Paul Farkas
EDITORIAL
Kimmie Smith
Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director
Paul Farkas
Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTIONS
PHOTOGRAPHERS | Trevor Brown Jr./X Games Aspen | Dom Daher/ Red Bull Content Pool | Joshua Duplechian/Red Bull Content Pool | Paul Farkas | Mark Kohlman/Red Bull Content Pool | Dustin Niles | Jeong Park | Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool | Lorenz Richard/Red Bull Content Pool | Nina Scholl | Peter Simsonite | Michael Tulipan |
STYLIST | Kimmie Smith |
Fight For What You Love Jack Huston & Michael C. Pitt
In Time
Charles Vandervaart
We took some time to talk with Charles Vandervaart who plays William Ransom in STARZ’s Outlander. He talks about acting, how he came to this show which is currently airing its second half of S7, and more.
Celebrity FItness Trainer Jenna Willis shares what she does, has, and enjoys Morning, Afternoon, and Night.
Art of the Snack Clock Tower Grill
This month’s The Art of the Snack takes us to Brewster, NY at Clock Tower Grill with a focus of farm to table and nourishing eats.
Netflix’s Griselda star, Maria Camila Giraldo shares her must-haves in beauty, style, and fitness.
Our editorial brings you some of our favorite must-haves to enjoy on our next glamping trip!
Last month Day of the Fight was released into theaters. It tells the story of Irish Mike as he prepares for his fight at Madison Square Garden. As we lead up to this big event, we also get to see the people, places, and things that make up his life. With an incredible cast that includes Michael C Pitt (Boardwalk Empire, Asphalt City, Reptile), Ron Perlman (Hellboy franchise, Sons of Anarchy, StartUp), Joe Pesci (Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman), and Steve Buscemi (The Sopranos, Fargo, Boardwalk Empire) to name a few - we're drawn into his world as well as the decisions that he makes.
We had the pleasure to sit down with Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire, Expats, House of Gucci), writer, producer and making his directorial debut along with lead actor, Michael to talk about this film, how it came to be, moments that they enjoyed, the takeaway that they want others to have from it, and the power of cinema.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We watched this movie last night and we’re boxing fans. So we were already excited to see the movie. It was even better that it was not the traditional and formulaic boxing film that we are used to seeing! Before we delve into the movie, Jack you wrote, directed, and produced it. What led you to creating this film? Michael, what made you want to be part of this film?
JACK HUSTON: I had the great opportunity to work with Michael many years ago on Boardwalk Empire.
AM: Which was an amazing series!
JH: Thank you! I always had memories of Michael punching sandbags and going off to the boxing gym. So maybe, I had him there in my head. But I also had the memories of just how much I loved working with Michael just him being such a beautiful actor and he has always elevated any season that he was in. Somebody who just conveys so much through his eyes. He has this amazing sense of sensitivity and vulnerability with a hard exterior you know and he could play every part. When
I sort of conceived the film, I could not imagine anybody else in the role. It’s amazing where you have these moments where you are literally right there with someone else’s voice in your head. So, I wrote and came up with the idea for the film with Michael in the role and I went to him and said, you’ve got to do this role! He asked me, where’s the script and I was like, well I haven’t written it yet. So we worked and sort of developed it through the years. It was a great fight worth having to get Michael to play this part. I thank God everyday that I got the opportunity to do it with him.
AM: Wow, that’s great to hear. What drew you to the film Michael?
MICHAEL C. PITT: Permission to speak freely?
AM: Of course.
MCP: This film chose me. Jack chose me. My very good friend, my buddy, and my collaborator basically said that he wanted me to do this. He pulled me out of the gutter to play this film. We made it with a lot of love and a lot of heart. We made it to inspire the younger generation and so I hope we do.
AM: It was incredible. The casting was incredible obviously in addition to Michael, Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi, Ron Perlman -
MCP: Well that’s all Jack! I have no idea how – I mean I used to call him The Prince! I have no idea in hell how he did it!
AM: That part!
MCP: Yeah, how he assembled those older men – they are not the easiest and they are set in their ways.
AM: Haha you are basically asking what we’re trying to say so I thank you for navigating that one! How'd you do
that?
MCP: To get them in the room. That was all Jack. All Jack. Thank God we were able to get those guys!
JH: You know, it’s funny. When you write it for certain people, I think that just like Michael said, the film was all heart and it was all love. The two elements or the two characters that were written specifically for the film were Mike and Joe. Joe was –you know, I heard his voice and that’s him singing in the movie. I was developing this character that had dementia and we needed an actor with such a history and almost where their reputation proceeded them the way that they find them in the film, they have to have such a body of work because they are suffering from dementia. Then I heard him sing and I thought, what if he doesn’t speak, but you hear him sing? That’s what brings back the memories because when my grandma when she was suffering from dementia, music would bring her back in the room. She gained that lucidity through that – through music and that’s what sort of happened.
But, getting Joe was landing the white whale because the film wouldn’t have happened. He pretty much secured our financing! I think it was kind of like, “ha ha if you get Joe Pesci, we’ll secure your financing for the movie.” Then we went ahead and got Joe Pesci. Then they were like oh shit, we have to finance the movie. But it was a big gamble and I think again it came down to the collective love of what we were trying to make and a bit of a throwback to the movies that aren’t made like this anymore. It is an homage to that type of picture. It’s all about feeling, all about character, all about the sort of real human struggle and the human condition. The kinds of films like Mike was saying that made us fall in love with cinema and hopefully, it will inspire other people to fall in love with cinema all over again.
AM: What did you draw from, Mike in terms of your character and how did you approach playing him?
MCP: Oh, that’s such a difficult question because it was set up – Jack set it up for me to experience this role. So it was a bit like, “ok, I set everything up, you’re trained, and now ding, ding, ding – go out there and do everything and get out into the ring and make me proud.” Basically, that’s how it was set up for me and it’s hard for me to watch, but I do notice that it does make people feel. I do think that that is a very important thing that Jack touches on. It’s really smart to be streetwise, it’s very good to keep your poker face up and to keep your guard on. But you need to feel things. We need to feel things or we’re not human. I hope that people have the courage to feel when they are watching the film.
AM: There were so many themes that we enjoyed when watching the film: redemption, resilience, fortitude, and even being able to establish things in the future that you know will not be yours to enjoy; however, you have created the fingerprint for that to happen. Of course, the whole past, present, future of everything that is going on in the film is just really great. What stuck out for you as moments in the film that you really enjoyed?
JH: God, there’s so much! You know what? It’s wonderful when you’re able to step back and say, this role is yours. Run, enjoy, feel it, and experience it. Witnessing the actors coming together and what was made, the writing was elevated to such an extent, but that is exactly again, going to the beauty of relationships. I have to say that I think that what Michael and a lot of our actors did is that they gave very honest performances. There’s a lot of truth in them and I think that everyone is always talking about forgetting to go to the movies. I always say that I like to remember things and I like to feel that scene in my heart and gut and I want to wake up thinking about that.
Certain images – I like when everything
comes together and that’s usually as a common goal. There are a lot of surprising scenes that on the page read one way, but my God it’s gorgeous to witness 2 lovely actors take it and run with it. You know, it was magic. I spent a lot of time crying when I was looking at the monitors. It was huge moments of gratitude for me.
AM: Michael, was there anything that stuck out with you?
MCP: In the filming? Every single day! Every single day, every single moment. It’s a beautiful memory for me. Listening to Jack talk, you know, I don’t know why I started thinking about when I was a little boy and my mother has 4 kids tugging on her and we’re trying to make ends meet and she would buy $1 movies at Blockbuster. Blockbuster was going out of business and she would buy $1 movies, and I would just sit in front of all of these movies and I never saw a bad movie, I never saw a movie that I didn’t like.
JH: Yeah, right!
MCP: These films changed people. A film that makes you feel is a film that you see and it changes people. Those were films that changed my whole direction of life! Every moment of every single day of every single second that I was filming, it was incredible! So people should go see it!
AM: In thinking about the concept of deadlines with the movie literally being the Day of the Fight, you know that you’re seeing everything that is happening or lead up to the day of the fight, but you also understand that there is this health condition that is going on so if he does box, this could be another timeline that takes place. What was the thought behind running these multiple timelines as well as the past, present, future, aspect as well?
MCP: Jack, you mentioned this wonderful quote by Hitchcock (Psycho, Rear Window, The Birds) and I think it’s so great that you need to say it.
JH: Yeah, Hitchcock did an early - well before I say that, in this film initially, you didn’t find out about his medical condition in this script until the fight and when he gets knocked down. Then you put things together and realize why this day has been like this.
It’s funny because when I was in the edit, I used an old Hitchcock quote which is, “2 people sitting at a table having a conversation and that’s one thing. You put a bomb under the table, the conversation becomes very different.”
MCP: So his condition is the bomb.
AM: Right.
JH: His condition is the bomb, but the audience –
MCP: Which is brilliant.
JH: It’s good for the audience to know that because every single one of those scenes where you know it’s a ticking bomb makes that scene all the more weighty because it’s possibly the last time that he is seeing any of these people. So you’re on this journey that only Irish Mike knows about!
MCP: From a writing standpoint, it’s a really brilliant thing for people to hear.
JH: Yeah.
MCP: It sets and puts the tension in every scene.
JH: Every scene!
MCP: It puts the motivation in every scene, every character, and so his condition is the bomb under the table during the conversation.
JH: And you know that, so it’s even better when you’re watching it for the second time. Even though you know it when you're watching it for the first
time, it works great for the second time as it is really set in. A lot of people have come to multiple screenings and they have told me that they are so happy that they got to see it again. They gained so much more from the second viewing. I love films that you can watch over and over again! I think that this is a film that you can watch a bunch of times.
AM: Our thoughts exactly as we want to watch it again. Even when watching it last night in preparation for today’s discussion, it was incredible. We love a film that is in black and white. There was nothing to not love about this film. In an additional viewing, it will be great to see more of the little things that maybe weren’t seen the first time! Just from top to bottom, it was a great watch! Then to be able to see it and talk with both of you about this has been really amazing!
MCP: Ditto! Ditto! It’s really nice to talk to you as well.
AM: So great chatting with you and I hope that it gets all of the awards it deserves because it’s so great!
JH: You’re so sweet! Please go yell that at the rafters as we need people to come and support this movie!
AM: 100%
JH: We love you for it!
@dayofthefight @thejackhuston @michaelcarmenpitt
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover, PG 16 - 27 + 30 - 43 Day of the Fight/ Jeong Park | PG 28 Day of the Fight/Peter Simsonite |
The 24th X Games Aspen 2025 takes place Jan 23rd - 25th for its 24th year. These games will take place in Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass where the world's best action sports athletes competing in ski and snowboard events. These days present men’s and women’s ski and snowboard competitions in the disciplines of Superpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Knuckle Huck and the debut of medaled event Street Style.
We're excited to see a number of our favorite X Games and Olympic medalists which have included Chloe Kim, Mia Brookes, Ayumu Hirano, Scotty James and local hometown heroes Red Gerard and Alex Ferreira.
There will also be performances by EDM artists deadmau5 (who appeared at the games in 2016), Big Gigantic, Aspen Tessla, Daily Bread and ILLENIUM .
We sat down with 2X Olympic Team USA Snowboarding and 3X X Games medalist , Hailey Langland who will be a snowboarding analyst at the X Games. We spoke with her to talk about her career, passion for the sport, and the upcoming games.
ATHLEISURE MAG: You grew up in Southern California and clearly, you're an amazing snowboarder, but you were also a beach loving girl that has a love for surfing, skateboarding, soccer, mountain biking and more! What do you love about playing sports and having that ability to play a number of them?
HAILEY LANGLAND: I have to owe a lot of credit to my parents. My dad was always trying to get my little brother and I outside to find a passion and an outlet from the rest of the world. We were well versed when it came to sports. I find that it’s helped round me into the athlete I am today. Snowboarding is my first love, but I always try to make time for other passions like surfing and biking in the summer.
AM: What is it about snowboarding that you love?
HL: I definitely fell in love with snow
boarding because of my dad. I could see how excited he was to share his passion with me, and I enjoyed chasing him down the mountain. One of my favorite days was learning how to ride goofy, and my dad and I rode switch for the entire day. He always made it fun, and reminded me to keep it fun.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a professional snowboarder?
HL: I’ve always known I was meant to snowboard my whole life. But I don’t think I even thought about being a professional until I went to my first “pro” competition in Mammoth when I was 14. It was a contest that had competitors from the Sochi Olympics and girls I watched in X-Games in it. I ended up winning the event, and I remember standing on the podium besides Anna Gasser and Enni Rukajarvi. I thought, oh my goodness, maybe I can be like the girls I watch on tv. After that event I got wildcard spots to Dew Tour, X Games, and Burton US Open; all contests I watched religiously growing up. That really jumpstarted my career and made it a reality.
AM: As a surfer and snowboarder, what are the synergies between these sports?
HL: Surfing is super hard, which makes me appreciate snowboarding so much. There’s a lot more thoughtfulness to surfing that I think a lot of people realize. Surfing not only requires good athletic abilities, but also the ability of wave knowledge and reading the ocean. But I love watching videos of surfers like Coco Ho, Stephanie Gilmore or Caity Simmers, who have tons of style, and thats something I try to bring to my snowboarding. I find the best cross over from surfing and snowboarding is when you’re riding powder, and it feels just like surfing on a wave, weaving back and forth just trying to make it look good.
AM: You have had 7 Games appearanc-
es and are a 3X X Games medalist and have earned a Bronze, Silver, and Gold medal in Slopestyle and a Gold in Big Air. Can you tell us what Slopestyle and Big Air is?
HL: Slopestyle is an event I specialize in. It’s where you ride the given features of the course; such as: jumps, rails, and transition features like a halfpipe wall. Big Air is a smaller version of slopestyle based on one jump. Usually, the jump is bigger than in a slopestyle, and the criteria is to spin or flip as much as you can, and land the trick, as well as make it look good. My favorite event is slopestyle because it is what I grew up doing.
AM: In 2017, you were the first woman to land a Cab double cork 1080 in competition at X Games Aspen! What did it mean to you to achieve this and tell us about what a Cab Double Cork is?
HL: It’s pretty crazy to look back on that time. I was just a kid, and had no idea what I was doing in that contest. I did the Cab 1080 on accident in practice and just thought, alright guess I’ll try that in the contest. Luckily for me it worked out, and I was able to land it second try. I wish I still had that ability to adapt and try things like I could when I was 16. To help visualize, a Cab 1080 is when you ride switch into a jump, for me that is goofy stance, and you would spin to the right three full rotations.
AM: You're known for your ability to push the boundaries of progression on jumps, distinctive style with solid grabs as well as difficult ones! You have received a number of awards including FIS World Cup with 5 career podiums (3 in Slopestyle and 2 in Big Air), you competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Big Air and in Slopestyle and again at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and more. What does it mean to you when you look at your career and all the things that you have experienced?
HL: It makes me really proud, looking back and seeing what I have accomplished, through all the ups and downs. I will al -
ways be grateful for snowboarding. It has been the reason I have gotten to travel so much of the world, and have met so many amazing people within the industry.
AM: This year, you are making your debut at the X Games on the broadcast team as a Women's Snowboard Analyst! Why are you excited to be part of this team and what are you looking forward to?
HL: In November I had ACL reconstruction on my right knee, so I will be out for this season unfortunately. I’m excited to stay involved, even if it doesn’t mean I can ride. It will be cool to see X Games from a different perspective, and to see what it looks like to be another part of such an important contest.
AM: How are you preparing to be on the broadcast team?
HL: I’m going with the ‘on the fly’ approach. Luckily, I’ve known Craig and Brando for years at this point now, so hopefully it will just feel like watching a competition with friends.
AM: Do you have any upcoming competitions that you are preparing for?
HL: Since I had ACL surgery at the end of November, I most likely won’t be snowboarding for the next year. So as of now my preparation is mostly physical therapy for my knee, and getting the rest of my body back in shape.
AM: At Athleisure Mag, we love knowing about how people stay in shape and as you are very active, what is an average week of workouts like for you?
HL: It depends. In the summer, it is very much go, go, go. I am lucky to live somewhere I can surf, or bike, play tennis, and golf all pretty much in my neighborhood. In the winter, snowboarding is primarily all I do. It can be
an every day thing if the weather is good, but sometimes there are competitions we go to that get completely canceled because of the weather. On days off, I love getting in a core workout, and trying to get steps in. Any movement you can get in the winter is a big win.
AM: When you're taking time for yourself, what do you enjoy doing when you're not in between projects?
HL: I actually started crocheting a few years ago. I love making beanies for friends and family, and lately I’ve been getting into making bags which has been really fun. I’m pretty crafty and I usually always find a way to keep myself busy.
AM: We also know that you're dating fellow snowboarder, Red Gerard Team USA Olympic Slopestyle Gold Medalist, 2X X Games Medalist, 2X Dew Tour 1st placeto name a few. It must be fun to be able to share your love of snowboarding and surfing together. Do you have any upcoming trips that you are excited about?
HL: Red is my best friend. He’s so fun to be around, and he always pushes me to be better person and snowboarder. Since being injured, it’s been really hard to watch him pack up for a snowboard trip, and for the first time in our relationship, I don’t get to come along. It’s been another motivator for me to do whatever I can to get better, because I miss being around him, and taking laps together at our favorite resort. I think at the end of the winter we’ll try to go on a trip somewhere warm with waves.
@haileylangland @xgames
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 46 - 48 X Games Aspen Trevor Brown Jr. | Red Bull Content Pool PG 51 Lorenz Richard, PG 52 Dom Daher + PG 57 Christian Pondella | 9LIST STORI3S PG 54 X Games Aspen/Mark Kohlman/ESPN + PG 54 X Games/Joshua Duplechian |
This month, we kicked off a new series, THE 9LIST 9TASTING that you'll see a lot more of as we head into 2025. We kicked off this inaugural event at Orange Glou which carries natural orange wines and is founded by Doreen Winkler. Orange Glou is the world's only wine club and store dedicated exclusively to orange wines. She was also named one of America's Top Sommeliers by Forbes.
We enjoyed spending time with her in her Lower East Store with our virtual event which took place on IG Live as well as being available on our YouTube channel. She talks about natural wines, orange wines, the selection of orange wines we can enjoy in a number of situations, her passion and the history of these wines, and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so great to have you join us on IG Live and if you miss anything, you’ll be able to see this on our YouTube channel, our THE 9LIST app, and of course, in Athleisure Mag's DEC ISSUE #108. We’re here today for our THE 9LIST Holiday Event which basically focuses on our must-haves, things that we can enjoy, do, and have.
Today, we’re here for our THE 9LIST 9TASTING event and we’re kicking it off with Doreen Winkler who has been in our issues a number of times and we’re excited because we’re in her store right now with all of these celebratory balloons as they were part of 5-year club celebration as Orange Glou was established in late 2019. She is going to talk to us today about natural orange wines, the store and we’re going to talk about some wines that you can have when you’re holidaying, sitting at home, or bingeing your favorite shows.
So thank you for having us here as you know I love you.
DOREEN WINKLER: It’s really good to see you. Thank you for having me as this is an amazing little set up!
AM: I love a good beverage set up! Can you tell our viewers what natural orange wines are?
DW: So yeah, it’s basically 2 questions, I have to be honest because there’s natural wine and then there’s orange wine. But we are definitely combining the two for sure at Orange Glou because we only feature natural orange wines.
Natural wines are basically wines that are made in a way that you would naturally romantically think of how wines are made. Perfectly ripe grapes, hand harvested at the right time, not the foul ones, not the green ones, the perfect ripe grapes that have not been sprayed with any chemicals – hand harvested in small buckets so that they don’t burst and get any bacteria in there. Then they basically get crushed and there are no additions in that. Sometimes in the bottling there is a tiny amount of sulfur which we always say that it has to be at least under 20mg, but honestly, I’m getting lower and lower. I have so many zero-zero wines (wines with no added yeasts or sulfur) in here which we call, the cool kids call, the no added sulfur wines. They have been really stable now for the last year. That’s basically what natural wine is. The romantic way that wine is actually made, but unfortunately, there is also a non-romantic way but we’re not going to talk about that!
AM: Haha we’re not going to talk about that!
DW: Orange wine is made from white grapes only. There are about 20,000 varieties out there. I always talk about the varieties, because the varieties are everything. While they are white grapes, they really have different skin colors, there are green grapes, there are yellow grapes, there are golden grapes, there are grapes with little pink freckles I call it, like Pinot Grigio or Gewürztraminer; also, some have thicker and some have thinner skins, the way that they are built it’s very different and it really affects the color of the wine. It really affects how you make the orange
wine and in short, orange wine is basically macerated on the skins, you usually do it foot trodden so you stomp it with your feet – clean feet! And you leave them together, the juice, the skins, the seeds, and sometimes the stems. That could be for a day or it could be for a year. It really depends on the grape variety and what the wine maker wants to achieve. Natural wines are really handmade in that sense. So they are often tested every single day on how it is reacting, how it is maturing, and it’s very exciting. I have done 15 harvests – I’m getting old! It’s very tiring!
AM: I can imagine!
DW: But every time, it’s also magic! I love learning and you learn something every single time. It’s beautiful in the vineyards and even though I prefer doing more cellar work, I love the combination which is really great. The picking process really hurts your back!
AM: Wow! That’s a process!
So, how long has orange wine been around? In a condensed form because I’m sure you could do an in-depth Encyclopedia Britannica on this topic!
DW: It’s been around for about 8,000 years. It originated in what’s now the Republic of Georgia. They wanted to make wine you know, with their hands. They didn’t have any machinery or anything. They heard about white wine and they had their grapes and they foot-trodden them as well and then they were like, how are we going to get the skins out? Back then, there was no press and I think that they were trying, but the skins were 30% of the juice so you’re really losing alcohol if you’re trying to do that. They were the first ones and they really enjoyed it. They ate a lot of medieval meals so it was nose to tail, the whole pig and fish over the fire. This style of wine really paired well with it.
I feel like that is why I also became so obsessed with it because really there was this restaurant Aska where I wasn't really
able to find a lot of pairings and we had a 19 course menu and every course had to be paired. That’s how I got into this mess ha!
So yeah, they have been doing it for 8,000 years and really only in the last 40 years has it come to the rest of the world.
AM: It’s like a hidden secret in plain sight since it has been around for such a long time.
DW: Yeah, they kept it to themselves.
AM: You have given us a condensed history on orange wines. So from the perspective of today’s THE 9LIST 9TASTING event, we want to look at different wines for different situations. If we’re going for Brunch and we want something that is a lighter wine, what would you suggest for 3 wines?
DW: Well, we have these 3 wines lined up here.
AM: Which magically appeared!
DW: Maybe we should taste these 3. The first one is from Franz Strohmeier and we missed you at the fair this year because he was here. The one and only!
AM: We will never miss another fair again! I already put it in my calendar!
DW: You shouldn’t! It takes too long to make them. I have several panic attacks in between.
AM: There are always a few of those when you’re putting something out.
DW: But at the end, the day of, it’s amazing! I visited him [Strohmeier] on a trip and I feel like my team pushed me out of the door because it was really hard for me to leave my baby alone. But I went first to Italy, and then I went to Czechia as I really needed to see what was happening there, and then I went to Slove -
nia, and then I finished up in Austria. So 4 countries.
He’s in Styria in Austria and this one is called Weisser Frizzante it’s from Pinot Blanc and also Sauvignon Blanc. It’s on the skin for a little bit, about 3 weeks and then aged in wooden barrels for a little bit and then bottled for a secondary fermentation and it’s just really refreshing and it has like beautiful floral aromas, it’s juicy, it’s mineral and it has so much finesse and that’s how you want to start off your Saturday or Sunday Brunch I think. It’s really elegant and it’s not your mimosa. It’s your Holiday Brunch for sure.
This wine has so much finesse and I absolutely love this wine. I can’t wait to drink it so that is why I am not talking.
AM: I love a good Holiday Brunch and this is very nice!
DW: I think that you can taste that it has a beautiful minerality, it has floral notes, and it also has a little bit of a mushroomy, beautiful citrus and very refreshing.
AM: It’s nice that it has an interesting balance between an Earthy and curranty like an evanescence at the same time. It’s a very nice palette cleanser between everything. It’s very enjoyable.
DW: It’s a good holiday wine I think. I don’t even want to pour this into the bucket, but you can’t drink that much.
Then we have this wine, from Domaine Lebled they are out in the Loire – it’s basically classified as Vin De France because they are a little rebellious and they are not following the rules that the Loire region wants. This is made from one of my absolute favorite wine variety called the Menu Pineau which is only 1% of grape varieties in the Loire. It’s very special as I see a lot of mushroomy aromas like very earthy and also beautiful minerality and elegance. It’s about 2 weeks on the skins and it’s just really really delicious.
I think that you should give it a little swirl. This is about 2 weeks on the skins and you see that it is a little bit darker in color and again, that has to do with the grape variety. I also really highly recommend to look up your grape varieties. You can really tell when you now look up, okay there was Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc in there –how do they look like? Then you’re able to understand a lot more. Give it a whirl!
AM: What do you mean by mushroomy wine?
DW: Just that it has more of that earthier aroma.
AM: It’s sweeter than the other one.
DW: I would not call it sweet.
AM: Really?
DW: It just has more Brut. But they are all dry.
AM: Right, it’s very dry. It’s very nice.
DW: So I would say that it has a little bit of yellow plum. There’s this mushroomy thing that I was telling you about earlier. Maybe even a black tea.
AM: Yeah, I’m definitely getting that.
DW: The minerality – people always just think that orange wine is this punchy, ridiculous, overpowering, and weird thing. But I mean, this is fine wine. You can see that the first 2 examples that we have had right now because we’re about to open the last one – it’s like, full of finesse. It’s very beautiful and very well done.
I would actually have this with this amazing toast with wild mushrooms like they do at Dudleys for brunch!
AM: Ooo, I was thinking the same thing. I was thinking a toast with a duck confit.
DW: Well the mushroom toast doesn’t look good when you eat it, but I would eat
it with a girlfriend that goes out with me, but not on a date. The mushrooms just fall off the toast as you eat them.
AM: Well I really love this one.
DW: It’s so good!
Then, you heard me talk about this before. I really love Czechia right now!
AM: The color of this one just pops!
DW: Then the last one which truly a holiday wine, this one is from Czechia and Czechia is really on fire right now when it comes to the region. This is from Donatus, they are making this from an indigenous grape and as you can tell, I like indigenous varieties. I got to visit them this year. It’s called Pálava and they only have that in Czechia and it’s a really deep rich amber wine with over a month on the skins and long aging in barrels for a couple of years. This has a lot of tea aroma, but also a little bit of dry mango and papaya. I really love this wine! It really gives it definition and extra layers. We really feel like this is a great holiday wine.
This could go really well with Steak and Eggs if you want to do Brunch.
AM: I can see that.
DW: It hits the spot. So when you smell this, I smell some sort of dry mango and papaya situation.
AM: I smell a lot of blossoms and maybe something that is like an Elderflower, but not quite. It’s hard to put my finger on it.
DW: Mmm, maybe some sort of a honeysuckle. Something that is really warm. There’s lots of layers. There is a little bit of a sage situation. There is also some black tea. I love this one!
AM: I mean, I have loved all 3, but this is very tasty. I can totally see why you said a steak or even a Cauliflower Steak.
DW: Totally or a Mushroom Risotto. Of course some Fried Chicken would be great as well with some waffles! Who doesn’t like that?
AM: Such a great combo.
DW: We definitely need to go to lunch after this.
AM: I know, my stomach just gurgled.
This tasting was amazing and we have additional bottles here and although we’re not tasting this selection, what are 3 that would be great for dinner when we hit that mode?
DW: Ah I only have 100 wines here!
AM: I know it’s tough and for those watching and eventually reading, you’re missing out because you should really be coming to Orange Glou to see these wines if you are here in NY as there is a beautiful selection. But for the purposes of this event, I am forcing you to pick 3 for dinner!
DW: I would say – oooh there are so many! I’m a big fan of Gut Oggau, they make a lot of different delicious wines in Austria – like Theodora. I’m also really obsessed with Austria right now. It’s just a region that really keeps on giving and the quality has become just really high. They make this really delicious Grüner Veltliner that is only a couple of days on the skins. It has this finesse, it has the green juicy apple, peppercorn minerality and layers – that’s a really good one.
I just got to try this amazing wine from Skegro Winery in Bosnia Herzegovina the first time that we had the wine in this store. The grape variety is called Zilavka and this is a couple of months on the skins. It has this very tangeriney feel even though I try not to talk about citrus fruits because we have people coming in here every day asking what kind of oranges are in the orange wines – none! It just really has the layers and an Earthy aroma with a very citrusy and grapefruity – pink grape -
fruit – very delicious! I really hope to dig deeper into that country for sure.
We also have amazing Slovenian wines here and I just got to visit earlier this year. It’s really an amazing memory. A lot of those wines are not currently imported and that was really hard to see and I’m trying to help, but it’s not really a good time to do that. We are having some really nice wines – from a great producer over there who is actually French who married a Slovenian woman.
AM: Ok, I see the connection because I was like how did that pairing happen?
DW: Their winery is called Kabaj and he makes really nice Rebula which is Ribolla Gialla [grape] which is really delicious, really layered, really rich, really good for your steak wine, I would stay.
AM: Ooo I love a steak wine!
DW: I’m really obsessed with this producer as well. Franco Terpin, he is in Italy, actually on the Slovenian border. I was able to also visit him this year. He’s an icon and I have been admiring his wines for 15+ years and now you know how old I am. He makes this Friulano that is a couple of months on the skins. It kind of has this persimmon taste. There’s not a lot of wines out there that have that note. It’s layered and it’s like this tropical persimmon situation which I really really love it.
Maybe in terms of a paring, something like – I feel like, something vegetable driven like roasted vegetables like something over a fire that I can see like carrots.
AM: Or roasted squash.
DW: Squash, something in that direction. And then, this one is from Jura, France it’s called Domaine L’Octavin. It’s a female producer and she’s very awesome and a really wild one. It’s really extreme how she has been doing wine. She has been doing zero sulfur wines for many many years. This is a Gewürztraminer and Pinot
Gris blend. It’s about a month on the skins. It’s really really dark in color, we can’t see it right now. But I highly recommend this for anybody to seek out – any of these bottles really.
This could be a great idea with so many things! I love this with a duck confit and some sort of a raspberry coulis like the old school French kind of cooking.
AM: I was just going to say that it feels like a Julia Child moment like a Coq au Vin!
DW: Ahh Coq au Vin that would be nice too!
AM: And tasty!
DW: To add a third to this mix, we haven’t really added any US producers today. This is one of my favorite producers in the US. The winery is called Ruth Lewandowski but really the producer is named Evan Lewandowski and he makes wines basically out in California in Mendocino. He often brings them back to age them in his home state of Utah. So it is a very interesting story. He works a lot with Italian varieties. As you know, none of them are native and they are all implanted into the US over the years. This is made from the Cortese grape. In Italy, the Cortese grape is used for Gavi di Gavi and nothing can be more boring than Gavi di Gavi. It’s literally like if you told me that you have a Cortese for me, I’d shake my head and say, “I can not!” As a Sommelier and especially in the 2000’s, I was 22 when I actually had my first Sommelier job. And in the 2000s, everyone was drinking Gavi. I would just have nightmares over this, but then he changed my world.
This Cortese is 6 months on the skins and there is really nothing like that out there. And actually, it tastes like root vegetables. Like the beautiful, roasted, organic, sweet carrots!
AM: Oh wow!
DW: I would even almost say that it kind
of has a bit of a curry note. Also celery root – I know that that is not really common in America and I’m always looking for it because my dad always made me a celery root salad. It was kind of a pickled thing and we also do a lot for the holidays, a Celery Root Purée especially with Venison, it’s a classic. It’s also great with some Brussel Sprouts.
AM: That sounds great!
DW: That was a holiday dish from my family actually for years. This could be amazing even pairing it with some root vegetables, venison, and some purée.
AM: I am definitely intrigued about this. I also love the little cap.
DW: It’s really great!
AM: The label has an
DW: The funny thing is that now that I am recalling it, the restaurant that I consulted with after Aska, this was the first one that I put on by the glass. So, that is really a special wine and I also recommend visiting him in Southern California if you can because it’s really cool.
That was another 3!
AM: What about 3 when we’re wrapping presents? I mean obviously we should be doing everything responsibly in the comfort of our homes. But when are 3 orange wines when we’re wrapping presents moments before when people are coming that we can enjoy?
DW: I must say that when I am wrapping presents, it feels like it has to be sparkling.
AM: Oh yes!
DW: Yes, because it kind of gives you that feeling that you’re getting in the mood. One of my absolute favorite sparkling besides Franz Strohmeier “Weisser Frizzante” which I absolutely love this one of course, I love this wine from Italy called
Vej Brut from Podere Pradarolo is the producer in Emilia-Romagna they very much specialized in Malvasia which is really great when somebody does that. They really show us so many facets of how this grape can be utilized. Vej Brut is always a late release. It is actually made a little bit in the way of champagne – just different and it has a really long time on the lees (old yeast particles) like champagne is. It’s the most powerful sparkling wine that I have ever seen and there is nothing like it. It looks copper in color.
AM: Oh wow!
DW: It’s really a trip if you ever get to try it, you will never forget it.
AM: I’m just looking at the smile on your face and it says it all, that we are all missing out by not having had this.
DW: If you don’t want to go as deep and you want to share this specific wine with guests which I don’t recommend!
AM: Your guests will say, we want more!
DW: Exactly!
There are just so many options out there! There’s a German producer called Weingut Idler, we’ve had this wine a lot here and they make an insane Muscat. That Muscat has this really nice fresh minerality and juicy ripe pears. It feels like you’re eating them. I eat a lot of pears and people laugh at me because I’m German, I’m not exotic.
AM: Yeah, you like pears!
DW: It’s like you’re eating this perfectly ripe pear. It’s so delicious and I can’t wait to get it back here. You know, we just can’t order everything and have it here at the same time. Wines are sold out, they’re in small quantities, it's natural
ural wines and we can’t have it all at the same time! But we also like rotating things. That’s a lot of fun.
Another wine that I love is from Japan and it’s sparkling – huge fan! I’ve been begging to get some here and I think I have asked 4 times. I keep asking the winemaker, when are you sending some? It’s called Grape Republic and it’s in Yamagata which is in my favorite region for sake. They make really good wine there and they have their own varieties which are kind of hybrid varieties like Niagara, Delaware, and Neo Muscat. That wine, I can’t wait to get it because it’s coming today!
AM: When you’re thinking about Après Ski or holidaying at the beach – what are 3 wines that you think are great for that?
DW: For relaxing, there are a bunch!
AM: Haha and I need 3!
DW: If you are really on the holiday or vacation. Then you have already spent so much money that it doesn’t make any difference to have a bottle for around $100. This is from Muster. This is basically Sauvignon Blanc and a little bit of Chardonnay and also from Styria in Austria. When I talk to him, he doesn’t say much. I’m actually always surprised when I get another word out of him. He says that the label should really reflect the wine. When you have actually had the wine, you understand it. It’s kind of like this layered, beautiful, dark orange wine with a really long skin maceration and then it goes into the barrel and then it goes into these beautiful bottles that are twice as heavy as these regular bottles. So I am going to put it down! It has this tropical deliciousness with these ripe peaches and these apricots and even pears.
AM: It’s a holiday in a bottle.
DW: It really is a holiday in a bottle. I have had this on the beach because it made a lot of sense. So I highly recommend this.
If I could get that bottle which has the OG label (Nespor Rajsky X Orange Glou Sylvaner 2020) on it. This is something that we put together that the producer from Czechia – I mean, I have really been helping (or trying to) out there a lot. As you know, these producers are all small and they live in these small little villages. There was a wine specifically produced for us. But the specific Sylvaner looks pinkish and I feel like this grape is also 1% and it’s really used sporadically (there is a little bit in Alsace) but they’re the only ones that have it in Czechia. I was just so impressed and it has a long skin maceration and amazing layers of favor. I would say, it has a bit of a pineapple note as well. It really brings in that holiday spirit or that vacation spirit that I was trying to say. I could really see this at the beach even though it has a lot of density. Both of these do. I think that they bring a lot of pleasure on the holiday.
Lastly, I would recommend the “Les Vins Pirouettes Alsace Le Brutal!!! De Claude Blanc”, made from Riesling and Sylvaner in Alsace. I am a huge fan of the “Brutal labels.” They are around the world now, but they originated from Bar Brutal in Barcelona. They asked a bunch of producers from all over the world to produce a “wild wine for them.” Then this went into the Brutal series. It had to be zero-zero so no additions whatsoever. It was like 300 bottles that each had to produce in the beginning. Then the wine became so popular that now there is a little bit more. It not only goes to Bar Brutal, but it also goes around the world. If somebody was going to make a wine for Orange Glou only, it does not go around the world! I am possessive with my wines and it would only be here.
This one is made by a wine producer in Alsace. It’s from Sylvaner Riesling and I think a little bit of Muscat is in there too. It really is wild. How can I describe it? It has a bit of those crunchier tan -
nins. It’s really tight and precise. It has a kind of rhubarb kind of note to it. Lots of floral notes, orange, zesty –
AM: It definitely sounds like it has some zip in it.
DW: It has a lot of zip in it. Really fresh aroma.
AM: We have talked about all of these wines in terms of our lifestyles. When you’re thinking about when you’re getting ready to wrap your presents, what are some wines that we can enjoy for that mode?
DW: Well, I would go back to Sparkling, I feel that it kind of brings you a lot of joy and if you want something that is a little bit lighter and that it is fun and raises your spirit, I of course would go back to Strohmeier’s sparkling, because it is so delicious and I can’t wait to drink a little bit more!
AM: Very true!
DW: We have this Brut from Italy called Pradarolo. They focus on Malvasia which I really like and they are really old vineyards. There are so many different expressions that I have been very impressed with their wines. It’s called Vej Brut. It’s always a late release and it’s 8 years old. I highly recommend this, it’s coppery in color. It’s dense and it’s intense. I never want to share it. SO drink fast before your people come!
We also have, you see that ginormous bottle over there. This is actually the first time in the US – can I bring it?
AM: Yeah! Bring it over! We can’t tease the people. They want to know how big this bottle is.
DW: This is from Partida Creus, it’s called SM <3 V and they are up in Spain. I actually did a harvest there. This specific wine they only make in magnums and double magnums. It’s really really limited and we only have 2 bottles of this.
AM: What size is this?
DW: This is a double magnum so that is a 3 liter bottle. They only work with abandoned vineyards. They only work with indigenous varieties that nobody has ever heard of. They have a lot of bush wines which I did harvest there. I don’t recommend ha – no! It’s just really hard as you are dealing with old bush wines. There are like 2 or 3 little grape bunches in there. You have to go through the entire bush to try to find it and it’s just really hard on your back.
AM: Just watching you do the motions made my back ache!
DW: There were pomegranate trees and honestly this has a bit of pomegranate feel to it. It’s these bursts of flavors that pops literally and it’s just a beautiful NYE bottle. I was able to have a smaller size of the magnum on NYE last year and yeah, that was a lot of fun.
I also really recommend doing a harvest at least once in your life. It’s really special in how everybody works together and you get to see how the memories will last forever and even though the bush wines broke my back, it was totally fine!
AM: What are 3 orange wines that pair well while enjoying your favorite football/basketball snacks when homegating?
DW: For homegating while watching the game, a super fun pét-nat like the Sicilian Fabio Ferracane “Foddreé” 2022 is great with Buffalo wings; a lighter bodied Tutti Fruitti Ananas “Nespola” 2022 from France to go with chips and dip; and the Keltis “Sivi Pinot” 2018 from Slovenia has bold, yeasty notes that go great with pigs in a blanket.
AM: What are 3 orange wines that pair well while watching some of our favorite shows such as The Bachelor, Red
Carpet looks during Awards Season, or other streamed shows?
DW: Enjoy a sparkling Milan Nestarec “Danger 380 Volts” 2023 from Czechia while watching The Bachelor; a Franz Strohmeier “Wein der Stille-TLZ" 2019 from Austria during the fashionable Red Carpet for its elegant, sophisticated flavor; and something easy yet exciting with only a couple days of skin contact, like the Kumpf & Meyer “Badinerie Restons Nature” 2022 from France, while streaming a light-hearted show like Man on The Inside.
AM: What are 3 orange wines that pair well with lighter desserts like macarons, creme brulee, and gelato?
DW: Due to the skin-contact fermentation process, orange wines are dry and therefore don’t typically pair well with sweets and desserts. However, there are a couple of exceptions like the sparkling Grape Republic “Aromatico” 2022 from Japan, which has some residual sugar; and sweet orange vermouths like Matthiasson Sweet Vermouth No. 6 from Napa Valley and the Channing Daughters “VerVino Vermouth Variation 5” from Long Island.
AM: What are 3 orange wines that pair well to gift someone who loves a fuller bodied wine?
DW: For someone who likes fuller bodied wines, I recommend getting them L’Octavin “Hip Hip J…” 2021 from France; Franco Terpin “JKT” 2018 from Italy; or the Brooklyn Oenology “Broken Land” 2014 from the Finger Lakes in New York State.
AM: What are 3 orange wines that could be an option to gift if you are attending a dinner party?
DW: The wine you bring to a dinner party should be a conversation piece. It should have a story and be unique. Go with something like the Ghvardzelashvili’s Marani "Gua" 2020 from the Republic of Georgia, the country where orange wines originated over 8,000 years ago. The dry Kristinus
“Liquid Sundowner” 2020 from Hungary is another great unique option, as Hungary is more known for its sweet wines. And one of my favorites is the Laurent Bannwarth “Synergie Qvevri” 2012 from Alsace, which is from a winemaker who releases wines no earlier than 10 years after making them, and in this case uses a traditional Georgian qvevri, an earthenware vessel, to make the wine.
AM: That’s amazing! You gave us a great sampling and for those of you that are watching us live now, in Athleisure Mag’s DEC ISSUE #108, this THE 9LIST Holiday Event 9TASTING will be transcribed for this edition you’ll be able to see everything as well as links back to the wines that she is referencing so you can come into the shop here or go online.
Doreen, you’ve talked a bit about your store’s assortment, let’s talk about your store Orange Glou specifically. What can people expect when they come in and can they request a specific orange wine that they can pick up here as you kind of spoke a little bit about that.
DW: We have a beautiful little storefront where we separated it between retail and the tasting room that we are doing this 9TASTING from right now and where we have had a lot of fun events. As you can see, we have our balloons here as we just had our 5th Year Anniversary for our Orange Wine Club, but we throw some sick parties here. We just hosted a 25th birthday party and she said it was the best party that she had ever had! We pumped up the music and played all the songs that they want to hear. There is a small retail section that we divide our wines into Sparkling, Medium Bodied, and Fuller Bodied wines. You can talk to our sales associates. I always say, talk to us please and don’t just go to the vino app as it doesn’t really tell you anything that you like. We also have our wine club in the front that can be
picked up or that can be shipped. We have a top shelf of the best of the best. What can I say?
AM: Where do you ship to?
DW: We ship to 44 states. There’s a couple of them that we can’t do such as Arkansas, Michigan, Hawaii, - just to name a few.
AM: Are there any events coming up – we know that you just had your 5th Anniversary and of course you recently had your Orange Glou Fair which we were unable to go to this year but we will be back next year!
DW: I’ve written down who didn’t come!
AM: We were the bad kids that didn’t come, but we were there last year and there were tons of wines, some that we had had previously, and a number of new ones to get to know. What events should we mark our calendars for?
DW: We are actually potentially doing something here for New Years – a little pop-up event. I’m kind of leaning towards making it private so if you guys want to have a really cool orange wine dinner, reach out and DM me. We’re looking into that and there have been so many parties this year that I am exhausted. I’m kind of like, there’s only a couple days left until the New Year and I’m actually getting ready for my trip to France to go on some wine adventures. I have nothing in the books right now, but I’m still playing with New Year’s Eve because it’s such a cool space and I kind of want to do something. I am looking forward to closing this year out , it had a lot of downs for me, but also some ups! I want to go on tour to France and see some really cool wines and wine fairs. I really live this. My vacations are actually always tied to wine. But I’m really excited, I’ll be in Montpellier, I’ll be in Paris. I’ll be in the Loire region. It will be a lot of fun.
AM: It’s a really cute space!
Is there anything going on in this category like a new innovation or a new hybrid? Sometimes when you’re talking with people who are in the sake community, they will tell you that there is this particular new thing that they are trying to do. Is there anything like that that you are seeing or even a trend whether it’s in natural wines or specifically in orange wines?
DW: I would say that I just love how other countries are now looking at how they are making orange wines. There are a lot of hybrids (grape varieties that are non vinifera) that people have been working with and there’s a lot of different techniques that people are trying out and vessels that they are now using. I find it really interesting that a producer in Italy is saying that he is using a lot of marble. Marble in Italy is very cheap and then you buy it here and it’s very expensive. So I found that really interesting and the kinds of vessels that people are using now and there’s like a myth that the oak is kind of gone because everybody thinks that when you make orange wine with new oak that it becomes a Chardonnay that is buttery – it doesn’t. It’s like the use of oak being done correctly can actually be really special. A leader in that is definitely Schmelzer who was also at the fair for the last 3 years. I love that guy!
AM: We did enjoy having their wines last year!
DW: We tasted about 50 barrels in his home in the Summer. I was there for 2 nights and didn’t go to bed until 2 or 3am. I was never actually tipsy or drunk. I really wanted to learn and we just tasted literally the same grape from the same vintage and from different barrels. I learned a lot over there.
AM: What an incredible experience! I could talk with you for hours and I’m sure that this will not be the last time that we do something like this. I appreciate those who are viewing this right now that also took the time to join us for our THE 9LIST Holiday Event for 9TASTING!
For people who want to know more information or to know where the store is, where can they go?
DW: You can go to orangeglou.com but also please go to orangegloufair. com to find out when our next wine fair is. We always highlight over 100 orange wines and you can really learn because there’s sparkling, lighter bodied, and you’ll learn about all of the grape varieties. You can also come here to the physical store which is on 264 Broome St which is between Allen and Orchard.
AM: This has been such an amazing experience and we have loved Doreen for a while now and the fact that we can come together to do this is amazing. I appreciate you kicking off our 9TASTING with THE 9LIST 9TASTING and we can’t wait to bring more experiences to you and you can see both of our videos on our IG Live as well as our tasting video on our YouTube channel. We appreciate the time, walking us through everything and seeing the Double Magnum.
@orange_glou @orangeglou_faire
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 58 - 69 + 77 Dustin Niles | PG 70 - 73 + 78 Nina Scholl |
Currently, you can enjoy the second half of the S7 of STARZ's Outlander which is a historical romance time travel series based on the books written by Diana Gabaldonof the same name. It follows Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), a British nurse who travels from the 20th-century to 17th-century Scotland. In the new timeline, she meets and falls in love with a Highland warrior, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). With only 1 more season left, we're looking forward to see what other stories will be told in future spin-offs which we're looking forward to.
We sat down with Charles Vandervaart (Holly Hobbie, The Craft: Legacy, Murdoch Mysteries) who plays Jamie's son, WIlliam Ransom to find out about how he came to this show, what he loves about it, as well as upcoming projects that he is involved.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the first film or series that made you fall in love with acting and when did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?
CHARLES VANDERVAART: I was very young. I remember going to a play at my local theatre when I was about 6, and I was just enthralled by it. In the car home I asked my parents if I could try to do a play. I got my first ever gig at that same theatre. I fell in love with acting playing Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.
AM: What do you enjoy about storytelling?
CV: Storytelling is so very human, we come together in the telling of stories. We can learn to empathize with and learn from others and in doing so, learn more about ourselves and the world around us. We endure through stories. Beauty that may otherwise be lost is protected and preserved in story.
AM: We've enjoyed watching Outlander and we know a number of fans also enjoy the book, how much did you know about this series before you came to it?
CV: My aunt has been a really big fan for years now. I remember her talking about
the show when we would get together for holidays. I watched a couple of episodes on my own before I auditioned, but after my first audition I binged the whole thing and fell in love with the story.
AM: You play William Ransom. Can you tell us about your character and how he fits into the world of Outlander?
CV: William Henry Clarence George Ransom is the bastard son of Jamie Fraser, however he believes he is the biological son of the 8th Earl of Ellesmere, who died on the day of his birth along with his mother. He was raised by Lord John as the 9th Earl. He grew up in affluent circles, learning about the world through the lens of the ultra wealthy in England. English patriotism and a loyalty to the crown became major aspects of his identity. When William learns of his true parentage, his entire identity shatters. He becomes this tornado of rage, feeling betrayed by Lord John and everyone else who kept this secret from him.
AM: How do you approach playing William and what is it like acting in a period piece?
CV: Well I get a lot of help from the writing, costumes, accent, etc to create William. Carol Ann Crawford, the dialect coach on the show was a tremendous help in finding William’s accent. Once I start talking like him, the rest of William quickly followed.
AM: We know fans of the show enjoy the cast and of course, Sam Heughan. What is it like playing against him?
CV: I remember one of my last scenes in season 7 was with Sam, even though we’ve been filming for a year at this point it only hit me then that my character’s dad was Jamie Fraser. It felt a little like I was watching the show in real time. I was feeling very grateful for this amazing journey. He's a hell of
a scene partner.
AM: A few weeks ago, S7 part 2 began releasing episodes what can you tell us about this portion of the season?
CV: Identity crisis is central for Mr. Ransom. S7 part 2 involves a great deal of pain for William. He also hurts a lot of people this season. Let's hope he grows from his pain and becomes better. I think he needs some therapy for sure.
AM: In terms of filming a show such as this, we imagine that it can be long hours - what do you do to prepare when you're going on set and what do you once you complete filming for the day?
CV: Coffee coffee coffee!! The long days and early starts can be a lot, no one likes to wake up at 4am. The Scottish Highland air help wakes you up though, one of the many perks of shooting in such a wonderful country.
AM: When you're not on set, how do you stay in shape and what are 3 workouts that you do that we should consider adding into our routines?
CV: Rock climbing has been my go to over the last couple of years. I absolutely love it. It feels nice to have such a simple task to complete that requires creativity and athleticism. As far as gyming goes, my three go to’s are probably hip thrusts for legs, pull ups for my back, and shoulder press for shoulders and triceps.
AM: When you're taking time for yourself, what would we find you doing?
CV: I love a good hike, outdoor rock climbing, gardening.. get me outside and I’m happy.
@charles_vandervaart
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 87 Dio Anthony/Groomer Valissa Yoe | PG 88-93 STARZ/Outlander |
