Ava Phillippe Has Better Things To Do Than Doomscroll

Ava Phillippe has a thoughtful way of moving through the world. Whether she’s talking about the scent of blooming flowers on a dog walk, learning charcoal drawing techniques in weekend art classes, or the importance of thanking every crew member on set, the 26-year-old actor approaches life with a kind of deliberate presence that feels increasingly rare online.

Though Phillippe — the daughter of Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe — grew up in the spotlight, she’s now stepping more fully into her own creative identity. Between appearing in Ella Langley’s breakout music video and starring in the upcoming adaptation of Mariko Tamaki’s graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, Phillippe says intention matters more to her now than ever before.

The same ethos carries into her latest partnership as the face of Vince Camuto’s new Wonderbloom Bliss Eau de Parfum, the newest addition to the Wonderbloom fragrance collection and Phillippe’s third campaign with the brand. Accompanied by a dreamy floral campaign, the amber floral scent leans softer and warmer than a traditional spring perfume — something Phillippe says aligns naturally with her own idea of bliss.

In celebration of the launch, Bustle spoke with Phillippe about queer storytelling, beauty tips from the Euphoria glam world, and why she’s choosing hope over doomscrolling.

How do you define bliss in your day-to-day life?

Bliss for me is gratitude and presence. Often, where that shows up is I'll be walking my dog and there's a nice scent flowing through the air, and I'm just being present and appreciating it. There's this bush that I walk past almost every day, and I just looked up what it was because it smells delightful when it blooms. It's called a Japanese mock orange. I love it. Now I know, and I appreciate it even more.

You recently shared that you’ve been taking charcoal drawing classes. What inspired that?

I'm an arts and crafts girl. That's me through and through. I've always found drawing and painting to be very meditative. It's where I lock in and feel very in tune with myself and with whatever higher power is channeling.

And if I don't make the time, I don't do it. I think we all feel that way about certain things in our lives. So I decided I'm going to build this into my schedule every single weekend, spend three hours on it, and learn how to do it properly. I'm really investing in that part of myself and my inner child who loved to do that and now can pay to take a class.

Do you have any scent memories that really stick with you?

We had this gardenia bush in my backyard as a kid. My mom would clip off a few of them once they bloomed, and she put them in a bowl of water on the counter. It was just a really special, tender touch to the home. My mom arranged them and it just smelled delightful, and I remember that being a really happy time.

What’s something your mom taught you that’s stayed with you?

I think just the value of plain old good manners. It's shockingly rare how many people move through the world with kindness and politeness and appreciation for the people around them.

And especially on set, you are spending so much time with people. It is so vitally important that they feel appreciated and that you try to do everything you can to make their jobs easier and to get them home to their families sooner. That's where I come from. We try to learn everybody's names. Even if you're there for a day, you do your best. I have a terrible memory, but I try to write on my phone if I can and just really look people in the eye and say thank you and please for even the tiniest stuff. It goes such a long way, and it's a feedback loop. It makes you feel good. It makes them feel good.

You’ve worked on some exciting projects recently, including Ella Langley’s music video and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me. What did those experiences teach you?

Ella has shot up into the stratosphere, especially that song. I feel so honored that she brought me in on that cultural moment and also just that she's a young woman shaking up a historically male-dominated genre. We're the same age, and I'm like, “You go, girl.” It was such a fun shoot with all the dancers and the country energy.

On the flip side, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me was a project that's been years in the making. When that script came to me, my heart and my brain, my soul lit up like a neon sign because I was like, I know this story and I want to tell it, especially for a young queer audience. I'm 26, so I'm speaking to my younger self and to a younger generation of queer people who are navigating these relationships with not always the most grace. Laura Dean is not a role model. She is not the girl that you want your daughter to date. Freddy, who's played by Sam Morelos, has to find self-love and the love that already exists in her beautiful friend group.

It's just a beautiful movie. Mariko [Tamaki] wrote a beautiful story. Tommy Dorfman interpreted the magical realism of the graphic novel in the coolest, most special, tender way. I'm really excited for people to see it. I learned so much, especially with my castmates on that one. They're brilliant. I'm so inspired by their art, their wit, their humor. We made more core memories than we did scenes.

You’re clearly a big reader. What’s on your nightstand right now?

I'm trying to venture more into fiction because, as a storyteller, that's really important. But I also love nerding out on stuff — I love nonfiction, and I sometimes spend too much time in that world, and I need to go to the dreaming world. Right now I'm reading Bunny by Mona Awad, which is a trip, and it's so fun. It blends the academic and the creative intellectual kind of hierarchy of grad school, and her use of imagery is so twisty and seductive.

I'm also a saver. Any book that I'm posting about or that I'm telling people about, I'm sitting in the bath and I'm just soaking it in. My mother tears through books, but I like to live in the dreamy world for a few weeks, even a month or two. I'm a low and slow kind of girl.

What’s something you’re hoping to explore creatively next?

I want to write. Most of all, I want to be very intentional about what I do as an artist and also as a person of privilege who has access to be able to make things and get things financed and seen. Even with my Instagram, the intention is important. Every time I'm putting something out there, I ask, “What purpose is it serving? Why am I putting it out there? How might this make someone feel? Is it uplifting, or is it whiny and not helpful?”

I don't want to navel-gaze. I'm getting to the end of my 20s, and I've done a lot of that already. I don't want to talk about my own crap. I don't want to lament the state of the world without trying to solve things, even though it can feel like a dumpster fire sometimes. Hope is the direction that I always want to push things in, whether it's with my art or what I say and put out into the world.

What beauty lessons have you picked up from working with so many makeup artists and hairstylists?

Most recently, I've been working with Alexandra French. She was on Euphoria, and she's taught me so much about skin and how to make it look natural without looking cakey. She’s also taught me how to make little fake freckles. She just has so many cute, creative ideas.

Has working with her changed the way you approach your own makeup routine?

She's the queen of eyeliner, and I have a slight hooded eye, and she's teaching me about how to do the angle, the thickness, and how to not make it look too heavy. I'm like, “I just trust you implicitly; do whatever you want” — which, as a Virgo, is saying something, OK? I'm really particular, especially about my eyeliner.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.