Starring in this month's eagerly anticipated Tim Burton film, Big Eyes, actress Krysten Ritter opens up about visiting Miami for Art Basel, music, love, and friendship—and how she's anything but a wallflower.
Dress, J. Mendel ($6,900). Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-6161
Krysten Ritter dreams big. Raised on a cow and chicken farm in picture-postcard bucolic Pennsylvania, where she was bullied for her looks by classmates in school, she left the small-town life to pursue her own larger-than-life passions—first on the catwalks of New York, after being scouted at age 15, and soon after on the silver screens of Hollywood. She’s been in some 25 movies to date, and more than a dozen TV shows, and helms her own production company, Silent Machine. Her biggest break came courtesy of season two of Breaking Bad, where she stole Jesse Pinkman’s heart and crushed it after her character overdoses (as Walter White looked on, passively, letting her die). It was a pivotal point in the show—and in Ritter’s career. “I binged the first seven episodes in one day and thought, I want to be on it, and I don’t care if anybody sees it. Trusting your instincts like that is a great lesson, because when you listen to your gut, you can’t go wrong.”
Throughout her journey, Ritter, 32, has gone with her gut, but she’s also taken to keeping her eyes firmly on her goals, literally, with a massive vision board that charts her wishes and future successes. “I have a giant one at all times, with projects that I’m working on and in development,” she says. Currently it hangs in the middle of her dining room in plain sight for anyone who enters her clean, minimal Hollywood home. And it’s not just about her professional life: “I also have a note for myself to do more charity work. I want to be doing good things in addition to developing TV shows and acting,” says Ritter. “I want to have a big life. I also have pictures of my girlfriends on it. For me, the things that are most important in life are feeling good, having important relationships and deep meaningful friendships, and going after work that I love, and creating work that I love.”
This month, she can remove one of those key photos from the board: director Tim Burton, who’s had a prominent place on there for as long as she’s been acting. She finally got the chance to take his direction in Burton’s latest film, Big Eyes, which tells the fascinating story behind Margaret Keane’s iconic paintings (those ubiquitous posters of the soulful, otherworldly young children with the oversize, melancholic eyes).
Dress, Lanvin ($3,325). Miami Design District, 150 NE 40th St., 305-864-4250. Artwork: As She Appeared in My Favorite Dream, Derek Weisberg.
“For years, I kept bugging my manager and agent: When can I work with Tim Burton? When can I work with Tim Burton?” she says. “I was a huge fan of all of his movies growing up even before I knew what acting was or that you could make a [living] as an actress.”
In Big Eyes, Ritter also realized another dream: working with her favorite actress, Amy Adams, who stars as painter Margaret Keane. “I was just in awe of her abilities; her acting is like jazz, it’s all just mesmerizing.”
Ritter plays the role of the tell-it-like-it-is best girlfriend in the film, much as she does in real life. “She’s an empowering character,” she says of her role as DeeAnn. “Especially at a time where women didn’t really have a voice—as perfectly depicted in the movie—I like that my character wasn’t afraid to say what she thought. It’s close to who I am and what I would do for a friend; I say what’s on my mind and call things like I see it. I would never consider myself a wallflower.”
Dress, Giorgio Armani ($2,475). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-861-1515. Untitled, Retna (on wall). Modular Pregnancy, Seth Fairweather.
A true creative spirit who acts, writes, produces, sings, paints, spins pottery, and is “really into making things with my hands,” Ritter is excited to be in the thick of the explosion of art and ideas at Art Basel in Miami Beach this month. The last time she was in town, it was for a Jay Z concert, and she can’t wait to come back to luxuriate in the city’s famed balmy climate. “I’m always so enchanted by tropical vacations and the Caribbean, so it was a thrill to discover that’s accessible somewhere here in the [continental] United States,” she says, recalling her very first trip to the Magic City, when she and a girlfriend club-hopped around South Beach, hitting the likes of Nikki Beach.
Dress, Carven ($950). Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-6161. Ebano Metallo limited-edition ebony and polished stainless-steel necklace, Basile and Pape ($4,250). Untitled, Retna.
The picture of cool, Ritter today is dressed all in black: ripped black jeans and a black tank—“what else is new?” she cracks—the perfect complement to her trademark obsidian bangs. Of her fashion sense, she says, “You get to choose how the world sees you every day by putting on your clothes. I like to be a little rock ’n’ roll, but feminine and comfortable. I’ll wear rock ’n’ roll boots, a cute little dress, and a leather jacket if the weather requires it.”
As befitting her attire, Ritter is a rocker at heart: She is essentially a one-woman band, recording and playing under the moniker Ex Vivian, with production help from a pal. The new songs she’s been writing recently she describes as “cutesy and dark and girly...I’m happiest when I’m playing guitar and writing and expressing myself in that creative way—it’s a great detox from the grind of Hollywood for me.”
Dress ($1,995) and black boots (price on request), Emilio Pucci. Miami Design District, 155 NE 40th St., #100, 305-576-1830. Sacred Dance of Illicit Memories, Retna.
Music runs in her blood. Growing up, her dad played guitar, her grandmother played piano, and Ritter sang in the church choir. “And I’ve always dated musicians, even in high school,” she reports. She still does: Her current boyfriend is indie rock star War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. “He’s my favorite artist,” she raves. He also sounds like a great, attentive boyfriend: Several bouquets of wildflowers and roses dotted around her home are all gifts from Granduciel.
Their relationship couldn’t be more different from the sparring husband-and-wife artists in Big Eyes (Keane’s husband exploits and falsely takes credit for Margaret’s work as the paintings become an overnight sensation). For Ritter and Granduciel, the partnership is about championing one another’s creative selves, and having fun with expression. “He’s incredibly supportive and encouraging,” she says. “We played guitar together for a bit yesterday before he left on tour. He taught me a scale that I’m going to practice a bunch and try to blow his mind when he gets back.”
Dress ($1,490) and nude wedge slip-ons ($895), Reed Krakoff. Saks Fifth Avenue, 7687 N. Kendall Dr., Miami, 305-662-8655. Open, Ray Hare (on wall). Untitled, Louise Nevelson (sculpture).
Until then, she’s got her other big love to keep her company: her rescue pup, Mikey. “Tomorrow is his three-year anniversary with me. It’s incredible what this dog has done for me as a woman and as an adult, in grounding me. He used to bite people, and he was fearful and obviously abused. He’d been hit by a car when I got him, and now he’s a great dog. He goes with me everywhere, and he’s so well trained. When my friends come over, instead of trying to bite them, he’s happy to see them. He is a poster dog for rescuing and adoption.”
She’s a vocal and passionate activist for animal adoption, as evidenced by her “Opt to Adopt” campaign with PETA. “Nobody should be buying a dog when 3 to 4 million dogs are euthanized every year in the most awful, inhumane ways. These are emotional, intelligent creatures,” she reasons. “If everybody chooses to adopt, we can change the world.”
Dress and green gladiator sandals, Miu Miu (prices on request). Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-993-2300.Untitled, Retna (on wall). Untitled, Louise Nevelson (sculpture).
A woman who now exudes an empowerment that seems solid and earned, Ritter had to navigate some particularly rough days as a teen. “When I became a model, it gave me some self-esteem and a place to belong. Up until then, my home life was a little rocky and the kids at school would totally pick on me, and then when I became a model, it almost got worse.”
“You have to rise above it and burn bright. You can’t let other people’s issues destroy you or put your fire out, as cheesy as that sounds,” she says. “That was almost like boot camp for Hollywood, because you really have to let it slide off your back in Hollywood. With the Internet, people say horrible things about you, and you can’t let it affect you. If you worry about what other people are saying, then you’re not going to have the energy or the time or confidence to do all of the fabulous things that you can do.”
Dress, Antonio Berardi ($4,410). Shoes, Alejandro Ingelmo ($995). Neiman Marcus, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-865-6161. Pillars, Seth Fairweather.
She’s long since learned how to endure the ups and downs of the business and the extreme invasiveness that comes hand in hand with being in the spotlight.
Today, yoga keeps her grounded, as does her creative work—be that music, acting, or writing/producing—and taking the time to cultivate deep friendships with a close crew of like-minded, fierce, self-made women who’ve all adopted rescue pups.
Dress and black leather belt, Anthony Vaccarello X Versus Versace (prices on request). The Webster, Bal Harbour Shops, 9700 Collins Ave., 305-868-6544. Black pumps, Jimmy Choo ($895). Village of Merrick Park, 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables, 305-443-6124
Of her resolve, she says, “I am an incredibly resilient fighter. I trust that there will always be ups and downs, and I trust that we’re on a roller coaster, and I don’t have to get off the roller coaster. I get to keep going.”