"She's spectacularly poised," beams actor Julianne Moore as she watches her daughter, Liv Freundlich, step in front of the camera. "I've been bragging about Liv since the day she was born, and I'm so impressed by how well she navigates the world and how mature she is," says Moore of her youngest of two children.
The inherent sense of strength and equanimity Freundlich exudes both in and out of the spotlight are qualities the 20-year-old college sophomore attributes in large part to her mother's example. "What I admire most about my mom is how driven she is," explains Freundlich. "She always has a clear idea of what she wants to accomplish—choosing [roles] she is passionate about—and she never lets go of that. My mom does what she wants to do and doesn't really care what other people think."
Approaching a demanding life in the public eye with aplomb, Moore doesn't shy away from living the "dance like no one is watching" adage whenever she can. "She dances a lot in public, and she does it on purpose to embarrass me," Freundlich teases. "I'm like, you're embarrassing me, stop. But it never fails to make me laugh."
This tight-knit duo has always shared a close bond, and as Freundlich now steps into her 20s, she considers Moore not just her mother but a close friend. "I really go to [my mom] for advice on everything," Freundlich explains. "I think she has a lot of good advice about boys and relationships and has gone through some of the same experiences." Moore treasures those candid moments of closeness and togetherness more than anything else. "The most unforgettable place we've ever been together is not a particularly glamorous place, but it was one of the best experiences I've ever had with [Liv]," says Moore, recalling a time when the two spent weeks together working on a film where Freundlich joined as a production assistant. "Every night, we'd get home from work, we'd eat our chips, we'd talk about the job, and talk about her relationships. It wasn't glamorous, but it was pretty fantastic."
With Freundlich away at school in Chicago, and Moore busy working on an array of acting projects in New York, the pair jumps at every opportunity to spend more time together. "That's a big deal for us," says Moore, noting that they always make an effort to arrange family time whenever celebrating big milestones like Freundlich's recent birthday—an occasion that was inevitably marked by their shared love for jewelry. "When she was a baby, the first thing I gave her was a locket. Then when she turned 16, I found this really pretty ring. This year I gave her a set of necklaces," says Moore.
When it comes to personal style, Freundlich takes cues from her mom's sense of daring yet timeless elegance and imbues it with her own personality. "She's such a good style role model, and I think I learn a lot about my own style through her," says Freundlich, who admits to frequently "borrowing" items from her mom's coat closet and jewelry box. "We definitely share jewelry and clothes, but it's more of a one-sided thing," she smiles.
"[Liv] really notices what I wear, and she has a great sense of style," says Moore, who enjoys that the two share similar tastes in fashion but considers her daughter's style more adventurous than her own. "When I'm not sure about something, I'll ask her, do you like this? I always listen to her about [style]," Moore shares. Still, her daughter's intrepid composure on the fashion front—along with the other areas of her life—hardly comes as a surprise. "The minute she was born, I was just astonished by her," says Moore. "She's just a great kid, a wonderful person, a great daughter, a great friend, a terrific student, someone I like to spend time with. There's absolutely nothing about her that I don't adore."
Creative Direction by Nicolas Neubeck, Directing by Josh Brede, Styling by Kate Young, Makeup by Hung Vanngo, Hair by Marcus Francis, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Production by Anne Ritz.
