LaKeith Stanfield Talks Dior, Vampires in ‘I Love Boosters,’ and Creative Risks

PARIS – LaKeith Stanfield was still shaking off jet lag when he sat in the makeup chair to prep for the Dior menswear show.

Swaddled in a fluffy white bathrobe, the multihyphenate Oscar nominee prepped with the mononymous makeup artist Angloma — “the best in Paris, I swear,” he promised — to the sounds of Etta James.

The 12-hour time difference didn’t stop him from diving headfirst into the moment, jumping on the bed, playfully unfurling the pieces and directing camera cuts.

Stanfield tested out his outfit of patchwork denim and layers.

“I haven’t appeared in any looks that are similar to this. So I’m like, let me stretch the boundaries a little bit. Do something new, do something different, get into a new comfort zone,” he said.

That same willingness to experiment defines his career choices on screen. His next project will be Boots Riley’s “I Love Boosters,” costarring Keke Palmer and Naomi Ackie. Characters are described as “fashion mavens,” but the film’s plot still remains under wraps. “What I think I can safely say is no one has seen anything like this,” he said.

“It was nice to have a piece of art that can critique it. [It] seems like we live in a world increasingly spearheaded by greed, so it’s nice to kind of survey that and then think about how it impresses upon us,” he said. The film is delivered through a fantastical lens in a genre-bending way without becoming heavy-handed.

“I play a vampire. So there you go,” he said. The film, to be released in May, is in the running for a Cannes berth.

The California native recently discovered through a DNA test that he is “about 15 percent English,” a revelation that sparked deeper appreciation for his heritage.

“I love lineage and trying to trace my lineage back. That’s one thing I like about Europe — there’s a lot of rich history,” he said, then effortlessly tying it to Dior’s new creative director’s sophomore men’s collection. “Jonathan Anderson is doing new stuff and making history as we speak. That’s what you hope to do — make history.”

Anderson’s work so far is “daring,” he said, and reinterpreting the historical references without being overly stuffy. He framed the fashion show experience as being part of a larger experience.

Beyond the “Boosters” release, his schedule remains packed with a slate of films in pre- and post-production. Among several projects in the pipeline is a new take on “King Lear,” costarring Al Pacino and Jessica Chastain. Neither a strict modernization nor a traditional staging, the film offers a fresh interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Working with Pacino, he said, has been fun and rewarding. A compliment from the legendary actor was a personal milestone.

“That feels quite beautiful to hear from him,” he said. “It’s fantastic. That’s like grandpa. He’s so cool, man, I love him.”

Off set and away from the front row, another passion comes into focus: photography. What began as a hobby has grown into a serious creative outlet. He is so well-versed in cameras that he went deep into models and specs with the photographers on set.

Photography offers a different pace and perspective from acting or music — his other side gig, so to speak — that is more personal. Many of his photos are of his wife and family, but when asked whether he might consider creating a book or an exhibit, he didn’t rule it out.

Staying engaged across creative fields is his way of “doing something other than otherwise going crazy.”

Following the release of his single “Fast Life” with Kid Cudi last year, Stanfield also plans to get back into the studio for more music.

But more than anything, he wants to encourage people to come together in these divisive times.

“I want love and peace across the Middle East and across the middle west and everywhere — more peace in the world, more harmony,” he said, adding the U.S. “Hopefully people come together, put their phones down a little bit, share with their people… It’s a lot of white, colors and borders. Let’s just come together. I would love to have that message resonate.”