Netflix’s Biopic, Halston, Showcases How Fame Can Be The Ultimate Downfall
Netflix’s newest biopic, Halston, covers the iconic fashion designer’s life from the early 1960s to his death in 1990.
It’s based on Steven Gaines’ biography, Simply Halston: The Untold Story and produced by Ryan Murphy who may be a familiar name if you have watched shows like Glee, Pose, and American Horror Story.
The five-episode mini-series was released on May 14.
Roy Halston Forwick, otherwise just known as Halston (Ewan McGregor), was born in the Midwest, where he began designing hats he made for his mother, all while living in an abusive household created by his father.
When Jackie Kennedy wore Halston’s pillbox hat for her husband’s (John F. Kennedy) inauguration, his talent was recognized around the world. Soon Bergdorf Goodman, the department store that sold his headwear, was unable to keep up with demand. His style would go on to define the 1970s and 1980s.
The show depicts the rise of Halston—from being a sad gay farm boy with big dreams with hopes of moving to the city— designing pieces for the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bianca Jagger, to battling AIDS for a year and half before his death.
He had to overcome many challenges, including drug usage, tragic betrayals, and, eventually, a hostile takeover of his business and reputation. The latter was his most valuable asset, and the despair he felt when he realized he’d never get it back was overpowering.
There are other real life people depicted in the show that represents Halston’s inner circle like Liza Minnelli (Krysta Rodriguez), who becomes Halston’s life-long friend and Elsa Peretti (Rebecca Dayan), who was his muse and designed his infamous perfume bottle, just to name a few.
The series also shows incredible locations that were important during this era like Studio 54 and Bergdorf Goodman, places that helped put Halston on the map.
Representatives of the Halston Archives and Family, who claim they were not consulted on the project, have slammed Murphy’s new Netflix project as an inaccurate factionalized account.
Despite the critics, it’s undeniable that McGregor’s performance as Halston is brilliant.
Toward the latter part of the series, there is a sense of dread that Halston’s life won’t end in success and that this new luxurious and the materialistic life he lives, will be his downfall. It becomes very apparent when his vices get the best of him.
The series portrays the smart and gifted icon as a man who was let down by a world that allowed him to achieve great success but left him without the opportunity to find real love.
