The Fascinating Reason Anne Hathaway’s ‘Ocean’s 8’ Character Wears French Nails

There’s a lot that will catch your eye in Ocean’s 8. The sparkly Cartier diamonds. Awkwafina’s card tricks. Kim Kardashian’s cameo. The extravagant Met Gala gowns. Rihanna. So it’s a testament to makeup department head Louise McCarthy’s work—and Anne Hathaway’s scene-stealing performance as movie star Daphne Kluger—that Kluger’s nails are what caught my attention most. Specifically, her French-tip-manicured nails. You can see a good look at them in the photo below:

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If you’re doing this:

Allow me to explain.

In the movie, which is in theaters now, Kluger’s presented as the It Girl of the moment. She’s sexy, she’s famous, and she’s fashionable enough to cohost this year’s Met Gala. It’s an honor she’s very much letting get to her head—never missing a diva moment like snapping orders at her assistant or bragging about the cost of her diamonds. Hathaway plays this all as a brilliant satire, purring in front of the cameras while waving her hand dismissively at the help.

So it struck me as sort of odd that Kluger, a high-profile celebrity, has a French manicure. It’s a favorite for proms and weddings, yes, but one that’s often scoffed at as being “tacky” or “basic” in some higher echelon beauty circles, most notably, the red carpet. If timeless is the aim, you’re more likely to see a celebrity with a muted pale-pink manicure (see: Essie’s Ballet Slippers) or a minimalist nail art design, which Hathaway actually did for this year’s (real) Met Gala.

McCarthy, however, says Hathaway wanted French tips for a reason. “That was actually Anne’s choice,” she tells Glamour. “Anne felt that these kind of cheap-looking nails are what [Daphne Kluger] would think is very classy and elegant. Anne knows what she wants her characters to have, so it’s always a great chat with her about [beauty].”

The French manicure wasn’t the only request from Hathaway: She wanted the nails to be long. “They’re a great choice because they’re too long! She can’t really do anything,” McCarthy explains. “They’re these ridiculous nails where you’re trying to pick up things, but you can’t. I think she really got into the character. [Kluger] is such a fun character to put together.”

As for Hathaway’s whole beauty look throughout the film—bold lips and bouncy hair—the inspiration came from two interesting places: vintage Barbie and Elizabeth Taylor. To create that playful, old-Hollywood style, McCarthy focused on bright lipsticks while keeping Hathaway’s skin and eye makeup more minimal. For the Met Gala scene, for example, McCarthy used Chanel foundation, Clé de Peau concealer, Benefit’s Dandelion blush (despite the Marc Jacobs blush cameo), Dior and Chanel eye palettes, and Charlotte Tilbury Electric Poppy lipstick with a Sisley Fuchsia lip pencil.

In another scene, at a pre-Gala dinner, she swapped the pink lip for Julie Hewett’s Film Noir. “It’s a beautiful red,” McCarthy says. “Bright reds and pinks are just great colors on her because she’s so pale. Those brands stay on as well. They’ve great staying power.”

It’s still not clear why exactly an actress as big as Kluger didn’t have a glam squad doing her hair and makeup. I mean, this is the most exclusive event of the year, as Sandra Bullock’s character, criminal mastermind Debbie Ocean, so casually points out. The woman’s got to have enough money to have at least an Instagrammer come help her! She might actually have been onto something. Maybe French tips aren’t gauche for the Met Gala, after all.

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