Julia Stiles Lightens Up
December 31 2009
There’s something about Julia Stiles and Shakespearean drama. She’s starred in three modern interpretations of the Bard’s classics—“10 Things I Hate About You,” “O” and “Hamlet”—and even dated the prince of Denmark in “The Prince and Me.”
But as Julia deepens her oeuvre with a forthcoming role as Sylvia Plath in “The Bell Jar,” which she’s also producing, as well as a recent stint on Broadway starring with Bill Pullman in David Mamet’s controversial “Oleanna,” she’s unleashed an unexpectedly hilarious comedic side working with comedy troupe The Vacationeers. “Excuse Me,” the short film they co-created, made the film festival circuit last year as the oh-so-deadpan “Julia Stiles Styles” video, featuring Stiles as a clueless eco-fashion designer, went viral—including on EcoStiletto TV.
But Julia hasn’t always been so comfortable with her sense of humor. Five years ago, when Conan O’Brien asked her what her first bite of hamburger was like after giving up veganism because of anemia, Stiles replied, “The word orgasm comes to mind.” Today, “I regret going on a talk show and talking about it,” she says. “I was young and impressionable and trying to be funny.”
She’s no longer a vegan, but Julia is a dedicated environmentalist who totes her own bags, avoids plastic water bottles and longs for the day when she can find a Fair Trade label on shoes.
She’s also really, really funny.
That “Julia Stiles Styles” video is hilarious. Tell me how that came about.
We did “Oleanna” first in L.A. before we took it to New York and I met the guys who are in The Vacationeers; they were friends of friends. I thought their movie “The Scenesters” was really good and their videos for Google were really funny. We were hanging out one day, throwing around ideas and I just thought the idea of Julia Stiles Styles was great.
I didn’t mean to be disparaging of green fashion—also, we weren’t making fun of any celebs who promote that kind of thing. We were making fun of me. The idea that can create unwearable clothing. And of celebs who can be out of touch with how rich they are. So [in the video] the clothing is really expensive but it was inspired by homeless people.
Do you wear eco-friendly fashion?
There’s a raw food lunch spot here in New York called One Lucky Duck and I follow her blog a lot; she has links to other eco-clothing places. But I appreciate more the clothing lines that have equitable working standards for the people who make their clothing. I wish I could find more of them.
I really like the Edun label that Bono started. Other than that I feel kind of ignorant about the rest of it. I like the idea, I just don’t know how to find that many. I do have a few Edun t-shirts though.
What about eco-beauty?
I like all-natural products. Burt’s Bees is great, I like Dr. Bronner’s. Dermal-K is a company that’s all natural. All of the stuff that you can find a the health food store. No chemicals.
I’ve read about your work with Habitat for Humanity International and it seems that the concept of social responsibility is very important to you—more so than eco-consciousness. Is that true?
Obviously it’s important for consumers to be conscious about how we’re affecting the environment. But I think I’m more concerned with the human aspect of it. I would love to find a clothing line where the pieces are manufactured in a fair way. A label—like the fair trade certification label that you see on food—just so you know that the clothing isn’t made in a horrible sweatshop. Even American Apparel, they say everything is manufactured in L.A. but that doesn’t mean that the conditions under which they’re working are fair and friendly.
I feel like a hypocrite because my video is making fun of all this but it actually is important. Even Edun, which uses organic cotton as the main material in their clothing line, that’s important too because somebody that is growing that cotton has to inhale those chemicals.
How important do you think these kinds of actions are for you, personally?
I like that on your website there are simple tips of everyday things that you can do to be more conscious about now harming the environment. Obviously big changes need to happen but on an individual level it adds up. It’s not just one plastic water bottle you’re using. You have to multiply that by millions of people.
Are you still a vegan?
I’m not. I was for a couple of years and I ended up getting anemic. I regret going on a talk show and talking about it—I was young and impressionable and trying to be funny and I said something about how when I stopped it was great. But it wasn’t good, health wise, for me. I wasn’t doing it right, I think. I’ve incorporated the reason that I became a vegan in the first place into my diet now. I don’t eat meat that doesn’t come from a good source. I like to know what the animal was eating before I eat it.
Were animal rights the reason you became a vegan?
Not so much animal rights, but for health reasons. I just started reading more about factory farming and I didn’t want to be consuming that. And there are some spiritual reasons that I got into it, too. It’s weird to talk about, it’s a personal thing, but also I didn’t like the taste of meat that much. And I was grossed out by hormones in dairy products.
I’d never want to be preachy because I think what people choose to eat is their own personal decision. But I was saddened by the idea of the cows in diary pens and what they’re forced to eat—corn that they weren’t ever meant to digest. But there are ways to be super unhealthy as a vegan—all that processed food.
Are you a vegetarian now?
Not strictly. If I go to someone’s house I won’t make a stink, but I don’t choose to eat that much meat. I love fish, though. That’s probably bad, too. But you have to eat something, right?
What’s the biggest green change you’d like to make in your life—even if it’s impossible right now?
Hm. I can think of the things that I do do. It seems insignificant but I carry a plastic bag and I don’t bag garbage bags so when I get a plastic bag I reuse that. I try not to use plastic water bottles. I would love to figure out a way on movie sets to incorporate that. I’ve worked on movie sets where they try to do it but it never works. I was on a set in Canada where they gave everyone a metal water bottle and there was a tank where you could fill it up, but it just wasn’t practical because everyone on the set has to move so fast. I wish there was a way to cut down on the amount that we throw away.
I try to use eco household cleaning products but it’s hard to find ones that are effective, particularly laundry detergent. All those phosphates go into the water. I found one brand, Mrs. Meyer’s, that doesn’t have those phosphates but it’s not readily available.
What’s your favorite eco-friendly tip our readers should know about?
I guess it’s all about eliminating the amount of plastic that we use and throw away. Also in terms of clothing there are so many places that will take used clothing. There’s one organization in New York called Bottomless Closet which takes business clothes, if you have a suit or heels that you don’t want any more they take it and give it to women who are unemployed and looking for work.
But on an independent level, I don’t know. Reduce your plastic. Be aware of the products that you buy. And plastic bags are such a huge thing. I was working in Tangiers in Morocco a while ago and literally there were hundreds of plastic bags floating through the air like tumbleweeds. It’s ridiculous that in the U.S. they just give you plastic bags for everything. In Europe they charge you so it incentivizes you to bring one.
Who’s your eco-idol and why?
I guess I would have to say Al Gore because he’s the one who seems to have brought the most attention to global warming and climate change on a large scale. He started the trend. And Leonardo di Caprio has done a lot of good work to bring attention to the issues as well.
It’s easy to sit back and make fun of the trend of eco-consciousness but it’s important that is has become so trendy. The changes that businesses have made—if people can profit off of it, that’s great. But not suits made out of newspapers.
What’s your worst eco-sin?
I use Swiffers to clean my floor. I know! It’s horrible. You just throw them away and they’re loaded with chemicals. But it’s just the fastest way to clean the floor. I guess I could use a mop, but I’m a little lazy.
What’s the best green advice you ever received—and who gave it to you?
My dad told me that tin foil was really bad because of the amount of energy it takes to refine the aluminum so he’s into reusing tin foil. I do that. If I use it, I’ll reuse it.
