Gabrielle Anwar: Closet Womble
February 28 2010
You know her for that sensual tango with Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman” and her starring role on USA Network’s “Burn Notice,” but British actress Gabrielle Anwar might be more famous in some (read: geeky) circles as having held the record for the “World’s Fastest Talker” in the U.K. Luckily, she slowed down for this exclusive interview with EcoStiletto’s Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff about her vintage obsession, her eco-sin and her love for a decadent pair of thigh-high vegan boots.
Oh, and Wombles.
EcoStiletto: I read on your bio that you once held the record for the “World’s Fastest Talker.”
Gabrielle Anwar: I can’t seem to get rid of that little tidbit of information. I was in drama school and there was a rather odd radio show to see who could speak as quickly as humanly possible. Because I was so nervous I tried to get it over as quickly as possible and I ended up winning. I don’t think it was a function of talent; it was more a question of nervousness.
ES: I hope you’re not nervous now—I have to type as we talk!
GA: No, quite relaxed, thank you.
ES: Are you in production on “Burn Notice” as we speak?
GA: We start shooting in a couple of weeks. But my kids are in school in Florida so I’m here already. It seems indulgent to be in the tropics of Miami without having to go to work. But I’m a mom so I’m always going to work—this is the hardest job on the planet.
ES: Yes, it is! You have three children, correct? I read that your son’s name is Hugo—but also Basil? I’m confused.
GA: I like the name Basil, but his name is Hugo.
ES: It seemed to fit—you have Willow and Paisley.
GA: Yes, I should have called him Parsley. I would have had a whole herb garden.
ES: Willow appeared with you in “Kimberly.” Is she pursuing acting as well?
GA: It was the most sensible choice I could have made. She was so utterly bored by the whole process that it turned her off to the acting bug.
ES: I understand that you try to use alternative transportation like bike-riding in order to reduce your CO2 output. When did you start getting involved in eco-consciousness?
GA: I don’t think there was a moment. I grew up in England in the countryside in the ‘70s, when Greenpeace was really in its heyday. It was a very bohemian environment. My parents are both creative and artistic and not materialistic at all. We had a very simple life. I was never exposed to tremendous indulgence—which is where I think the carbon footprint tends to get out of hand.
I used to watch a cartoon on the BBC about these little creatures called the Wombles who went around picking up trash and recycling it in their underground warren. There was an enchanted quality to recycling, so I aspired to be Womble-like.
I find it satisfying to live a life that’s as simple as possible. One can never have enough and once you get caught up in that whirlwind of possession and materialism and excess it’s hard to stop—it’s all-consuming. I’m fortunate to never have been exposed to it. It’s second nature to me not to make a huge carbon footprint along my journey.
ES: What sort of things do you do to reduce your carbon footprint—recycle, compost, grow your own food?
GA: Yes! In California we have a much more conscious way of life. Florida is a little more behind the times with eco-friendly living.
It really started with my kids. I was very active in a parenting philosophy called RIE [Resources for Infant Educators], which encourages parents to simplify their lives. It changed my focus. I began to understand that Toys ‘r’ Us is the enemy. I didn’t need a thousand things in my child’s nursery, I needed to be focused on their growth and independence.
When my children were little, I never purchased Pampers—I found it so excessive and unnecessary. Even though living more consciously can also be more expensive and time-consuming, it’s so valuable inherently and internally to live a life [like that]. To wash your child’s cloth diaper and put that soft cloth on your baby’s purest imaginable little skin. The idea of putting something with [absorbent] chemicals in it on my baby’s bum was overwhelming—more overwhelming than having a little more extra laundry and hanging it on the line to dry.
The key is awareness. We take so much for granted. We think that as we carry out our trash bags to the garbage can it’s the end—but that’s really just the beginning.
We label the trashcan “landfill” so the kids became very aware that every single thing that we buy and throw away has a consequence. Composting is key. We did an experiment for six months to see if we could function without adding to the landfill. We didn’t buy things that were packaged in those ridiculous plastic packages-within-packages that you need tools to undo. But, in the end, it became very difficult to do.
ES: Switching gears, what are your favorite green fashion labels?
GA: I’m a bit of a vintage fashion freak. I love the idea that clothing has a history. I wear things until they’re threadbare. Also, vintage doesn’t come all wrapped in tissue paper, a bag, and then another bag. I just throw it into my purse, or my cotton FEED bag from Whole Foods—I love those bags!—and go.
I haven’t gotten into the sustainable fashion thing yet because it’s bloody expensive. I still feel that it drives consumerism. But I am curious about it—the idea of wearing bamboo knickers, for example. But if I can find something that was worn many years ago—I’d rather wear that.
I’m not much of a fashionista, but I do have a pair of Stella McCartney thigh-high boots that aren’t made of leather—that was my big purchase last season. They’re so hot and I didn’t kill anything in the process.
ES: What about makeup? Do you wear organic or chemical-free brands?
GA: I don’t really like to wear makeup unless I’m being paid to. So the makeup artist on our show here is acutely aware that I don’t like to put chemicals anywhere near me. And animal testing is out of the question. She’s all over it, so I don’t have to think too much about it. I don’t like to use too many products—even a pot of moisturizer comes in 16 different layers of packaging.
ES: Not to mention the parabens inside.
GA: Yes. I don’t trust labels and what they’re selling to the general public. I find it quite horrifying what we’re consuming—what we’re putting on our skin and washing our hair with. I tend to spend a lot of time in Whole Foods. I like the 365 brand—they’re comparable to a regular supermarket prices. But even so, we’re still talking about flying airplanes full of fuel and products all over the world. It’s difficult to keep tabs on what you’re doing and the effect of your choices.
ES: But simply the awareness of having a better choice is important, isn’t it?
GA: I guess so. What I love about living in the U.S. is how convenient everything is—but that convenience has turned us into a rather lazy species. It’s so much easier to go out to dinner and eat rubbish because it’s less expensive and then take it home in Styrofoam and stick it in the microwave and throw the rest into a landfill. It’s a horrible cycle. But people are very busy. The priorities aren’t there yet. Myself included—I screw up left, right and center.
ES: Speaking of that, what’s your worst eco-sin?
GA: I think my participation in the big picture. At work, when we’re shooting, I’ve tried my damndest to convince as many people as I can and I come across as a narcissistic eco-nightmare. But at the end of the day, I’m sitting in a trailer that’s running off a generator that’s pumping toxins into my lungs and the environment. I’m part of the mechanism that’s causing so much toxic trauma to the planet. It’s very difficult to make global changes, it’s exhausting, so we have to do it locally, we have to do it step-by-step. It’s all we have.
ES: But just the fact that are you are talking to people, trying to influence people—talking with the press about eco-consciousness—that’s great!
GA: I guess so. I barely have influence over my six-year-old!
ES: What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?
GA: I would like to live in an entirely sustainable property—off the grid. I’d like to be able to fuel my own life and not be dependent on a corrupt energy system. That would be idyllic. If the energy debate is simply an economic debate then I would like to remove myself entirely.
ES: Who’s your eco-idol and why?
Hm, let’s see. The Wombles!
All photos are by Eric Cahan and were originally shot for Natural Health magazine.
