Alana Haim has a theory.

Over the years, she’s argued that most adults’ core qualities can be traced back to middle school. In essence, we are all our seventh-grade selves in perpetuity. “Seventh grade Alana was, like every seventh grader—extremely insecure,” she says. “Also, my mom didn’t let me shave my legs or my armpits, so I was very hairy.”

This theory rang true when she first met director Kristoffer Borgli. In a rare solo outing, she attended the L.A. premiere of Borgli’s 2023 film Dream Scenario. “I never go anywhere by myself,” she tells me on a Friday morning call. “It [was] a rare occasion [where I didn’t] have my siblings with me.” It’s not until she says this that I realize I’ve only really seen footage of Haim, the San Fernando Valley-born rock band made up of Alana and her sisters Este and Danielle Haim, as a trio.

At the premiere’s after-party, Alana’s familiar feelings arose. “I was in the corner and made sure I had a drink in my hand. I kind of bopped to the music by myself…waiting for somebody to ask me to dance,” she recalls. “It literally felt like seventh grade again.”

But when Borgli approached her, they instantly clicked. Three years later, she’s one of the stars of his latest film, A24’s The Drama.

When the trailer dropped, the movie’s hush-hush twist became the subject of speculation. The plot follows a couple (played by Robert Pattinson and Zendaya) whose wedding plans are derailed by a wild revelation from the bride.

But what is the outrageous admission that sparks the film’s titular drama? What we do know is that it infuriates Rachel, the wedding’s maid of honour, played by Alana. Last week, when the movie was released and the discourse took off, conversations all came back to whether or not Zendaya’s character’s confession warranted Alana’s character’s reaction to it.

Tapping into this thorniness was cathartic. “I have 34 years of having to bottle up emotions and unfortunately my therapy was directed at Zendaya. I felt so bad,” she says. “But playing an outrageous character is so fun because I took on a whole different persona.”

In Licorice Pizza, her 2021 film debut, she shared a name, a hometown, and a family with her character, Alana Kane. Longtime Haim collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson cast Alana’s sisters and their real-life parents for the film. This all resulted in a lived-in performance that earned Alana Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.

Since then, she’s slipped into distinctly different roles: a frustrated wife in Kelly Reichardt’s 2025 heist film The Mastermind, and a bewigged revolutionary in Anderson’s Best Picture winner One Battle After Another.

These projects unfolded alongside the release of Haim’s 2025 album, I Quit, and a rousing world tour. As she boldly carves out space for herself onscreen, it ripples into the music. Last year, I Quit featured her first solo lead song, “Spinning.”

Weeks after One Battle After Another’s Oscar win, she phones in from L.A. to reflect on her whirlwind year, her subtle approach to method dressing, and her most Sagittarius traits.

SW: How did you guys celebrate after One Battle After Another won Best Picture?

“Paul said in his speech, ‘I hope everyone’s gonna go drink a martini’. That’s exactly what I did. It was such a joyous night.

One Battle is such a special movie. I did not think that I was going to be part of this one. I was so happy being in Licorice Pizza and working with Paul [on that]. But getting the call to work with Paul again was the greatest honour of all time. Shooting that film, we were such a family. Like, what a cast.

SW: There’s such a physicality to your previous work as an actor and a musician—think, the running sequences in Licorice Pizza, the complex heists in One Battle After Another, and your kinetic energy on stage. But it looks like The Drama demands something more internal, contained or simmering from you.

“You’re so right. Licorice Pizza and One Battle were all running [scenes for me]. At this point, I probably should be training for the Olympics. But this one was more contained, which I think was a fun thing to conquer because I’m such a physical person.

When it came to The Drama, I was so appreciative that I had a part that really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I am nothing like Rachel. Rachel is so out of my bounds. She’s very blunt and opinionated—she’ll tell you that your shoes are ugly. She’s very mean, which is not in my wheelhouse, so I had to really push myself.”

SW: You went from rolling out your album to premiering The Mastermind at Cannes to then going on tour. Then, One Battle After Another came out and you went into award season. Now, you’re on a press run for The Drama. Does that kind of momentum excite you or deplete you?

“Oh, it excites me. Are you kidding? Even [hearing you] list all those things, I was like, ‘OK! I’ve been doing stuff.’ Not to be L.A. about it, but I’m a Sagittarius: I’m a traveler and I love saying yes to new adventures. I’m extremely grateful for all those opportunities that I’ve had. What a fun situation that I’ve landed myself in.”

SW: You and your sisters started your band on 7/7/2007. Have you begun to process that next year marks 20 years of HAIM?

“Oh my god, don’t say that! Has it been 20 years? I never sat down to do the math. I remember that show on 7/7/07 like it was yesterday. It felt like we were playing Madison Square Garden and we were playing a little tiny club in a clown museum. I’m so insanely grateful that I got to start a band with my siblings. Back then, [we had] this blind optimism, [where] we were just so happy to play any show. Our mentality on 7/7/07 is the same mentality that we have now—we’re just so grateful that we get to stand on a stage and play songs that we wrote in our living room.

People come up to us sometimes and say [that they] love [our songs] and I can’t believe that that’s the life I lead. It’s so incredible to write songs and have them resonate with people that you’ve never met. What a beautiful connection to have. We’re forever grateful. I hope I get to do it for another 20 years.”

SW: Do you have a favorite red carpet look of yours?

“When I went to the BAFTAs for Licorice Pizza, I wore this green dress that was designed by Nicolas Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton. I think it was my first red carpet with Louis Vuitton. First of all, my mind was blown that I was nominated for a BAFTA—it was crazy. I’ll never forget putting on that dress. It was the first time that I didn’t feel like I was in seventh grade. It was this confidence that I had. I was with my sister Este. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would go to the BAFTAs, let alone be nominated for a BAFTA. I think it was the first time that I looked at myself and I was like, ‘I really feel beautiful.’ It was a very beautiful moment.”

SW: Your sisters’ tastes always seem so cohesive and aligned. Where does your approach to style splinter from theirs?

“Danielle will never be caught dead in shorts on stage. Danielle would never, but I love them. I really do embody the baby sister: fun, free and I’ll try anything. I can’t speak to what their style is. I don’t really know. I just know that I love trying new things.

I love being flirty and sexy on stage. My mom [always says] ‘You’re the sexy one.’ I don’t feel like the sexy one, but I will take it—thank you, mom! I’m a little more adventurous when it comes to my fashion choices, but sometimes Danielle reins me in. Danielle is the fashionista of the siblings.”

SW: Who were your style icons growing up?

“My mom had impeccable style in the seventies. I see photos of her and I’m honestly so angry that she’s gotten rid of almost everything from her wardrobe. I’m a hoarder. I keep everything. I probably shouldn’t but I’ll see photos [of my mom] and I’ll [ask] ‘Where’s this dress?’ And she’ll say, ‘I don’t know, I gave it away when I went to college.’ Like, what? How? These were incredible vintage pieces.

I’m paying homage to my mom on this press tour. My mom would always wear fresh flowers in her hair. [She] was an art teacher and would make corsages with fresh flowers. I was thinking about [how] The Drama revolves around a wedding and [thought of] boutonnieres and bouquets. There are so many photos of my mom where she’s wearing a pink lily in her hair—she was obsessed with pink lilies.

And obviously being a girl of the early 2000s, I was obsessed with Kate Moss. I thought that Kate Moss at Glastonbury was the ultimate. Before HAIM even started, I would dream about going to Glastonbury. That’s [how] I figured out what wellies were. She is and forever will be an icon.”

SW: Which Real Housewife would you ask to be your maid of honor?

“Honestly, I think Luann de Lesseps. The thing that’s fun about Luann is that she’ll sing and she’ll give us a little cabaret show…she would get the crowd going. We would come into the reception, and she would be on the mic already singing a song and getting the party going.”

SW: At this point in your career, what do you look for in a role? What does it take for you to say yes to a script?

“I think it’s genuinely a gut feeling that I need to do this. Whenever I read something and I get [that] feeling, like Oh this is special, that’s what I go for. Again, I’m extremely lucky that I get to do this on a daily basis. I am still pinching myself. All the movies that I’ve done thus far, [they’ve] all just been this gut reaction, [like], I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. It’s been a wild ride.

When Paul called me for Licorice Pizza, he said ‘You can do this.’ So really, it stems from Paul. I still can’t believe he trusted me to be the lead in Licorice Pizza with Cooper, but he instilled it in me. I call him for pep talks all the time. He is the greatest cheerleader that me and my siblings have had from the beginning of our careers. I’m very lucky to have a cheerleader like that.”

Photography by Caroline Tompkins (Giant Artists)
Styling by Corey Ng
Makeup by Olivia Barad (See Management)
Hair by Gonn Kinoshita (The Wall Group)
Director of Photography: Tim Schutsky
Photographer Assistants: Nate Jerome, Eve Alpert
Video Assistant: Maduma Mihindu
Editorial & Creative Director: Sahar Nooraei
Art Director: Jessica Hui
Fashion Director: Haley Dach
Social Media/Digital Editor: Roxanne Tam-Soltani

Feature image dress by Louis Vuitton. Serpenti Viper Ring by BVLGARI.