Joey King covers the August digital issue of Allure. I came away from this piece kind of unnerved by how confident and “together” she is for her age. She just turned 23 years old and she’s engaged to 31-year-old director Steven Piet. She’s been working since she was a little kid. She works constantly on a wide variety of film and TV projects and she’s not really typecast as anything. She seems shockingly comfortable in her own skin. I’m saying that as someone who regularly reads and covers celebrity interviews – I’m so used to actresses talking about how nervous or anxious they are, how they have imposter syndrome, how they want to learn how to stand up for themselves. Not Joey King. Her attitude is: I’m here, I’m amazing, I know what I’m doing, y’all need to catch up. You can read her Allure piece here. Some highlights:
She’s shaved her head three times for roles: “And I would absolutely do it again. I think every woman should [shave their head] at least once in their life. I’ve never felt more free or more in tune with my beauty. I couldn’t hide behind my hair. A lot of people made fun of me when I had my head shaved. A lot of people said really mean things. But when I had short hair, I actually felt more confident; I felt very powerful. [Their words] slid off my back. People like to insert themselves in other people’s business when it doesn’t actually matter. Me having a shaved head for a project really upsets you that much? I’m doing fine.”
Working with Brad Pitt on Bullet Train: “When you think about the romance of Hollywood, it’s an action movie with David Leitch as a director, it’s a Sony picture shooting in Los Angeles [with] assassins, Brad Pitt… I still get this giddy feeling whenever I drive by the Hollywood sign in L.A., and starring in this movie was like having that giddy feeling for months straight.”
She works nonstop: “A couple of years ago, I was more addicted to being busy. I feel like I burnt myself out sometimes. Now I’m being a little bit more picky, which I’m really lucky to be able to do.”
Homebody: “It sounds like such a cheesy, typical thing to say, but even though life feels faster lately, more than ever I actually am taking more time to slow down and appreciate it. I find a lot of peace in sunshine and being outside. I really love spending time with my foxhound, Jesse, and, obviously, my fiancé.”
Her fiance: “We work really well together. We also just really love spending time together. So getting to do something where we’re both doing what we love and we get to hang out with each other, [that’s] the best. I think he’s so talented. He thinks the same about me. We really love just being able to put our minds together.”
He proposed on 2/2/22, with a custom-made ring from Mociun. “I was like, ‘If you pick it out, I’ll love it.’ And then he started asking me questions. And then I realized I had an opinion.”
Wedding planning: “Before we got engaged, when I kind of knew what might happen, one of my best friends was like, ‘Do you have a wedding Pinterest board?’ I said, ‘No.’ And she was like, ‘Are you f–king nuts? I guess when I dreamed about my wedding, all this sh-t was in place already. I wasn’t picking [it] out, it was just there.” After logging some time on Pinterest, the wedding vibe she’s settled upon is, in her words, “just really pretty.”
Makeup: “Makeup is the love of my life. All the makeup that I use on a daily basis is so worn in. My Lorac [eye shadow] palette looks like it’s been through some sort of sh-t.”
Skincare: “I have to tell you, people are going to audibly gasp when they read this part… My go-to face wash that I’ve been using since I was 13 is Morning Burst by Clean & Clear. I used to use Sea Breeze [astringent] on my skin, so we’ve come a long way.”
Love that she uses some drugstore brands for her skincare and makeup. She also talked about how she’s been working with the same makeup artist for years. Even though she comes across as charmingly girly, there’s a matter-of-fact quality to her attitude too. I came in thinking “wow, she’s very young to have a fiance” but I get it now? She can handle her business. I love how she just sort of thought the wedding planning would just magically happen too. She’s cute.
Photos courtesy of Allure.
Pro at least a pixie now and then. The cult around long hair is ridiculous.
I love having long hair, and do not feel like myself at all with anything other than long hair. To each their own, eh?
Lol, she can shave her head one more time and be my proxy. But seriously, she sounds charming.
I love how she can carry such interesting makeup and still be recognizable. I didn’t know much about her but it’s a good read.
One summer every woman I complimented about their hair said “I shaved it off 3 months ago”. So I went to my hair guy and I wanted to look like I shaved it 3 months ago! He didn’t quite dare to get it there, but I have not been longer than a pixie except during covid.
My hair is just now growing back from chemo and radiation I had in June. I hate it. My face is very round and short hair has never suited me. I wish I were as confident as Miss King.
@JanetDR that’s such a great story!
Nah, I’m good.
In the 90s, I had a thick mane of glorious curls that I was really proud of. I barely had to do anything in the morning to achieve grunge awesomeness. And then my head was shaved in the emergency room. It was really traumatizing. My hair was such a huge part of my identity, and it took years to grow back. But in the first year when I was nearly bald, I got very creative with silk scarves and dangly earrings. It definitely pushed me to explore a new side of myself. I’m not saying everyone woman should do it. Not at all. But it was forced on me, and I did have some fun with it.
It helps to be very cute if you shave off your hair. I cut my hair very very short when I was 22 – I regretted it immediately. I looked like a boy – not a cute boy- just a boy. My features need some softness from my hair. Now Joey King is very cute – she can carry off anything. Know thyself!
LOLZ! Can I get a list of things that being very cute doesn’t help with?
I think the shorter your hair is, the prettier your face needs to be to go with it, and believe me I do not have the face for short hair. I can appreciate it on other women though.
I agree. About a month ago I brought in a photo of a long, modified pixie and asked my hairdresser for that cut. I hate it. My hair was just below my jaw, so still short, but this is awful. I feel obligated to wear makeup to up the cute factor. I may have been able to pull this off in my 20’s or 30’s since I have small features, but at my age it looks awful.
Honestly, the key to looking good with short hair is a strong jaw. It just carries that hair well. Also don’t do anything too blocky around the hairline…keep it soft.
I’ve shaved my hair off plenty of times but I quit in my late 30s…I started to look older and idk, short hair lost it’s appeal.
Short hair doesn’t suit me, but I always wear my hair up except perhaps for special occasions. I’m very low maintenance about my hair though (of course I want it healthy and so on though!) but when it’s down I am perpetually trying to put it back up again!
Jeez, I wish I had her sense of self and confidence in my 20s and 30s!
She was on Nailed It with her sister and it was a cute episode.
Shaved head is not on my bucket list at all. But if its your jam then rock it! It can be a really striking look.
As someone who shaved my head because I bleached the hell out of my hair and ultimately fried it, I personally disagree on an “empowerment shave.” I wore a wig for 6 mos until it was long enough to style in a pixie. I did not enjoy the process.