Cannes Film Festival: Inside the Celine Dinner With Olivia de Jonge

Rhonda Richford
·3 min read
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The supersecret scene of the festival was Celine’s private dinner at the Hotel du Cap. Creative director Hedi Slimane flew in a handful of his VIP friends of the house, including Olivia de Jonge.

“Everybody was dressed to the nines. I felt like I was surrounded by the coolest people who were there for a very, very cool brand, and everyone was in these cool outfits like rock stars, honestly. There were a lot of sequins, black and leather,” said de Jonge of the evening’s style.

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Rock stars, perhaps, but a few K-pop stars, too, with BTS’ Kim Taehyung and Blackpink’s Lisa on the list.

Other invitees included Noah Jupe, Joe Alwyn, Esmé Creed-Miles, Michael Pitt and Future. Moscow mules were served in the candlelit dining area, while guests feasted on tartare.

They all gathered to watch the sun set over the Mediterranean during the magic hour. “The view was immaculate. It was so incredible to watch the sun go down and watch the sky change colors. It was even more beautiful than I remember,” she said.

De Jonge was seated with Havana Rose Liu, Stella Rose Gahan, Earl Cave, Jack Dylan Grazer, Kaia Gerber and her pal Travis Jackson. The table discussed fashion — naturally — but got into more philosophical topics like their dreams and plans for the future.

De Jonge formed a friendship with Slimane when he shot her last year. “He’s very peaceful, and has a really nice aura around him. He’s very calm and you kind of just trust the way he’s seeing you and it makes you feel really, really comfortable,” she said, adding that she’s since become a big fan of the brand.

The native Australian has been living in New York, and Celine’s rocker vibe suits her new location. “I was able to really enjoy it a lot more and take it in, observe the scenery and enjoy the city more,” she said of this year’s jaunt to the South of France.

De Jonge flew in just for the event, quite a different experience than last year when she hit Cannes for the premiere of “Elvis.”

Her style has changed from the beachy Aussie vibes to a more edgy city style, and she considers herself obsessed with the brand’s chunky boots and slim denim. “The jeans are just unreal, I want to steal all of them.”

She’s prepping for her next acting role and set to produce her first film, adapted from a novel, while learning something about the business. “I didn’t realize how slow that it actually moves. Preproduction takes a very, very long time. I’m used to the audition and finding out in a couple of months, but lo and behold [a project] has been a year or three in the making before it hits my inbox.”

The short trip made jet lag a challenge, but de Jonge took a few day naps, and a few strolls around the garden grounds to relax.

“It was so beautiful, it was like stepping into another world. Getting to know everyone was so lovely, and all the people were so warm and welcoming,” she said.

The actress is not a big selfie taker, but snapped plenty of pics of her and the other guests dancing. “We had a bit of a boogie,” she said. The evening featured a performance from musician Jacob Slater.

For a performance that de Jonge called “honestly unreal,” the musician brought the crowd to tears. “Everybody in the room was really, really moved by the performance. That was the biggest surprise. I’m just reveling in this beautiful experience,” she said.

Launch Gallery: Inside the Celine Cannes Dinner

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