Parker Posey used the Venice Film Festival as both a launchpad for Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine and a stage for theatrical wardrobe. The actor touched down in the Italian city to promote the film, which co-stars John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, and Steve Buscemi, and she paired interviews and premieres with deliberate moments of sightseeing and reflection.
The Story in Pictures
“Venice is a magical city, and getting to celebrate Wild Horse Nine here is a treat,” Posey said, describing how the city’s architecture and art informed her mood during the week. She told reporters she took time between press obligations to walk the cobbled streets, visit churches and light candles for her mother, who had surgery that week. She also stopped by Santa Maria Novella and noted her father’s connection to the house’s Melagrano scent, and she caught a glimpse of Harry’s Bar while moving between festival events.
On screen Posey plays Marge, the wife to Rockwell’s Lee, in a story that follows CIA agents Chris, played by Malkovich, and Lee on a mission from Santiago to Easter Island in 1973 Chile. Posey said the role appealed because “Marge is dynamic and layered, like all the characters Martin wrote,” and she added that she enjoyed crafting a full life for a character who receives limited screen time.
Off screen Posey worked with stylist Leith Clark to lean into an ethereal, vintage-inflected sensibility. For a photo call she wore a pink Valentino polka-dotted high-neck mini with lace trim, and for the premiere she chose a sheer, blush cape by Valentino that she linked to a 1970s gothic surrealism, citing the TV series Night Gallery and saying, “I kept saying I was casting spells!” The looks aimed to read as confident and otherworldly rather than merely glamorous.
Posey also signalled continued momentum beyond Venice. She said she has a new Traitors show coming out and will host a spinoff series called The Mob, and she described the series’ costume work as a “treasure trove” that invited playful experimentation. For now, Venice offered her a moment to promote the film, revisit familiar scents and churches, and present a theatrical approach to festival dressing.
