Somehow the series doesn’t always provide the best showcase for McGregor’s work, perhaps something is lost in its commitment to chronology and detailing all the facts, which at times results in a tone that’s a little flat, rather like documentary recreations.
In fact, it feels like there’s a real tour de force performance in there, but we only get glimpses of it. ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA/NETFLIX © 2021įully inhabiting the man, Ewan McGregor gives a rich, layered portrayal that captures Halston’s artistic passion. HALSTON (L to R) EWAN MCGREGOR as HALSTON in episode 102 of HALSTON Cr. As the series goes on, things take a tragic turn as he becomes more distracted by and dependent on drugs, and nights out at Studio 54, and gradually loses sight of who he is as the lines begin to blur between the real Halston and his persona, eventually having to fight for ownership of his own name. A Gatsbyesque self-made American hero, talking about his “magical childhood” in Indiana, his name becomes a brand in itself. McGregor pulls off the tricky task of portraying a character who has created a public persona, which he projects even to his boyfriend and those in his inner circle-the slicked back hair, bronzer, sunglasses, black turtleneck sweater, and mannered voice-managing to simultaneously show us the man the behind the mask even when Halston is playing Halston. HALSTON (L to R) GIAN FRANCO RODRIGUEZ as VICTOR HUGO, EWAN MCGREGOR as HALSTON, and REBECCA DAYAN as ELSA PERETTI in episode 104 of HALSTON Cr. In a nice stylistic flourish McGregor as Halston recreates television ads directly introducing each new line to the viewer. Initially hesitant, when he signs on with Mahoney the Halston name is used across an expansive range of lines including menswear, luggage, bedding, lingerie, and a fragrance. PATRICK MCMULLAN/NETFLIX © 2021Īlready well-established, but in dire need of a further injection of funds to keep his venture going in the early 70s, commerce meets art with the arrival of businessman David Mahoney (Bill Pullman) who promises to make Halston synonymous with American fashion and a household name. HALSTON (L to R) ELI PERDEW as MARC BENECKE and KRYSTA RODRIGUEZ as LIZA MINNELLI in episode 104 of HALSTON Cr. Although Rodriguez does resemble Liza with her different images over the decades, the actress makes the character her own, humanizing the icon, without a hint of caricature and does a damn fine Say Liza (Liza with a Z).
The portrayal of their friendship is particularly touching and enjoyable, and McGregor reportedly met with Minnelli when preparing to play the legendary designer to get an insight into their relationship. They include the Tony-winning theatre set designer and fashion illustrator, later creative director Joe Eula ( David Pittu) model, muse, and jewelry designer Elsa Peretti (Rebecca Dayan) his junior partner whose work as a window dresser he’d admired, a speed-shooting Joel Schumacher (yes, that Joel Schumacher, played by Rory Culkin) and Liza Minnelli (Krysta Rodriguez) whom he immediately accuses of dressing like a young girl when he’s introduced to her, and quickly becomes another muse, close confidant, and loyal friend. With an ambitious vision to build the first American couturier on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, in 1968 Halston assembles a creative team of fellow “merry misfits” as he describes them, “a bunch of queers and freaks and girls who haven’t grown up yet”. HALSTON (L to R) EWAN MCGREGOR as HALSTON and GIAN FRANCO RODRIGUEZ as VICTOR HUGO in episode 104 of HALSTON Cr. Cut to January 1961 and the First Lady and style icon Jackie Kennedy is attending her husband’s inauguration wearing a pillbox hat by milliner Halston, marking a breakthrough moment in the designer’s illustrious, groundbreaking, and at times tumultuous career. We first meet Roy Halston Frowick as a child in 1930s rural Indiana, making hats to cheer up his mother who’s suffering through an abusive marriage. Straight forward narratively, it does at times feel more ready-to-wear than haute couture, but nevertheless features some beautifully crafted moments and terrific acting performances. The five-episode limited series Halston, directed by Daniel Minahan and starring Ewan McGregor as the eponymous American fashion designer, which arrives on Netflix today, is a stylish and engaging biography based on Steven Gaines’ book Simply Halston.