Having broken her ‘90s bombshell mold, the acclaimed actress is diving back into comedy, head first.

Photographs by David Needleman 
Styling by Ashley Pruitt/theonly.agency

Knowing that a Real Housewife was behind the project, many seasoned actors may have distanced themselves, wary they were walking into a cocktail-tossing schlockfest&mdash;a Vanderpump Rules for the Woodstock crowd. Did Suvari have any hesitations in signing on.
&ldquo;No, not at all,&rdquo; the actress says over the phone from L.A. &ldquo;Not only is Kyle a fantastic person but if you're looking at this project on paper, it was surrounded by nothing but fantastic people.&rdquo; She name checks executive producer John Riggi, producer of 30 Rock and The Comeback, as well as John Wells, who has worked on shows like ER and Shameless.

Mena_Suvari_David_Needleman_E116_1849DN_C_ADOBERGB.jpg

&ldquo;You get to understand what it was like for a person who was homosexual, who couldn&#39;t express themselves, how they had to navigate their lives, where they had to go,&rdquo; Suvari offers. &ldquo;It&#39;s so crazy. What I love so much about the show is that it&#39;s a window into that period. And it gives you that opportunity to create so much conversation around it. I&#39;m sure this new generation is looking back like, &lsquo;What? That&#39;s insane! I can&#39;t believe you even had to live like that.&rsquo;&rdquo;

In real life, Mena Suvari and Alicia Silverstone, two paragons of that canny &lsquo;90s &ldquo;bimbo schtick,&rdquo; did have to live like that. &ldquo;My life wasn&#39;t great behind the scenes,&rdquo; she says, reflecting back on the making of Best Picture winner American Beauty. &ldquo;I was so happy just to have a job, everybody was just really nice to me. I don&#39;t think I really understood what I was doing. It was sort of like a process for me.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Mena_Suvari_David_Needleman_D21_1849DN_B_ADOBERGB.jpg

"I was so happy just to have a job, everybody was just really nice to me. I don't think I really understood what I was doing. It was sort of like a process for me." 

Catch all the moments from Mena's shoot with L'OFFICIEL USA in the gallery below.

Hair Walton Nunez&nbsp;using Lanza/TheBrooksAgency
Makeup Roberto Morelli using Chanel/Linknyla.com
Stylist Assistant Valeria Leonova&nbsp;
Photo Assistant Eduardo Valderrama

Mena Suvari, American Actress

Mena Suvari, American Actress

Tags

Related Articles

Film & TV

Actress Sydney Sweeney Talks Sharp Objects, School Bullies, and Positivity

Film & TV

Shira Haas of 'Unorthodox' on Rising to Fame During a Lockdown

Music

New Ruler: Dua Lipa Is Conquering Pop

Recommended posts for you

Pop culture

Why The Internet is Obsessed With Nico Hiraga

Pop culture

Suri Cruise Celebrates Her 18th Birthday

Music

Everything to Know About Taylor Swift's New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Film & TV

6 Michelle Yeoh Movies to Watch Before 'Wicked'

Pop culture

Dua Lipa is All About Making Room for Joy and Having Fun

Pop culture

25 Celebrity Lookalikes You Didn't Know Existed

Fashion

The First Men's Fine Jewelry Collection From Louis Vuitton Is Inspired by Denim

Shopping

Channel the French Riviera With These 9 Black and White Bikinis