“What is funny is what is true.” That’s a nugget of wisdom that LaKeith Stanfield doled out to writer Jazmine Hughes, who profiled him for CULTURED’s new issue. The deceptively simple remark gets at the root of the actor’s sometimes-absurd, sometimes-surreal, always-insightful brand of comedy, on display most recently in the Bible-story satire The Book of Clarence.
Stanfield shares a commitment to getting to the heart of the matter with fellow cover star Charles Melton. In his widely acclaimed film debut, May December, Melton plays a 36-year-old who is coming to terms with his relationship to his wife (Julianne Moore), who began grooming him when he was just 13.
Last night, the two actors met at Gigi’s Hollywood for a celebration of their recent successes and the launch of CULTURED’s Art + Film issue. Complete with lush green velvet booths and a diner-style checkerboard floor, the Los Angeles restaurant was a perfect spot to flip through the magazine’s annual ode to the big screen.
At the launch dinner, CULTURED Editor-in-Chief Sarah Harrelson welcomed guests including actor Chloe Cherry, Gagosian’s Sophia Cohen, actor Shameik Moore, actor Jonica Booth, model Renata Notni, artist Alexandra Grant, musician Este Haim, actor Adina Porter, model Shaun Ross, playwright Tina Satter, and DJ and producer Diplo.
Also present were collaborators on the issue, including stylist Yashua Simmons and photographer Emmanuel Sanchez-Monsalve. Actors Austin Abrams and Celeste O’Connor, who got the profie treatment in the issue's pages, were also present.
On one of the two covers, styled by Simmons and shot by Sanchez-Monsalve, Stanfield can be seen sitting alongside a forged metal crown—a nod, perhaps, to the messiah-level ambitions of his Clarence character. On the other, Melton stands confident in a cheetah-print coat. His chiseled face, Jazmine Hughes muses, was “made to be pinned to the inside of a locker door.” Both stars are outfitted in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
Over dinner, Harrelson raised a toast to the room, saying, “The people here with us tonight—Charles and LaKeith in particular—underscore how important it is to celebrate independence and creativity.”
At the end of the evening, guests departed with CULTURED's limited edition Cassi Namoda totes in hand. Each was stocked with Dr. Barbara Sturm's Good Night supplement and Super Anti-Aging Night Cream and D.S. & Durga's latest Dream Lychee candle—all ingredients for a good night's sleep, filled with dreams about future creative endeavors.
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