wall Group for Benjamin Salon. Makeup by Grace Ahn at Day One. Set design by Peter Klein
The actor JEFFREY WRIGHT, photographed in Brooklyn on March 8, 2026, wears a Zegna suit, shirt and necktie, zegna.com; Frederique Constant watch, us.frederiqueconstant.com; and his own glasses. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Grooming by Chaz Hazlitt at Art Department. Set design by Peter Klein
The actor BARRY KEOGHAN, photographed in Brooklyn on March 8, 2026, wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello shirt, pants and necktie, ysl.com. Photographed by Roe Ethridge. Styled by Stella Greenspan. Grooming by Christine Nelli at Forward Artists. Set design by Peter Klein
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