It’s the day of ES Magazine’s cover shoot and a corner of the set has been transformed into a double-take-prompting, surrealist haven. A giant, unblinking eyeball watches over every move we make; there’s a pair of pinking shears the size of a dinner table; glass fruit; and a bow and arrow — should anyone cause any trouble. ‘What size shoe is the puppet?’ stylist Harry Lambert shouts across the studio. Don’t worry, he’s not referring to our cover star, Emma Corrin, but to an actual headless puppet that the actor is cradling in their arms. Twenty-seven-year-old Corrin, who shot to fame in 2020 when they landed the role of Princess Diana in The Crown, is quiet but not shy. They have a glow about them that goes beyond the bleach-blonde mullet that illuminates their features.
A coffin-shaped FedEx package arrives on set containing a gown by London-based designer Dilara FındıkoÄlu. It takes five people to lift the dress out of its casket, likely due to the hundred-odd butter knives it’s adorned with. A design inspired by Joan of Arc’s armour, Corrin wears it as though it weighs nothing. For this week’s cover feature, we decided to let the star’s fans and friends (some of whom you may recognise) do the work for us…
