In ‘My Old Ass,’ Maisy Stella Leaves Child Stardom Far Behind
Stella became famous with her sister in “Nashville” and on YouTube. But in her latest film with Aubrey Plaza, we get to discover the things Stella is really capable of.
By Anthony Breznican, Daria Kobayashi Ritch, Mindy Le Brock
Aug 15, 2024 08:00 AM
Maisy Stella didn’t have a TV as a kid because her musician parents didn’t want her and her older sister, Lennon, tuning in and tuning out. So the girls used their imaginations. “My sister made a cardboard- box TV that I would get in, and she had a fake cardboard remote,” Stella says. “I’d do a baking show, and then she’d be like, ‘Soap opera!’ and I’d be like, ‘You killed my husband!’ We would do that for hours. That was our entertainment.” Only later, when the girls landed roles as Connie Britton’s children on the country music drama Nashville, did their mother and father relent. “We bought a TV the day that me and my sister got on TV.”
Today, at the age of twenty years old, Stella has made her mark as the hilarious lead in the irresistible comedy about coming of age My Old Ass, which Amazon MGM Studios bought after it impressed people during the Sundance Film Festival early this year. The film, due to be released on 13 September, is about the story of a teen girl named Elliott who is eager to be a grown-up and get away from her lake-side farm. However, a dose of psychedelic mushrooms that are particularly potent brings about a ghost-of-Christmas-the-future-style visit from her 39-year-old self who is played by Aubrey Plaza. The older Elliott is armed with wisdom and warns of regrets to be expected. A majority of it is giving young Elliott how to stay away from heartbreaks, and to cherish those in her life even before they’re gone. Some of it is more practical, for instance “Wear your retainer!”
Stella was born in Ontario and was essentially raised on camera for the six seasons of Nashville, which she began to appear on when she was eight years old. The show featured a variety of songs she co-wrote together with her sister, and helped propel their YouTube channel to 720,000 subscribers. In the time since, Stella has become an experienced veteran of the changes and pitfalls of Holly- Wood, making her hesitant to get excited about an idea that may fail or not go the way she wanted. When she first read director Megan Park’s script of My Old Ass, she was a bit frightened “instant anxiety” at the possibility of not being able to get the role, particularly because she had heard that “10,000 girls” auditioned for the role. “I knew how bad I wanted it, and I knew how right it felt,” Stella declares. “So I went all-in. I own a shabby tuna-can boat like Elliott and I also made the producers aware of a video of me taking the tour through my yacht.”
Clothing from Ferragamo and shoes by Christian Louboutin; socks from Calzedonia. In all the hair: products from Kerastase Paris and makeup products from Victoria Beckham Beauty. Nail polish from Chanel Le Vernis.Photograph by Daria Kobayashi-Ritch; styled by Mindy Le Brock.
In the film, Elliott has only ever been a victim of other women however, her sudden desire for a local man–someone that her elder self has warned her to avoid regardless– makes her question her identity, resulting in hilarious conversations with her closest friends (as as their future selves ) on who really is and what she would like to be. “I know so many people that have had such similar experiences,” Stella states. “I believe it’s more rare to be certain of what you’re looking for. In my case I’ve always been a queer person. I’m in a queer relationship. However, I’ve always been open and never explicit about something. I’ve been given space and the freedom to not place an identity on myself.”
After the buzz surrounding My Old Ass has raised her image within Hollywood, Stella is plotting her next steps. “I just want to keep making movies and I want to keep making art and I want to keep figuring my shit out,” she states. “I’m in a position right now where I’m being considered for things, which is earth-shattering to me.” She’s shot her latest film, the surreal thriller Flowervale Street, featuring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as her parents. “They were truly beyond lovely, both of them,” she reveals. “Ewan is the coolest that’s ever lived, and Annie has such a gentle power about her that I was so moved by.” Stella is going to be the one impressing newcomers one day. This is the main reason for My Old Ass. There’s a way for her to go.
HAIR, SYLVIA WHEELER; MAKEUP, KARO KANGAS; MANICURE, STEPHANIE STONE; TAILOR, TATYANA CASSANELLI. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY PORTFOLIO ONE. FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS.