The Fifth Element

star Milla Jovovich reveals how her science rationale helped to create the film’s most iconic costume. Directed by Luc Besson, the 1997 sci-fi stars Bruce Willis as Korben Dallas, a cab driver who becomes caught up in a quest to find a great cosmic weapon. Jovovich costars as Leeloo, the тιтular Fifth Element, who joins forces with Korben to defeat Zorg (Gary Oldman) and an evil force threatening Earth. For some of the film, Leeloo wears an outfit that consists only of white bandages, which, combined with her orange hair, made for an especially memorable character design.

In a recent video for GQ in which she breaks down her most iconic characters, Jovovich reveals that she played a crucial role in the development of Leeloo’s bandage costume. Jovovich recalls brainstorming the character’s look with Besson before suggesting that there would be a practical and scientific reason for Leeloo to sport an outfit of strategically-placed bandages. Check out her explanation below:

“Luc and I were talking about Leeloo’s birth and I couldn’t be naked, obviously, because that’s weird. I said, ‘Well, I mean, when you think about scientists doing experiments, they want as little on you as possible. You need space to put in injections and needles.’

“And so I said, ‘What if bandages came out of the machine? They just cover up the essentials, so it’s like as little as possible, but very utilitarian as well.’ Luc took that idea to Jean Paul Gaultier, who loved it and ran with it and created one of the most iconic outfits in cinema history.”

What Leeloo’s Outfit Means For The Fifth Element

Leeloo’s Look Has Stood The Test Of Time

The Fifth Element was generally well-received at the time of its release, but it has since become a sci-fi cult classic due to its bold visuals, eccentric performances, unique story, and, of course, its character design. The appearance of Oldman’s Zorg is certainly one of the most arresting looks from the movie, with that character’s aggressive comb-over and plastic head covering, but Leeloo’s bandaged look is undoubtedly the visual now most ᴀssociated with The Fifth Element.

Leeloo’s look isn’t just one of the most iconic aspects of The Fifth Element, but it has cemented the character as one of the most important of Jovovich’s career. After playing a smaller role in Dazed and Confused (1993), The Fifth Element marked her big break as an actor. The film arguably paved the way for Jovovich to land the role of Alice in the first Resident Evil movie in 2002, and that franchise would come to define a considerable chunk of her career.

Our Take On Jovovich’s Leeloo Look In The Fifth Element

It Solidified The Character In Jovovich’s Career

Though it’s easy to see Leeloo’s design and think that that is always how the character looked in The Fifth Element, Jovovich’s story speaks to the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the thought that goes into every detail of what ends up on screen. Even if not all viewers question how Leeloo’s look came about, it holds up to scrutiny because it’s based on practical considerations rather than just aesthetic ones. This is part of what has allowed The Fifth Element to stand the test of time.

With six Resident Evil movies now under her belt, it would be hard to say that Leeloo is Jovovich’s most iconic role. It probably would be fair to say, however, that Leeloo features the most striking design of any character she has played. Even though aspects of The Fifth Element may not hold up as well today as they did in the late ’90s, Leeloo’s look certainly does, and it’s now clear that Jovovich had a big role in bringing that to life.

Source: GQ