Gorgeous Carla Gugino stars alongside Naomi Watts, Bill Murray and a 150 lb. gifted Great Dane in The Friend at a theatre near you. She’s the kind of amazing soul you want starring as your friend in real life. But we had to settle for whatever time we could with this modern day goddess as she expressed her love and affinity for Italian Hollywood iconic sirens of the past during our photoshoot. Scroll on down and view the pics shot at The Flower Shop while Carla shares her thoughts on The Friend film experience, her filmmaker partner Sebastian Gutierrez, music, nature, being the ultimate foodie, the best youth elixir, and her bare essentials which includes human connection…something she has absolutely nailed.

Carla wears her own clothing. earrings: MDVII

the bare magazine: in your opinion what top 3 emotions will a viewer of The Friend movie experience?

Carla Gugino: Empathy, Yearning, Inspiration

bare: take us on a journey of your experience making it? locations, working with the cast, and that stunning great dane!

CG: Naomi Watts and I have known each other for almost 30 years but never had the opportunity to work together professionally. This film presented the perfect chance to portray friends with a rich history-once incredibly close but gradually separated by life’s different paths. Now, through the death of a man with whom we both shared intimate relationships, our characters are unexpectedly reunited. It was valuable to have a sense of genuine history as a jumping off point for our characters.

The movie has real authenticity because we were actually shooting in the streets/parks/apartments of NYC. Most of us live in NYC. There’s nothing like getting to walk to work. They never closed any outdoor locations off so we were filming amongst people going about their very busy lives. It was both exhilarating and challenging as Naomi and I had a 7 page scene in which we navigated through “real” New York City street life.

Between the 2 of us and Bing, a 150 lb. Great Dane, we weren’t invisible. Ha! But mostly New Yorkers just have to get to where they are going so after a passing glance, they were off to their own lives! This was Bing’s first movie but he is a born a pro.

sweater set: rachel antonoff polka dot tights: la belle earrings: @mdvii lipstick: Italian marble lipstick in dolce and fine shine glossy lip oil in sweet pink and swipe-n-line in classic by laura geller

bare: you recently attended your best friend Connie Brittan's premiere The Life List can you share a few words on your long lasting bond and enduring friendship?

CG: As you know, the richness of years spent as dear friends/soul sisters through so many chapters of life, is incomparable. We first met 30 years ago (WTF?!) when we were young bucks filming SPIN CITY at Chelsea Piers, getting to live in NYC, and work alongside such a great company led by the genius that is Michael J. Fox. It was truly a dream.

Since then our careers have grown, our family life has gone through the many phases of kids, schools, moves to different cities. We have seen each other through so much. It’s especially rewarding to get to cheer each other on in the fun moments, as this business is filled with so many ups and downs. It’s vital to embrace both. But getting to cheer her on on a night like that is pure joy.

bare: what is a deal breaker or most challenging to handle in a co-star?

CG: I can handle many personalities and quirks if you will. I truly love people so many times when people have warned me that someone is difficult to work with, I thankfully don’t have that experience. What I have no patience for is when an actor is not generous WHILE acting. Any great actor knows that the better your costar is, the better you can be. It’s always insecurity that drives someone to not give space for the other person to shine. Fortunately, for the most part I’ve had great experiences on set. Having started acting professionally so young, it’s as if acting found me before i could find myself. It’s practically Pavlovian at this point - camera, action, home. I know it in my bones.

dress: vintage alexander mcqueen @morphew_world vintage bracelets: @mdvii lip: laura geller

bare: you seem to have a wonderful network of coworkers, collaborators and friends you've worked with over the years - in what way has this become a special part of the biz for you?

CG: I love getting to have repeat collaborations with writer/directors and other actors. I really gravitate towards artists who feel the same. You can cut to the quick much faster when you trust your fellow artists and have a shorthand. It takes less energy to get a better result. And of course the beauty is then adding new people into that fold.

My partner Sebastian Gutierrez and I love to create the film version of a repertory company like you have in the theater. I’ve also had the great pleasure of working with a great company of actors and crew on multiple projects with Mike Flanagan. I’ve made 4 movies with Robert Rodriguez and 2 with Zack Snyder so yes, I guess I’ve made a habit of building cinematic families.

bare: outside of tv/film and acting, what are your other creative passions or past times? you seem to love music….

CG: I love being in nature. Give me warm turquoise water and a white sand beach and I feel like I’m home. Hiking in the forest as well. That smell of fresh pine trees and cool dirt on an early misty morning is like nothing else. I was born in Florida and then lived up and down the California coast much of my life. My Mom has always been a nature lover and she definitely passed that down to me.

scarf: stylists own blazer: vintage alexander mcqueen at morphew

And yes, music: the most transportive of mediums. I don’t play but I love to go see live music. We just got to see Beck play an acoustic set at Bowery Ballroom recently, as well as Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift. Like great theater, a stellar live concert is SO life affirming. Not because it makes you forget the complexity of your own life but because it makes you not feel alone in experiencing it. That kind of connection is by nature uplifting.

I almost went to see Jack White (one of my favorites of all time) with a 102 fever a few weeks back because I was so sad to miss it, but thought better of my fellow concertgoers and abstained. I heard the show was off the charts. Now I have to find another city to see him perform in!

bare: would you say you're a foodie? describe a dream meal? favorite places to eat or shop?

CG: I am the ultimate foodie. I always have been. According to my Mom, when I was 2, she would test her French recipes on me and if I rubbed the food all over my face and ate it, she knew the recipe was a keeper. If I started throwing it around, it was back to the drawing board! I cook a little but not as well as I like to eat. Maybe because of my heritage, I could eat clean Italian food every day.

dress vintage roberto cavalli at morphew earrings: mdvii

My favorite restaurants are always the places that make a simple dish sing. In NYC, Jodie at Rita who own I SODI, VIA CAROTA, and BUVETTE are the epitome of that. I also love a gluten free (I’m GF) Japanese restaurant called NAMI NORI. But the list goes on. I’m always on the hunt for new hidden gems. Recently I tried a delicious Indian restaurant in the Flatiron District called PASSERINE. And in my book, you simply can’t beat a warm dark chocolate chip cookie for comfort food. As far as shopping for food goes, give me great health food store and you won’t see me for an hour! Ha.

bare: what do you pay greater attention to as you get older? how do you care for yourself now in different ways than you did 10 years ago? what have you added ...what have you eliminated?

CG: I’ve had a sensitive system as long as I can remember so I’ve always had to be somewhat careful about what I put in it. I had to start thinking about health way earlier than a lot of my friends. The silver lining of that is that you are forced to listen to your body. As I’ve gotten older, I listen better. I don’t run myself as ragged as I used to. I value sleep more.

Vintage dress Carla’s own tights: @labelle eyeliner: INKcredible by laura geller beauty

I’m predominately gluten free, I don’t drink much, and I love fruits and veggies. That being said, food is my indulgence. I’ve never been able to just eat for fuel. I have a nightly bath ritual, I walk a lot, and I get regular facials…and Sebastian introduced me to a motto I wholeheartedly believe: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION, INCLUDING MODERATION. Being silly and laughing with people you love is the best youth elixir of all.

red shoe: carla’s own blazer and skirt: batsheva earrings: MDVII

bare: for our shoot you wanted to channel some iconic Italian film goddesses of the past. can you describe how you connect with them and how they inspire you?

CG: I’ve always felt connected to the more classic sense of glamour and femininity that many of our inspirations for this shoot exuded; Claudia Cardinale, Anna Magnani, Sophia Lauren…as well as of course Marylin Monroe (Michael Mayer gave me my first break on Broadway 20 years ago in Arthur Miller’s AFTER THE FALL in which I played Maggie who was based on Monroe), Gene Tierney, Ava Gardner. And that’s just for starters…so it was fun to play in that world for our shoot.