**HERMÈS** jumpsuit, bandeau, and belt and **TIFFANY & CO.** rings.
When a young bird determines to leave the nest, it faces a life of danger and ambiguity, the departure from safety for an unpredictable world. These days, even nesting can feel uncertain, for the world has changed—at least temporarily—the rules of survival, migration, flight, and interactivity. For Juilliard graduate Hadley Robinson, though, it is in this last year that, despite the challenges, she has soared without restrictions.
Since making her big screen debut as Meg March’s friend, Sallie Gardiner Moffat, in Greta Gerwig’s beloved _Little Women_, Robinson has kept busy. She has starred in _Utopia_, a new sci-fi series from Gillian Flynn in which a group of youngsters come into contact with a cult graphic novel, which leaves them tasked with saving the world; a yet to be titled HBO drama series about the “Showtime” era of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, wherein she plays the daughter of team owner Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly); and the thriller-drama, _I’m Thinking of Ending Things_, directed by Charlie Kaufman. All in the last year.
Robinson continues her graceful flight to stardom in her latest film _Moxie_: a comedy directed by Amy Poehler that sees her in her first leading role. Set to the beat of the riot grrrl bands of the ‘90s—the musical backbone of a subcultural movement that combined feminism, punk, and politics—_Moxie_ tackles the ruthless macrocosm found within the grounds of public high school, where the likes of jocks and cheerleaders can be compared to that of apex predators. Robinson stars as Vivian Carter, a teenager who is inspired by her mother’s feminist past to create and edit an anonymous zine to comment on (and perhaps combat) the toxic masculinity found within her school. “I am sure most women walking around on this planet have angst built up in them,” Robinson remarks of the creative act, then says with a laugh, “and they need some sort of cathartic outlet that some people will never get their hands on.” And it’s true—there’s nothing more satisfying than watching the high school bully (played by Patrick Schwarzenegger) getting what he deserves to the tune of “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill.
Robinson continues on her personal connection to Vivian’s character. “I think Vivian is a very shy girl in the beginning,” she reflects. “And I was very shy in high school as well—and I wanted to keep my head down because it was easier. I think I walked around with fear a lot of the time, just as Vivian does. She’s inspired by the people that she loves in her life to break out of that, and really become who she always was with a little bit of courage and help from her friends.”
**LOUIS VUITTON** jacket and dress.
**MIU MIU** top and pants and **TIFFANY & CO.** earrings.
**CHANEL** vest and brooch.
Like Vivian, writing is a rather integral part of Robinson’s understanding herself as a person. “Writing is a huge part of my life in the way that I express myself,” she says. “I journal every day, and I’ve always written poetry and lyrics.” This discussion on writing quickly pivots our conversation to the topic of books, and as the daughter of a university dean and a known bookworm, I am unsurprised to find out that even on the set of _Moxie_, she was reading _Seven Brief Lessons on Physics_ by Carlo Rovelli. As a not-so-undercover nerd, her favorite bird, she shares, is the raven, inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. “Also, my grandfather had a pet raven that he’d saved as a veterinarian. I have an affinity with that bird. I just think they’re so beautiful, and they’re also highly intelligent.”
Between acting and writing, it’s only natural that the next step in Robinson’s creative evolution will be directing. She’s recently written a short film with Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Gandolfini, that she hopes to direct in the next year, and has begun writing her first feature film. Still, she’s appreciative of this recent period’s change of pace. “My whole life, I’ve been a workaholic, and I have to be busy every moment of every day, doing something, keeping my brain going or my body moving. In the pandemic, I was forced to be still and to be calm for probably the first time ever. And I had no choice. And thank god I started meditating. Thank god, I started taking moments to pause throughout my day.”
Out in the air, away from the nest, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with opportunity and freedom, but Robinson seems to have found solace through ritual and grounding herself in who she is… a bird of many feathers.
**DIOR** jacket, top, and ring and **GUESS** jeans.
**NINA RICCI** jacket and hat and **TIFFANY & CO.** necklace.
Photographer: [Graham Dunn](https://www.instagram.com/grahamdunn/) at [Atelier Management](https://www.instagram.com/ateliermgmt/)
Stylist: [Monty Jackson](https://www.instagram.com/mrmontyjackson/) at [A-Frame Agency](https://www.instagram.com/aframe_agency/)
Hair: [Bridget Brager](https://www.instagram.com/bridgetbragerhair/) at the [Wall Group](https://www.instagram.com/TheWallGroup/)
Makeup: [Rachel Goodwin](https://www.instagram.com/rachelgoodwinmakeup/) at [A-Frame Agency](https://www.instagram.com/aframe_agency/)
Photo Assistant: [Tyler Ash](https://www.instagram.com/tyler.ash/)
Stylist Assistant: [Claudia Vlasimsky](https://www.instagram.com/claudiavlasimsky/)
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