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queen SMART. BEAUTIFUL. FIERCE. THE GENERAL CONSENSUS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE POND IS THAT ENGLISH CHARMER NATALIE DORMER RULES. by DAVID HOCHMAN photography by TONY DUR AN N atalie Dormer is on a pool terrace overlooking Los Angeles, doing what can only be described as the happy dance. In an entertainment world where t h i ng s so of ten go w rong, ever y t h i ng appears to be going exactly right for Dormer, and you sense her good fortune as she casually pirouettes and pliés—she was a ballerina before becoming an actor—for a photographer's camera on this sparkling- blue day in Beverly Hills. But then she stops, cocks her hip, and scrunches her lips into a mischievous little pucker that edges up on one side. Dormer has very large, bright blue eyes that somehow loom larger in that instant. The English actress is so well known for this facial f lourish that there is a highly trafficked Tumblr page called "Natalie Dormer's Smirk." For the record, she is okay with that. "I have a lopsided smile; what can I say?" she says when I ask about it later. "And if that message filters down to some girl looking in the mirror who feels she's not completely sy mmet r ica l, t hen I a m glad to have helped in some small, albeit ridiculous, way." At the moment, Dormer is not smirking so much as suppressing laughter or perhaps a primal scream. It has been an intense week, and it's about to get crazier. She just arrived via London, where she lives, from Serbia, where she filmed her first honest-to-goodness lead role, in a supernatural horror film called The Forest. Tomorrow she heads to San Diego for the restorative Zen retreat that is Comic-Con. Over three frantic days there, she will promote her films The Hunger Games: Mocking jay Part 2, which opens November 20, and Patient Zero, an upcoming thriller about a global pandemic, as well as the sixth season of HBO's Game of Thrones, in which Dormer stars as Margaery Tyrell, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Press panels, par- ties, hoards of furr y, g reen-haired cosplayers—"The t rick will be remembering which Natalie Dormer I need to be and when," she says as her grin starts to curl again. "I'm trying to remain sane and not go totally schizophrenic." Madness might be justifiable. At 33, Dormer somehow finds her- self in two of the biggest pop-culture sensations of our time. Hunger Games and Game of Thrones attract so much frenzied analysis and commentary that they are bona fide international events. Game of Thrones, which this year received a whopping 24 Emmy nomina- tions—more than any other show—will again air in more than 170 count r ies when it retur ns next yea r (last yea r in Boston, specia l screenings at Imax theaters were sold out within minutes of being announced). Her three Hunger Games films alone have grossed over a billion dollars worldwide. Dormer, who first appeared in Mockingjay Part 1, was the number-one choice to play Cressida, the propaganda- film director whose scalp ripples with vine tattoos. "Natalie had to shave part of her head for the role, and she wore the look with absolute fierceness," says Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson. "She gives you everything as an actor, and yet on screen you still can't quite pinpoint what she's thinking. The more you watch her, the more you want to know. I suspect it's why audiences are so drawn to her." One casualty has been Dormer's anonymity. "Recognition can be a many-times-a-day occurrence," she says, kicking back on a pool chaise. She's wearing black stretch pants and a gray T-shirt under a black jacket glittering with zippers. "I get oil paintings from fans, computer-generated art from fans, fans approaching me in the toilet, fans approaching me in the sauna. It's a Champagne problem, but I can't really go anywhere without a 'Wait. Aren't you…?'" thrones of opposite page: Gown, Chanel ($6,550). 6 Newbury St., 617-859-0055; chanel.com. beauté: Leonor Greyl Baume Bois de Rose ($49), Éclat Naturel Nourishing and Protective Styling Cream ($46), and Serum de Soie Sublimateur ($46). leonorgreyl-usa.com. Clé de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation in O10 ($125), Luminizing Face Enhancer ($95), Eye Color Quad in 313 ($55), and Extra Rich Lipstick in 101 ($40). Saks Fifth Avenue, The Shops at Prudential Center, 617-262-8500; saks.com. Dior Dior Vernis in Trianon ($27). Saks Fifth Avenue, see above bostoncommon-magazine.com 91