There is a simple sophistication about Kelly Rutherford that pairs perfectly with Monaco's glamorous and chic lifestyle. Although she still lives in the United States, the actress, best known for playing Lily van der Woodsen, Serena's mother, in Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012, followed the way of life of this small country for most of the last decade.
“It’s actually quite peaceful,” the 55-year-old actress said. Travel + Leisure exclusively at this year's show Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “It’s the opposite of what everyone thinks, at least for me. It's a place where you can come and be really peaceful.
If its flagship events, as the famous Monaco Grand Prix and nearby Cannes Film Festivalattract international crowds during the summer months, the low season is particularly low-key, she noted.
“In the winter, it’s very quiet, very private and very peaceful,” she said. “It’s like the Hamptons in summer versus the Hamptons in winter.”
And regardless of Monte Carlo's glamorous stereotype, its perfect days are pretty simple.
“I just walk the dogs, hang out with the kids and run errands,” she said. “If there's a gallery opening or something, I'll just go and see. But for me, it's mostly a moment of calm here.
On these laid back days, she likes to take walks in the nearby creek Hotel Monte-Carlo Baythrough organic coffee Courting for its sandwiches, salads, cappuccino and organic juices, notably its morning Starter Juice. Another favorite is Covaan Italian pasticceria with roots dating back to 1817.
With Kelly Rutherford
Window seat or aisle seat?
Window.
A place to take a selfie in the elevator?
My building. My daughter showed me how to hold the camera because I was holding it weird!
The character you played that would make the best travel companion?
It would definitely be fun to travel with Lily van der Woodsen. But so did Dixie Cousins, maybe I did on that show (Adventures of Brisco County Jr.) She was a saloon singer. His travels could be interesting.
A routine during a plane trip?
I activate airplane mode. And then I go through my photo album and literally edit all the photos while I'm sitting on a plane, if it's a short flight.
Essentials in your hand luggage?
It really changes, but my little toiletry bag with my cosmetics and my creams. I generally travel pretty light these days. My Lapima sunglassesand fun clothes for everywhere I go. I like the shirts from a Belgian brand called Poalina because they go with everything — you can wear them with a skirt or jeans. collaboration with Vanessa Sposiand her linen dresses are fabulous for summer. I travel as simply as possible because I travel a lot.
Of course, she also sees the magic of the destination. “Grace Kelly really created this beautiful feeling here,” she explained. “She invited all the people from Hollywood to Monaco early and made the event very glamorous.”
But during her time there, she also noticed a change.
“It’s still a very old, traditional, private, beautiful school, but it’s also becoming a kind of cultural center,” she said. “It feels like we have another new energy.”
That includes the art scene she calls “incredible,” especially with the 2021 opening of a Hauser & Wirth gallery location in a 3,121-square-foot cube lit by a glass roof. She also witnessed the construction of a new neighborhood near Larvotto, scheduled to open in 2025, as well as other fashion shoots around town, and even a surprise from New York on the way.
“They're also opening a Dean & Deluca here — finally, after all these years,” she said, adding that “all we need is a good grocery store anywhere in the world.”
For first-time visitors, she suggests strolling through the iconic neighborhood around the Monte Carlo Casinoas well as in the Lavratto district and around the Port of Fontvieille, including the La Condamine market. She also suggested going up to Monaco-Ville, also known as Le Rocher, where the princely palace and the wine museum are located.
“It's worth seeing the view from The Rock – it's truly magnificent! » she said.
Another advantage of being in the small nation of the French Riviera is its strategic location. “It’s a really good center to go anywhere,” she said. On a recent day trip, she ventured to Théoule-sur-Mer, including visiting Pierre Cardin's bubble-shaped building. The Bubble Palace. Other highlights she mentions: Saint-Paul de VenceCannes and Antibes, more Château La Coste.
Spending so much time in Monaco also led her to work on her first European production, the French series Escort boysstreaming on Amazon Prime Video. “We were filming in Arles – and it was really magical,” she said of the Ruben Alves-directed project. “It’s like the dream of working in France, as we rode horses and in the Camargue. My son came with me and it was just adorable.
Although she still considers the United States her home, the Kentucky-born artist has embraced her international lifestyle, which feels innate to her. “I think we're descended from Sir Francis Drake or something — we kind of have the explorer in our family,” she said of her family's passion for travel. “We focus so much on education at school, but I think the best education is learning about other cultures and how other people do things. We judge less and we are more aware and respectful when we travel.
It's a philosophy that she instilled in her two teenagers, Hermés born in 2006 and Helena, born in 2009 – even if things have changed.
“I just try to keep up with them,” she admitted. “They are both incredibly savvy and intelligent and I am very grateful to them. They also have a much more global mentality towards young people. I learn so much from them all the time. I hope they learn something from me, I don't know what!
In fact, she also learns from the European mentality.
“In the United States, we're kind of like worker bees, which is a good thing: Our work ethic is incredible in many ways,” she said. “There are also many other cultures that have a very strong work ethic, but I think it's important to learn balance. There is something so luxurious about slowing down and enjoying life and taking time to look at someone and connect. Sometimes we are so busy that we don't really connect with our own humanity and with others – I don't know what we are rushing towards.
That's not to say she doesn't love the hustle and bustle of urban cities either. “There’s a momentum and you feel it,” she said. “You go to New York, and there’s so much amazing energy and people helping each other.”
Even though she hasn't spent as much time in the city since she Gossip Girl years, she still thinks about it with tenderness. “I spent a lot of time Central Park with the kids when they were little, and I still love it,” she said. In true Lily fashion, she said she also loves the Upper East Side, including places like the Guggenheim Museum, Sant Ambroeus, The BilboquetAnd The Carlyle Also.
Another neighborhood she was drawn to was SoHojust walk around and go to the shops and places like the garden of Laduration.
“A lot of New York is like Paris and other cities, where it's all about being able to walk around neighborhoods,” she said. “It’s the slowing down aspect, when you just have time to look out the windows. You just have to assimilate it and discover it: it’s the discovery that is so beautiful.
