Emma Stone's Hair Guru Shares Her Tress-Perfecting Secrets
In the glitzy world of celebrity hairstylists, there are those who are good at their job and then there are those that can do absolutely magical things with hair. Mara Roszak is definitely one of the latter. Roszak has been in the industry since the tender age of 16, and she counts stars such as Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, and Kat Dennings as clients. But Roszak's biggest celeb fan is none other than the lovely Emma Stone herself.During a recent interview with the enviably-coiffed starlet, she confessed that it's Roszak's hair wizardry that's responsible for her mane always looking so damn amazing. After we heard that, we knew we had to learn more about Roszak and what makes her tick. We spoke with her one-on-one — and it's worth noting that she is probably one of the loveliest, most down-to-earth, and all-around nice beauty pros we've ever had the pleasure to interview — to learn more about how she get her start in the biz, what it's like to work with some of the most gorgeous leading ladies on the planet and, yes, how to score a looks like Emma's.
How did you get your start in the industry?
"I used to say that I got really lucky. Someone said, 'You should really stop saying that, because it makes it sound like you have no talent at all.' It was a unique situation. I had no idea this was an industry, no clue whatsoever. I had always done my friends' hair and makeup, and my mom saw that was something I was interested in, but neither one of us knew that was a career. I knew about salons but further than that, I had no idea. She started taking me around to salons and she asked them 'How young is too young?' and 'Am I crazy to let my daughter go to beauty school?' They all told her that no, the younger the better. At 16, I got my GED and went to beauty school at Marinello Beauty School. I met a couple of people in beauty school and simultaneously learned about Chris McMillan's salon. I had seen him on a shoot before I had enrolled in beauty school — at the time, my cousin was dating a really big publicist, and one day, she invited me to a shoot. Chris was the stylist on set with Sarah Michelle Gellar, and I just watched him. Cut to a couple years later: While in beauty school, I met a guy who was friends with Chris, and he told me someone there was looking for an assistant, so I interviewed and got the job.
"Around the same time, I got a call from the publicist asking if I could do a client at the last minute. It was Sarah Michelle Gellar, and I had never done anything of that caliber before — I was 17! I didn't have a driver's license, so my mom had to drop me off around the corner. I don't even know that I thought for a second that 'no' was an option. I think that's really important for someone starting out; just do it, just say yes. Sarah Michelle was so lovely, and she started hiring me after that — I went with her on the press tour for The Grudge. That's how it started."
Do you have a specialty or a certain type of look you are known for?
"If I had a signature look, I would say everything has an effortless feel. I never want a style to completely take over the look. It's important to me that whoever I am working on feels comfortable and doesn't feel like the hairstyle is wearing them. It's just a more polished version of who they are. It's important to me to see the person, to see the natural hair underneath the overall hair."
Who are some of your fave celebs to work with and why?
"Emma is just such a special person. The whole team, our whole little group — it isn't like work. I am so lucky to be able to call that a job. I feel really, really lucky in that I get to work with such amazing women that individually are so cool and grounded. Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis ..."
Anyone who made you starstruck?
"I just got to work with Michelle Dockery. I am obsessed with Downton Abbey. She couldn't have been lovelier. It's funny about TV, because you watch the characters every week and get invested in them. You feel like you know them, and then you get booked to work on the actor, and there's that slight bit of fear of 'If I meet you, is it going to ruin my obsession?' So, I would say Lady Mary. I was a little startstruck. She was wonderful."
Like this post? There's more. Get tons of beauty tips, tutorials, and news on the Refinery29 Beauty Facebook page!
Photographed by Jake Rosenberg
Next
- 1 of 2
in NYC