Pia Mechler
Actor, writer, muse, and all-around stunner, German-born Pia Mechler, paid us a visit recently to share a fun summer style moment. To see her in action, check her out later this summer on the CW playing finance/trading whiz Eleanor Bourg opposite Patrick Dempsey in “Devils.” The show revolves around a financial conspiracy—with Pia paying the only female trader in a male-dominated world. During our time together, we chatted with her about the differences and similarities between herself and her character, about staying true to herself in real life and, of course, about beauty and fashion. Behold and enjoy!
The Bare Magazine: Can you share (without giving too much away) what you’re excited about for season 2 of “Devils?"
Pia Mechler: I think in season 2 we learn much more about the characters that we have met in season 1, and we also have some exciting new additions to the cast (Li Jun Li and Joel de la Fuente have joined, for example). While still being a show about world politics and finance and their interconnection, Devils 2 feels more personal and also very current.
Bare: What do you have in common with your character, and in what ways are you different?
PM: My character Eleanor is a woman in finance and, therefore, has had to put on an armor—she appears tough, closed off, even cold sometimes. That is not me at all. I am very European in the sense that I am an open book and often have less of a filter, which is not always helpful. Eleanor is also very controlled and elegant and I am not. However Eleanor is also extremely loyal to the extent where she gets burned—and I have had that experience, too. This season Eleanor fights a bit more for what she wants, and I was happy to give her a certain playfulness throughout that also feels more close to home.
Bare: How do you recharge/escape after you’ve been working non-stop?
PM: I like spending time with my family. But because I am also a writer, being with myself in front of my laptop is also much needed. Writing is a great way for me to decompress and try to make sense of it all. And I LOVE the ocean. Swimming and floating in the sea is my absolute battery recharge. So much so that I started cold swimming. So I might be that crazy person you see in the North Fork hopping into the water even in December. I'll wear a hat though.
Bare: For our shoot you brought your favorite summer hat and cool floral dress! How would you describe your personal style?
PM: I like colors and prints, comfort and a bit of whimsy. I have my go-to brands like Isabel Marant, Mara Hoffmann, Bimba y Lola, Stine Goya, or Rodebejer. I like to have fun with clothes, without needing to play dress-up, even though that will also happen occasionally if I feel like it. For me, fashion can be a mood enhancer, a pick-me up. It should make you happy, which means it doesn't always need to be on trend. And since I have a kid, it needs to practical, but that doesn't mean boring either. A great earring, maybe by Saskia Diez, can make the difference.
Bare: Your skin is so luminous! Can you share your skincare regimen and how you protect yourself from the summer sun?
PM: Sunscreen is key. SPF 50. I have gotten melasma due to my pregnancy so, therefore, it also needs to be tinted. I am also a firm believer in Gua Sha and in cleaning your skin at night, no matter how tired you are. I use a small natural fiber skin brush for that. My evening routine includes a cleansing oil (currently by Ogee), followed by Tatcha Rice Polish (with the brush), then Caudalie Vinoclean. I use the Heritage Store Rose Water as a Toner. Then some retinol product (currently The Ordinary), Midnight Recovery Concentrate by Kiehl's, Kiehl's Mighnight Recovery Eye Cream, and Best Skin Ever Seabuckthorn, which smells amazing.
In the morning I use Biologique Recherche Lotion P50, followed by the Rosewater and some Vitamin C Serum (The Ordinary), Niod Fractionated Eye Concentrate, Murad Renewing Eye Cream, Kiehl's Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream, and La Roche Posay's Anthellios tinted Light FluidSuncreen. I also love Living Libations Rose Glow Serum.
Bare: Having a child and balancing a busy schedule…do you have any go-to makeup products you like for a quick/easy natural look?
PM: Tinted sunscreen, because it is quick and easy. And it serves a purpose. I hardly use much makeup. Maybe a bit of concealer, some Chanel Mascara and I love the Ogee lip oils, also as a blush.
Bare: Between the social network and being an actor there must be times when you get sucked into comparing yourself to others. What advice or inspiration can you share about staying confident and comfortable in your skin?
PM: There have been so many times in my professional life where I was told that I am too this or too that or even not enough of this or that: Too tall, too blonde ,or not blonde enough, too European, too nerdy or not nerdy enough, too young, too old... you name it. I also grew up in a small town in Germany with a flamboyant South-American mother in a modernist house with a blue roof (long story...)—and felt the desperate need to just be like everyone else, to be normal. Of course, one compares and wishes to be the same. However, now I consider all of that a very good lesson from the universe to embrace my differences. My career path, or the way I look or talk, are maybe not always what is trending on social media, but it is also what helps me to be uniquely me. It gives me my very own voice as an actor or writer. So, it's good to remind yourself that you are an individual with your own individual story and have every right to be exactly that.
Bare: Please list your recent top 5 Bare essentials…they can be anything.
PM: My people (that includes my cat).
Matcha (I wish I could say coffee, but it makes me hyper and people will get uncomfortable)
Carmex
Organic Vitamin C lollipops in my pocket. They are a miracle worker in the terrible two's situations. My number-one bribe. And the Vitamin C, plus the organic stamp, make me almost forget the sugar content.
Water, to drink and to float in.