FASHION Magazine April 2013 Cover: Emily VanCamp

Fashion Magazine April 2013 Emily Vancamp
Photographed by James White and styled by Hayley Atkin, Emily VanCamp wears a dress, $2,250, and necklace, $3,450, both by Gucci. Hair by John D. for starworksartists.com/TreSemmé Hair Care. Makeup by Jenn Streicher for starworksartists.com/Chanel. Manicure by Emi Kudo for Opus Beauty/Chanel.
Fashion Magazine April 2013 Emily Vancamp
Photographed by James White and styled by Hayley Atkin, Emily VanCamp wears a dress, $2,250, and necklace, $3,450, both by Gucci. Hair by John D. for starworksartists.com/TreSemmé Hair Care. Makeup by Jenn Streicher for starworksartists.com/Chanel. Manicure by Emi Kudo for Opus Beauty/Chanel.

Homegrown actress Emily VanCamp covers FASHION Magazine’s April 2013 issue. In this sneak peek, features editor, Elio Iannacci recounts the best moments from his interview with the actress last month.

Unlike the slick, sly person she plays on the hit TV show, Revenge, Canadian actress Emily VanCamp does not fill her days ruining other people’s lives. In fact, the only thing VanCamp admits to sharing with Emily Thorne—the sociopathic socialite from the ABC hit television series—is her character’s first name. While chatting with us for FASHION‘s April cover story, the Port Perry, Ontario native—who is rumoured to star in the upcoming Captain America sequel—made it clear that she is not going to embark on any ruthless conquests for vengeance any time soon.

Instead, the 26-year-old talent is focusing on honing her craft, choosing the right scripts and, when awards season hits, figuring out best practices for the red carpet. “There is definitely a secret dress code when it comes to Hollywood,” she says. “For awards shows, I feel if you’re nominated for something you can take it to that extra level because it is— in a weird way—your night. When you’re presenting, you need to be demure and understated. I do believe there’s an art to choosing the right dress for the right moment.”

Fashion Magazine April 2013 Emily Vancamp
Photographed by James White and styled by Hayley Atkin, Emily VanCamp wears a top, $2,160, by mugler.

Aside from avoiding any major violations from the fashion police, Emily VanCamp is very outspoken about the rampant use and misuse of botox and cosmetic surgery in Hollywood. “I think actors get addicted to youth but it seems so exhausting to me,” she says. “There is such pressure in L.A. to keep young and beautiful [but] the expectation to maintain this perfectly youthful face is incredibly intimidating as a woman in this business.”

“How can you act if your face is frozen? I don’t understand it,” she adds. “I find it really tragic and sad that women feel that they can’t age and still work in film. Some of my favourite women I like to watch on screen are the ones that allow themselves to age gracefully. They play women that are around the same age and they have no shame in it.”

One of the women she cites is Jennifer Jason Leigh, who plays her mother on Revenge. Equal parts drama, thriller, camp and soap, the show has VanCamp at her cruelest, playing a cocktail dress-wearing vigilante out to avenge her father’s name and payback the family that framed him as a criminal, Although comparisons have been made between classic soaps and Revenge, VanCamp feels the series is far from any kind of Dynasty or Melrose Place knock off. Alongside her co-star, Madeleine Stowe—who plays the Alexis Colby to her Krystal Carrington—the pair represent two A-type nemeses from very different generations.

“There’s definitely something old school about how Madeleine’s character [Victoria Grayson—the monarch of the Grayson family] communicates and approaches things as opposed to my character. Emily has been so well-trained in the art of revenge. She’s as much of a tech wiz as she is a fighter as she is this saving-face-type socialite. They both have a method to their madness.”

VanCamp hints that those who are waiting for Victoria Grayson and Emily Thorne to have their first epic faceoff will be pleasantly surprised at the soon-to-be-screened fireworks. “A huge tragedy happens partway through this season,” she says. “We touched on it in the very beginning of season two. Victoria will be linked to this massive event that occurs and this will reinvigorate Emily’s need for revenge—specifically towards the Grayson family.”

With the high volume of dirty looks and backstabbing dialogue embedded into each episode of Revenge, VanCamp says she—and her boyfriend/co-star Josh Bowman (who plays Daniel Grayson)—have luckily decided not to employ the method approach.

“Oh, god, we couldn’t,” she laughs. “We’re playing very intense characters. A lot of us are doing intense scene after intense scene so when you go home you absolutely need to unwind, disconnect, and let it all go. If you live with these characters—it could be quite distracting and destructive,” she laughs.  ” I have an amazing group of friends and they make it easy for me to let loose and relax on the weekends, get back to reality and ground myself.”

To read our cover story on Emily VanCamp, pick up the April issue of  FASHION Magazine, available on newsstands March 11, 2013.

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