Actor Laura Harrier is one of 300 women who signed the powerful, Hollywood-led anti-harassment coalition Harrier says in her InStyle March 2018 interview.
“Style is not a formula for me—it’s instinctual,” Harrier tells InStyle. “I know right away if I like something or not.”
Her gut is the same for scripts. “I’m drawn to roles that address social issues and injustices in the world,” Harrier says. She just wrapped filming Black Klansman, Spike Lee’s upcoming thriller based on the true story of a black undercover cop who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the ’70s, co-produced by Get Out director Jordan Peele. “Working on that set was a surreal and incredible experience.”
“I feel very fortunate to be acting at a time when women and minorities are getting more of a voice,” says the Chicago native, who is a face of Louis Vuitton's Spring 2018 campaign and a Bulgari ambassador. “We’re in the middle of a moment where barriers are starting to be broken down. But I just want them to be smashed all the way.”
Unlike many people living in the spotlight, Harrier uses her online presence to start conversations about complex issues. “I think those of us with a platform have a duty to talk about all the fucked-up stuff that’s going on,” she says. “I would feel really uncomfortable watching things go by and just posting pretty selfies.”
'Time's Up'. “I think that the only way to create systematic change throughout society is to have a clear and decisive plan of action,” Harrier told InStyle in January.
Harrier said then that she had already observed changes in the workplace. “Men seem to be thinking twice about an unwarranted touch or an inappropriate comment. I was recently in a work environment and was referred to as ‘sweetie.’ He immediately then said something along the lines of, ‘Oh, sh-t, I'm not supposed to say that anymore.’”
Speaking of Time's Up, Harrier expects the change to be rapid. “The women involved are all brilliant and dynamic, so things had a clear directive and took shape quickly.” And she is optimistic that women will not allow themselves to be divided along class and racial lines this time.
“Intersectionality is crucial to Time's Up because this is a movement for all women across all industries,” said Harrier. “A one-size-fits all remedy for oppression and harassment would never work. Therefore intersectionality is key to enacting true change, especially for the most vulnerable of our sisters.”
