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The celebrated actor talks about his role in The New Look and shares his joy at being a grandpa

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Acclaimed actor John Malkovich, who stars in the new Apple TV+ historical drama The New Look, jokes that he’s got a secret for creating memorable characters on-screen. “I’m not very clever. And that’s always a huge help, you know?” he quips to Closer. “I know there are people — even in my family — who have deep thoughts, but that seems so dangerous to me. I think that’s a major part of my resilience.”

In The New Look, which is based on the true experiences of fashion icons Christian Dior and Coco Chanel during the grim years of Nazi-occupied France in World War II, John, 70, plays Dior’s soft-spoken mentor and boss, Lucien Lelong, whose own resilience is put to the test. “While I knew about the Nazi occupation of France, I didn’t know much about Lucien,” says John. “[This story is] about the accommodations one makes in life to keep one thing alive against the things you really don’t wish to be involved in.”

What drew you to The New Look and the role of Lucien Lelong?

I didn’t know a great deal about those dark years of the French fashion industry, although I knew the work of the various designers quite well, just as a layperson. So I learned a lot while doing the series.

Lucien is an interesting character.