8:00 A.M. I live in New York, but I’m traveling a lot these days for films and events and other projects. That’s just the nature of my life right now. I moved here when I was 15, and I fell in love with the city immediately. It allowed me to be independent at a really young age because I didn’t have to drive—I still don’t. It’s a great place to grow up because you’re exposed to so much culture and different kinds of people.
8:15 A.M. When I’m shooting I sometimes have to get up very early for a 4:30 or 5 A.M. pickup. But I’m a night owl, so I usually sleep in as late as I can. I’m a big fan of hitting the snooze button. I will snooze until it’s too late. When I get up I usually put on music right away and listen to it while I’m washing my face and getting dressed. Jamming out is a nice time of day for me. I stream this radio station, Radio Nova, that’s based in Paris. They curate a beautiful set that’s really all over the place—they’ll play blues or some West African music, then A Tribe Called Quest, then funk from Ethiopia, then James Brown, and then the Beatles. It’s an amazing mix. My facialist, Dayle Breault, makes fantastic products. They’re all organic and natural, and I use all of her exfoliants and serums. That’s my morning ritual. If I have time, I’ll make matcha or chai tea, usually the Yogi Tea kind—they have it at Whole Foods—with almond milk and honey. I used to be a big coffee drinker, but I’ve tried to cut down.
9:00 A.M. I need time to wake up before I have my breakfast, and sometimes it takes my body a while. When I’m working and I have to get up at four o’clock in the morning, I’ll need, like, two breakfasts. But if I have a normal day when I get up by myself, sometimes as late as 10:30, I usually don’t get hungry until noon or 1 P.M. A perfect breakfast is eggs over easy with toast and avocado. If I’m making it at home, I’ll do a bowl with quinoa and egg and avocado and sriracha, but I usually go out. I really like Cafe Mogador in Williamsburg, or if I’m in Manhattan, Hampton Chutney Co.—I love their dosa sandwiches. I was raised vegan. My mom would always make quinoa with squash and kale, hippie stuff like that. Now I eat meat, but I try to be conscious about where it’s coming from. But I stick to mostly vegan health food just because it’s how I grew up; I really like Souen and Angelica Kitchen in the East Village.
10:00 A.M. I try to work out when I first get up. Otherwise I’ll go late at night, like 10 P.M. I think it helps me sleep, and it’s very important to sweat and move your blood. My gym in Brooklyn is really small, and I’ll just go on the elliptical for 30 minutes, long enough to work up a sweat, and then I’m good. I also love steam rooms, because it helps get all the toxins out and rejuvenate your body. And I do stretches and sit-ups at home, like leg exercises and stuff. I’ve worked with a lot of trainers over the years for shows and films, so I know enough about fitness to do things on my own at this point.
11:00 A.M. How I get dressed depends on my energy in the morning. My vibe varies so much—I can be sophisticated or vintage-y or playful or more sporty. I’m always a big fan of the white T-shirt and jeans or trousers. That’s my go-to, get-it-done thing. I collect white T-shirts. Vintage ones are the best, or an old ex-boyfriend’s or boyfriend’s. My closets are a mess these days. I just got my apartment in Williamsburg last spring, so I’m still figuring it out. I have clothes in different closets in different rooms, and I’m always running up and down the stairs with, like, one shoe on and no pants, trying to find stuff—there are shoes on one floor, shirts in my bedroom, and skirts in the coat closet. I’m trying to organize. My apartment has quite a lot of space for New York. I think it used to be a garage, and it was converted into a house. It’s pretty unique. I live here with a friend of mine, which is nice, because she keeps it cozy and lived-in when I’m away.
12:00 P.M. When I’m in New York, I walk everywhere or take the subway, so I’m not one to wear heels, because your day is completely ruined if you’re uncomfortable. I like to wear shoes that are cool but also practical. The same goes for bags. Your bag is a big deal in New York. You can’t just carry around a little clutch, because you don’t have a car or anywhere to stash things during the day, so you need to carry your whole life with you. That’s why I like big, chunky bags with lots of compartments. It’s the worst thing ever to change a bag and then realize that your subway card or credit card is in another one.
1:00 P.M. An ideal afternoon would be running errands, seeing friends, and reading scripts. I always have a lot of scripts I need to read that I’m totally behind on. I don’t like reading on my phone or on an iPad, so I take scripts out with me and read at the Smile downtown or under a tree in the park. I usually have at least three chai teas throughout the day. I don’t drink the weird liquid chai-mixer stuff—I’ll have the actual tea.
2:00 P.M. If I’m shopping, I really like Assembly New York on the Lower East Side, Catbird in Brooklyn, or Love Adorned in NoLIta, which sells vintage jewelry and beautiful things for your house. There are fewer and fewer cool vintage stores now, unfortunately, but there’s a good one called Stock, on East 13th Street.
3:00 P.M. I find a lot of refuge in parks. I live near McCarren Park, and I hang out there all the time. I also love Central Park, even though it’s pretty far from me. When I’m uptown I try to visit the Guggenheim too. The building itself is such an incredible piece of art. I’ve lived all over the city, so I know a lot of different neighborhoods quite well. Washington Square Park is one of my favorites. There’s so much to see and so many characters—old guys playing chess, someone playing jazz. Occasionally I’ll give money to panhandlers, but recently I gave money to this one guy on the train, and then he and I both got off at the same stop, and he pulled out an iPhone and called somebody—so nothing is predictable.
“Your bag is a big deal in New York. You need to carry your whole life with you.”
5:00 P.M. Usually around five o’clock I’ll head home and take some time to relax. If I’m going out at night, it normally isn’t until 8 or 9, so I’ll take a break. I have a steam shower in my apartment, which is awesome. I steam at least once a day, and sometimes again right before bed if I’ve been out drinking and dancing—it’s a nice way to prevent a hangover. I’ll also listen to music or watch a movie or a TV show. I think Louis C.K. is hilarious, and I love Portlandia. I’ll usually have a snack like wasabi chips with avocado or almond butter on toast. Juice Press is great for snacks too, and they’re everywhere in the city now. I order their Volcano drink, and I’m obsessed with their marinated kale salad.
8:00 P.M. I don’t necessarily dress up to go out at night unless I have to wear something more formal for an event. Again, I want to be comfortable, especially when I dance, so I don’t put on high heels or anything. I should probably bring flats with me, but I don’t. I’ll just go home if my feet hurt. For dinner, I’ll go to Lovely Day in Manhattan; they have really good Thai food. And I’m always up for sushi of any kind. There’s a Japanese-Jewish-fusion restaurant in Brooklyn called Shalom Japan that’s awesome. Sake is my drink of choice.
9:00 P.M. Instead of going out at night, sometimes I’ll go to this spa, Aire Ancient Baths, in TriBeCa. It’s open until 11, and I go with Alex [Wang] a lot. We’ll go late at night and do salt baths and cold baths. It’s all wood and brick inside, and really beautiful.
10:00 P.M. My band, Lolawolf, is based in Brooklyn, and my favorite venue to perform in is Baby’s All Right, this place in Williamsburg. Other good spots for live music are the Williamsburg Music Hall and the Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side.
11:00 P.M. Even if I don’t go out, I have a hard time falling asleep, so I go to bed around 1 A.M. I listen to a lot of jazz when I’m getting ready for bed: Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. Right now my bedside table has a copy of Benny & Joon on it, water, incense, Advil, and M Train, by Patti Smith, which I just started. It’s really good. I always set an alarm because, honestly, I could sleep all day if I don’t get woken up. When I have trouble sleeping, I’ll read, watch old episodes of Sex and the City, or dance around my house. Music helps me wind down.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar