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and we’d be discussing for hours and all
the rest of it. Then Aaron doesn’t like to
do any of that. Every bit of the emotion,
he can’t necessarily describe it but he can
do movement-based improvisation. So,
we’d do 20-minute improvisations with
no words whatsoever that were entirely
movement. He is completely comfortable
within that realm. I’ve never seen anything
like it actually.
When you saw the film
put together, it must not
have been what you were
experiencing as it was
being made.
No. It never is.
This one in
particular must
have been a bit
of an interesting
revelation to see
finalized and
edited.
Yeah. I mean I’ve never
seen a film that I’ve been
a part of where it’s finished
and I’ve instantly gone I really
want to see that again. Wait a
minute, what was that? Yeah.
I think he [Joe Wright] has done
an extraordinary piece of work. I’m
incredibly proud of him for doing it because
it’s a ballsy move.
What did you like,
and not like, about
getting back in
costume?
I dislike the fact that the
working day is a lot longer
if you’re dealing with big
costume or big makeup
movies. In costume dramas
you’re looking at two hours on
top of a 12-, 14-hour shooting
day. The whole makeup and costume
department were wrecked at the end of
this. You have to take your hat off to them.
The brilliant part of it is the costume, hair
and makeup become such a massive part
of the character because you’re creating
everything from scratch. So within this,
the symbolism within those costumes
was huge.
Was there anything you
wanted to keep?
No. Well actually, the diamonds.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any of those.
he [director Joe Wright] was shooting it; it
was an incredibly stylized technical piece
of filmmaking. So, maintaining a character
who is so highly emotional through a kind
of 12- to 14-hour day is quite exhausting.
Do you think love
conquers all or that reality
kind of sets in?
I’m a 27-year-old woman. I think it would
be a bit strange if I had those romantic
notions about relationships that you have
when you’re in your teens. I think that it
is absolutely inexplicable and I think that
there is a lot of pain involved with it, as
there are absolutely great moments.
You
,
re more of a
reality fan?
No. I don’t think I’m a fan
of either of them. I think I
recognize both. I recognize
all of them. I don’t know how
you can override emotions for
rationale when you’re dealing
with an emotion. I don’t know
how that works.
You said before that
everyone relates to
Anna, different parts
of her in their own
lives. How do you relate
to her?
I’m not quite sure. I find her terrifying. I
find her terrifying because I am no better
than she is. I find her terrifying
because even in the moments
when I judged her the harshest
I thought, would I do any
differently? Would I have
behaved any better? Do I know
that I would have behaved
any better? Do I know that I
wouldn’t be destroyed by this?
No. I think that’s what’s so
terrifying about her and that’s
what’s so fascinating. I think that’s why
people go back to her again and again and
again.
Can you describe how
your relationship with Joe
Wright has evolved over
the course of the films
you , ve done together?
There is an amazing amount of trust. I
mean I think that’s the overriding thing
within the relationship. Even when we
have our bickering moments, we are quite
like siblings.
That’s what he said too.
Yeah. We do bicker. But there is never a
question that I love him to pieces and I
completely, implicitly trust him. I think
that’s the same the other way. I love his
imagination and I have a great respect for it.
What was it like working
with Jude Law?
Wonderful. It’s wonderful that we finally
got to work together on Tom Stoppard’s
script. I’ve known Jude socially for quite
a few years. I’m a big fan of his because
he’s a character actor. I mean he’s a
good-looking man and he’s very good at
those leading roles. But he is essentially a
character actor.
What about working with
Aaron Taylor-Johnson?
Aaron is amazing. He works the opposite
way that I do. He’s movement-based. So,
with Jude and me, we’d sit around a table
and we’d have notes and we read the book
“
I find her terrifying because I
am no better than she is... even
in the moments when I judged
her the harshest, I thought,
would I do any differently?”
