Posts tagged an education

Carey Mulligan is the recent winner of The Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards for her highly acclaimed role in An Education, a coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age. An Education is based on an autobiographical memoir of the same title written by the British journalist Lynn Barber. Carey’s performance in An Education has gained her a nice little Oscar buzz as well. Look out for her next up in Brothers, Wall Street 2, Brighton Rock and a bunch of awards in tow!

Why did the memoir interest you?

Carey Mulligan: My main attraction was that Nick had written it and Lone was directing it and the people who were already attached, Emma Thompson, Peter Sarsgaard. Lynn Barber’s story was obviously important to me, but really my focus was the script because I didn’t feel I was playing a young Lynn Barbour I felt like I was playing a fictionalised version of her story. It’s rare to find a young female character who has a journey, especially someone so young, I thought I can play young so I’ll go for it.

Was there anything about that era that interested you?

Carey Mulligan: I think my interest was that it seems like there wasn’t teenagers in the 60′s you were a child or an adult, you didn’t have time to be ridiculous I think that was a shame, I thought that was interesting, it wasn’t a very interesting time, your frustrated enough as a teenager, I certainly was, adding everything to that and no rebellion or nothing going on or no fun that must have been frustrating. I loved the music though and the men looked beautiful as well!

How are you handling all the acclaim? Have you googled yourself?

Carey Mulligan: (laughs) I have googled myself but it’s horrible because you read one thing and think that’s very nice, then you read the next thing and think that’s horrible, so I thought I wont do that anymore. I hadn’t been to a film festival before Sundance and I had never been a lead in a film, when it got picked up that was huge and everything since then has been huge, it’s afforded me opportunity’s I would have never had in the past that I’ve managed to play this year, that’s amazing. The number one thing is the work though everything positive added on is great.

How was it like playing someone a lot younger than you?

Carey Mulligan: I’ve always played parts younger than myself, it’s rare I’ve played an adult so it didn’t worry me you know, wearing the costume and not wearing makeup made me feel young anyway. In a play when I was 19 I played a 14 year old so I’ve always played younger than me.

Who were your influences growing up?

Carey Mulligan: Emma Thompson was my biggest acting influence, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Samantha Morton and when I started acting luckily I started working with some of them, Judy Dench, Claudie Blakley, people who do film, TV and theater and keep finding interesting parts. Emma was probably the biggest influence, getting to work with her on this was pretty huge.

What were you like in school yourself?

Carey Mulligan: I was quite strait laced I was quite academic until I went to boarding school when I was 14, there I got lest interested and became more involved in acting, nothing professional. I didn’t get into drama school. I was pretty dull really.

How did you not making in drama school make you feel​?

Carey Mulligan: I applied to three and went to the auditions, it’s still the most terrifying moment of my life, one of them I had to stand on stage in front of ten or so other people and do my piece, I did Shakespeare and I had never had any experience with Shakespeare so it was a nightmare, when I didn’t get in I was disappointed but three thousand people apply to each of these places every year and it’s hugely competitive, I did an awfully pretentious monologue about suicide and I come from a really happy life (laughs). It wasn’t a huge surprise, I always wanted to go, I was in New York last week and went past Julliard I sort of pined for it, that was my dream, it’s so personal, some people go and do brilliantly and some people don’t go and do brilliantly, there are things I miss from not being trained, I think I would have been more confident on stage, they equipt you better. In general its worked out very well luckily, I might still go (laughs). I feel I missed out on technical aspects