“Maria” Costume Designer Massimo Cantini Parrini on Designing Angelina Jolie as a Legendary Diva

December 9, 2024

“I am happy with the theater behind my eyes,” utters legendary American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas (portrayed by Angelina Jolie after seven months of intense vocal lessons) at the film’s beginning. Drenched in the melancholy of a woman well aware that her days are numbered, the stunning film traverses between the heights of La Callas’ massive successes in the 1950s and 1960s and present day in her extravagant Parisian apartment, where she reflects on the triumphs, pain, love, and loss in her storied life. Suffering from several illnesses towards the end of her life, she self-medicates with a variety of uppers and downers, including a sedative curiously named Mandrax, which also happens to be the name of the filmmaker interviewing the diva for a documentary (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee).

Chronicling the final days leading up to Maria’s death in 1977, director Pablo Larraín’s third outing in his trilogy of iconic female figures from the 20^th century (after Spencer and Jackie) is mesmerizing and visually and sonically luxurious. Served by her protective and patient butler, Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino), and the ever-loyal housekeeper, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher),

Maria’s outsized persona is adorned with 60 ornate and exquisite costumes by Italian costume designer Massimo Cantini Parrini (Ferrari, Cyrano, Ophelia). Working on the film turned out to be a serendipitous venture since the two-time Oscar nominee already owned two vintage pieces that belonged to Maria Callas in his personal collection years before this project came along. This interview was conducted with the help of interpreter Marina Mocetti Spagnuolo.

Were the 60 costumes made from scratch or updated from vintage collections?

We didn’t use all of them—we used nearly 50. Most were made by me, and some were vintage outfits that I adapted for Angelina Jolie.

How big was your crew?

We had around 20 people in our lab in Rome, and we collaborated with some tailor shops in Rome. We had a lot to get done—we continued to cut and sew until the end of the shoot. There was a lot involved; sometimes, the director changed the ideas on which we were basing our costumes, and so we had to adapt our costumes as well.

MARIA. Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Maria. Cr. Pablo Larraín/Netflix © 2024.

Maria’s wardrobe—especially those from her famous opera performances—was stylish and opulent. What were some of your favorites to design?

The one from Tosca. We only see a little of Tosca in the movie, but it’s now shown at the TCL Chinese Theater in L.A. I hope the audience has the opportunity to look at it because it’s really amazing. I also love her dressing gown, which is pure wool, which was my design from scratch. I made it in close collaboration with a dressmaker who knitted it. I wanted to have this allure that was not the typical classic, beautiful dressing gown that a lady would wear in her home but something that would completely envelop her. It was something that she would keep wrapped around her at home in her nest. The wool is made up of two different types of yarn, giving it a 3D appearance from any angle and conveying an idea of great depth.

What about the other costumes when we flash back to her various opera performances over the years?

I adored working on the dress she wears during the performance of Medea. The lines of the silhouette are quite simple. However, it was very complicated to make because it had to be hand-painted. I couldn’t reference the original because it is kept at the Museo Teatrale alla Scala [La Scala Theatre Museum]. So I had to recreate it from scratch. We made eight dresses before I was satisfied with the hand-painted part. Pablo Larraín was so happy with how it came out that he actually wanted to buy it! However, it was impossible because the tailors who made it wanted to keep it in their archive. Another dress I loved making was the one that she wore in the Anne Boleyn opera [at La Scala in 1957]. It is a dark blue velvet dress that was very difficult to make because I couldn’t find the right hue of dark blue. Finally, when I found the right fabric, it was a dream come true when I saw Angelina Jolie wearing it. She looked gorgeous in it. She’s really amazing.

MARIA. in Maria. Cr. Pablo Larraín/Netflix © 2024.

MARIA. Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Maria. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.

How did you recreate her jewelry collection, especially for a paragon of fashion from that era?

Yes, I designed and made all of the jewels that she owned and wore. I am a maniac for details. I am a perfectionist and wanted everything to be exactly as Maria wore them. Her jewelry collection was really huge. Back then, divas bought their own dresses and jewelry. It’s not like now, where talent is gifted or lent outfits and jewelry. So, she was a very rich when it came to her jewelry collection. Most of them were sold to private collections and auctions. But we were very lucky to get two pieces that belonged to her that Cartier had found at an auction. We were so lucky to be able to use the necklace and this wonderful brush. For me, it was very moving to touch something that Maria Callas had wanted, desired, bought, and wore personally. Angelina Jolie was really very moved at the idea of wearing these two pieces. When the Cartier people arrived with them, it was really a great moment.

MARIA. (L to R) Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas and Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis in Maria. Cr. Pablo Larraín/Netflix © 2024.

I read that in your personal costume collection, you own two costumes that used to belong to her?

Yes, I was very lucky. I bought this vintage brown 1950s dress designed by Biki, a very famous Milanese designer from Italy. When Maria Callas was in Italy, she often went to Biki for her outfits. Once I was home, I looked at the garment and saw a piece of cotton on the hem inside that said Mrs. Callas. And then there was also a number on it, which meant that it really belonged to her because those were the digits that would have been placed by her wardrobe lady, so I was sure that it was owned by her. The second garment was also used in the movie—a coat that belonged to Maria Callas that I received as a present.

How serendipitous! You already owned these costumes before you knew you were going to work on this film?

Yeah, I bought the brown dress 10-12 years ago and the coat three years ago.

You’ve talked about designing Maria’s wardrobe based on her state of mind, especially during the last week of her life. What did you want the costumes to say about her state of mind and her motivations?

For the outfits for the last week of her life, in some ways, it was one of the most difficult parts because there were no photographs from this period of her life. Most of this time she spent at home, and she rarely went out. So, I imagined her wardrobe according to some of the photographs from the later period of her life and designed them in various hues and shades of black so that it wouldn’t appear as flat in the film. We decided with Pablo Larraín to use black because I imagined that when she was talking to Mandrax for the documentary, and we had those flashbacks, it was as if she was, in a way, witnessing a prelude to her own funeral. It was really beautiful to imagine her wardrobe in the last week of her life, and I hope that up there in heaven, she adores the job that I’ve done.