Brie Larson & Andrew Scott l Actors on Actors

I tried to make him lie as little as he could get away with, so that he lies in order to get himself out of a situation. And he murders to get himself out of a situation. Like, so he's not going, when am I gonna... Like, he's not bloodthirsty. He's doing it because he has nothing else to do. Sort of, I mean, he could have not murdered, I suppose. Yeah, yeah. We'll make that decision. Yeah, no, it's a choice you make every day. Yeah, yeah. I know you've murdered a few people. Yeah, yeah, no, of course. Let's see what we're going to talk about today. No, no, no, I thought we were going to talk about that next time. Hi, Bree. Hi, Andrew. How are you doing? Thanks for coming over. Yeah. It's pretty tidy. I tidied up for you. I know how you like it. You know the way I like it. You got my text. Make sure it's sparse. Yes. So I'm excited to talk to you because I don't know how to talk about acting at all. So maybe you can teach me how to talk about it or what we do, because I don't even know. Yeah, it's hard to talk about it. First of all, do you know how to act? I don't know how to act. That's what I thought. No, not at all. So I'm glad that we got there first. You started as a kid, so it's playing when you're a kid. Yeah, exactly. And then it turns into acting. That's exactly right. Well, I didn't know that there was anything beyond auditions for a very long time. So I was devastated when I learned that I wasn't actually booking anything. Oh, my God, that is so sweet. Yeah, I thought that was it. Did your parents just not tell you? That there was more? I think they just assumed I understood, but I didn't. And that mentality actually really works because then I really started to enjoy the audition at certain points. Sometimes it's very hard, of course, but just to think that the audition is... The thing was an opportunity to act. To learn. Yeah, exactly. When was the last time you auditioned for anything? Not that long ago. I insisted that I do it because I wasn't sure if I could do it. The team believed in me, but I was like... It was so far away from anything that I had done. I was like, I don't even know how to grasp this. So I auditioned myself. Yeah, exactly. What about you? It's been a while since I've auditioned and I sort of miss it because you know that we used to come out of auditions and you'd be sort of elated. You'd be flush with excitement. And then if you didn't get it, if you did a good audition, you'd be sort of thrilled and you'd be like, OK, it's when you don't get the audition that it's so hard for us actors because we don't get a chance to get in the room. Yeah. And then if you've done your best and you go, OK, well, I've gone with somebody that's famous or they've gone with somebody that looks completely different to you, then you don't mind. Yeah. But I love the idea that you can sort of test it out for yourself a little bit because we don't have much power. No, no. Actually, very limited, I've learned. The more time I've got, I feel like it's this much power. So you didn't start as a kid. I sort of did a little bit. I thought so. I just did a little, not like... You did theatre? A little bit of theatre and commercials when I was a kid. Cute. And I was reading that you were shy as a kid. Yeah. Which are... Not anymore. I'm totally fine now. Yeah, no. I'm totally confident and cool. I really related to what I was reading because that's kind of why I started as a kid. Interesting. I think there's a slight myth about actors that they're very outgoing and sort of precocious in some ways and are confident in some ways. So did you ask to start acting? Yeah, my parents are chiropractors. That wasn't in the family or anything. And I was super shy. And so my mom was like, she must be repeating something. And I wouldn't let it go. And when I think back on it, I mean, of course, it's changed the course of my life in so many ways. But at a young age, at a time when I was so shy and had such a hard time expressing myself, looking people in the eye, at like six years old, I was basically given like, okay, here's a script for how you have a conversation. Oh my god, totally. So it's like the actual fiber of how I understand how to have pleasant conversations with people is based upon... Absolutely. And then all of a sudden, I used to go to these drama classes on a Saturday and I would be fully shaking before I go in. And then you'd have to do like, get up in front of your other seven, eight year olds and do an improvisation or say a poem or something. And something just happened where you go, oh, it's like a weird sort of escape from yourself or something. And I feel like, I don't feel like it's an overstatement to say that I think it's completely changed my life, not just my career. I think if I didn't, I had a really bad lisp when I was a kid as well. So I had to do elocutions, the elocution lessons. So I had to go, she shall, she shall, or she shall, and all this stuff. And I just completely got rid of it. I got rid of so much stuff that you go to play, it actually can really, really help you. Yeah, I really think so. And do you feel shy? No, no, no, no. Do you feel shy? But do you feel like it's helped you, like, because you have to do something in public and you have to face yourself in so many different ways, like that's part of the thing that I actually seek now. Once I understood that deep down, that's kind of what I was going for is finding different ways to like hold myself accountable and find what is actually inside and what's true to learn all these different capacities in myself. And, and also just, I mean, I'm so grateful that I had so much rejection growing up. It's wild, you know, and maybe you had a similar thing where like, I was very much like a slow burn in my career. I'd get close to things. So I knew that I had something, but I wasn't booking or I'd book like one job a year or something just enough to give me hope. But I feel like now with all this time, I'm like, oh my gosh, it gave me so much experience so that when I was given the opportunities, I was truly ready for it. I never had a time on set where I was like, oh gosh, this is bigger than what I understand. It was always like well paced. And it's funny because at the time when all this was happening, I thought, oh, I'm so cursed. But now when I look back on it, I'm like, oh, someone was looking out for me. Absolutely, because to be exposed too early, you know, to be able to sort of play around without too much scrutiny, I think is so beneficial. I think that people who get an awful lot of scrutiny at an early age, I think find it harder to experiment a little bit because auditioning is experimenting because you're going up to play a policeman and a detective and then a psycho and you're like, well, I don't know, you choose. So you're playing with all those different sides of yourself, whereas if you're cast in something that's very famous when you're 20, I don't know, you have to work quite hard to sort of, you know, get yourself out of that space. So it's good that that was unemployed for so long. Yeah, it turns out I'm so happy that it seemed like it wasn't working out for me. It's good that we were losing you for so long. But yeah, when I was stalking you online, I was like, wow, it feels like similar. Yeah, similar vibes. Similar. I was like, oh wow, you've been doing this for so long. Yeah, a long time. A long time. And you know, somebody said a really good thing just to wrap that shyness thing up. But somebody said a really brilliant thing to me, which was like, there's nothing wrong with being shy. Be shy. Yeah. Kind of like, not be shy. Like, it's fine to be shy. Like, it's a nice thing. You go a little bit red. That's why I wore this. Yeah. Just so it could be completely the same thing. Yeah, I do too. I blush very easily. Horrible. Yeah, I think I'm about to do it now. Yeah, I'm going to do it. Let's do it. It's working, it's working. Yeah, yeah. Is it working? Just think about how terrible this is. Yeah. Lessons in chemistry. OK, yeah, let's talk about it. Let's talk about our shows. Well, your character's a little bit... I wouldn't say she's... Actually, she's probably not shy. No, she's not. Yeah, she's just singular, but it's not shyness. She's actually quite forthright. You do not know the implications or what it means for the field or our understanding of the world. So I will be furthering our research. Our research. What a character. Yeah, yeah, it's great. And you've been involved with it for... A long time. I developed it for like, I think it took two years. Maybe longer. But I think it was about two years when we started working on it and then actually filming it. Are you so proud of this? Yeah, I think so. You know, I'm proud of what we achieved in the time that we did. And I don't have a connection to when it goes out in the world. I don't know how to hold that part. It just feels like then it's not about me anymore. It's just images and feelings. And I am proud of how much we said in the show. I felt like we got a lot in it and a really amazing group of people that worked on it. And you assembled the people, right? Yeah, I did. So I had this, like, perhaps cockamamie idea where I was starting to become obsessive about how when we have our call sheets, it says cast and crew. Everything is cast and crew. And I was like, that's a problem because we are creating a dynamic between the people on one side of the line. And I was like, well, if I could be in it earlier. We have these amazing production meetings that happen. Actors aren't invited to them. So to me, it always felt like playing a championship basketball game. And like your star player doesn't train with the rest of the team. Absolutely. So I was like, if you can all just go with me here and say that if you include me with more information, it's not going to stress me out. It actually just helps me understand how I can better do the organizational part of my job. Like the artistry is like part of what it needs is like, just tell me if we're running out of light and we only have two takes. You know, I'm so okay with that. I just don't want to be lied to. So it helps me understand the decisions or how I could maneuver because lots of other departments get moments where they have to, you know, they get to shine in like a spot where it's like, okay, you got to take one for the team. And I feel like the acting department could really use more opportunities to do that. And so it really worked. Like the dynamic really worked because it felt like everybody was working together and assisting one another to make the same thing. See you tomorrow. Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself. I sometimes find that difficult and it's a big thing as an actor. Maybe not so much in the theater, but where you're so involved with so much of your character's journey and then the edit comes and you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa. And sometimes I feel like it's important. You know, if you're an artist and I've never had any shame about calling myself an artist because that's what you do. You may be an interpretive artist, but sometimes it can feel like you're not a co-artist. You're just the paint, you know, you just feel like, okay, well, you can just take whatever and you go, well, you know, because I don't care about having sometimes actually it's about having less time, you know, it's like it's about or less screen time. It's not about vanity. It's just going, well, you know, you know how you think the set is of the character. You sometimes I've had that experience where you walk on and you see your characters, the set of the house and you think this isn't. I know. Isn't it amazing? Yeah, it's just about communication. I know. And also, I find that you learn about the character through these department heads as well. Like, yeah, with this show, it was like, oh, I learned so much about who she is in a lab and what she would have in her apartment. And like, it helped me because they're just so invested in their part of the process that it enriches. And then, of course, there's times where you're like, okay, not quite right. This isn't, but it becomes like we're finally admitting to what we're doing, which is a massive team sport. It's a lot of people making one piece of art. And I think problems arise when we act like that's not what's happening. Absolutely. He can barely swim, you know. He told me he's terrified of water. So I want to talk about your show. Ripley. Yep. Yeah, that one. I know you've got a lot going on, but we're talking about that. No, no, that's it. So what kind of conversations did you have ahead of time? And I'm thinking specifically, when I was watching it, I was like, I love minimalism. And I'm like, you are a minimalist. And I mean that as like the highest compliment. Oh, wow. It's like you're just, and for so long, not talking. Yeah. And I was like, oh, it took me by surprise. I was like, oh, yeah, he still hasn't really said anything. And you're also playing someone who's lying a lot. Yes. Which I think is one of the hardest things to do. So in thinking about how you do something so minimal with lies, you're doing a very fine dance here. What kind of conversations are you having? And does it feel good to be in that minimal space? Or do you second guess yourself? I do second guess myself. I'm not a good interviewer. No, you're a beautiful interviewer. Do you know what? I know exactly what you mean. Your concern sometimes, or my concern, and maybe it's from a theatre thing, is that I always had this slight terror, perhaps, that I was doing too much. It's a sort of shame. I remember how I would feel in the early film stuff. I'm like, oh, God, pull back a little bit. But then in the theatre, there's something I think is completely wonderful about people being wonderfully expressive with their body. But also some of the film actors that I love are actually incredibly expressive as well. It's not all just completely poised. And if I'm honest, I think I gave Steve Zalian, our writer-director, quite a lot of options. I feel like that's my duty. And he chose the ones that are probably a little bit more to his taste. Which are, you know, he's very, very sparing. He likes minimalism himself. And I'm happy to provide that for him. Taking him some things he wants in Rome. He said he was going to write you. Tell you, he's staying there for a while. A while meaning what? I'm not sure. I'm not sure he's sure. Until the end of winter. I find it so difficult to watch myself. I don't know. That's one of the things that I was going to ask you when in Lessons in Chemistry. Looking at the edit and all that kind of stuff. Oh, yeah. All the time. Like non-stop. Do you find that you were able to... Detach. Yeah, yeah. The first time I edited myself was like years ago. And the editor so smartly, without ever having a previous conversation about it, she always referred to her as her. Yeah, yeah. She's this or I wish she was. And it really helped because it's not about us criticizing. Like no one has to feel like there's something wrong with saying that something wasn't right in front of me. Absolutely. I'm just like, of course, I didn't do it all right. You want to be right. Exactly. I think there's maybe a fear that people are going to say, we need another close up of me, please. Why is it focusing? Push in, push in. And it's actually a lot of the time because it's a collaborative actors are used to. You know, a lot of writers or even directors don't get to see other directors work in a rehearsal room or what their process is. Whereas actors are always looking at other actors and how they're doing on set. You're very open to being told that wasn't so great. I like that. Yeah. And also for us, I felt very committed to finding what things weren't working because I could then I was going back to work. I mean, a lot of the time I'd be like looking at things every night. I'd look at the dailies from the day before. And so you can kind of see like, OK, is this stuff tracking? Are there things that I need to change? Are there ways that I can like save this a little bit? Yes. Especially with a character that I also felt was like very different for me and how little she emotionally expresses. I love that about it. I struggled with it a lot and I felt very lost with it because I am just very used to my understanding of when something's working is when it feels very true and I'm just in it. And I would be in it with her. But I felt like the part of me that would want to cry, for example, was being pushed. Like she's always like kind of twisting the knot inside and won't give it to anybody. And I would just have these times where I was like, I don't know. And the third episode is about grief. And it was hard for me to let go of this idea that I was supposed to be like on my knees going like that. Instead, Lee, the showrunner, would come over and be like nothing. And I realized that the little part inside of me is like, are people going to think I'm not doing enough? Yeah, that's the fear, isn't it? Yeah. It's like, what is she doing? She's not doing anything. And making sometimes those subtle, quiet choices, even though in the moment I'm like, I know this is the right thing. But it takes a lot of confidence to not telegraph every little thing. You may notice that there are no Swift and Chris products littering our set. Well, that is because they dropped our show. And for that, I thank them. Have you had a lot of experience where you've been on a project and you think the stuff that you provided has not been seen and they've used takes or they've manipulated it into performance and into something where you feel like that's not exactly what my taste would be. But I, yeah. Yeah, it's difficult though, isn't it? My friends that are musicians were always like, I'm sorry, what are you talking about? So you just go and you give them raw materials. And then a year later, you sit with your friends and family and it's on a giant screen and you see how your stuff was edited together. That doesn't seem right. And I think there's a part of it, though, that I like, like there's a part of you give it up. Yeah, I like that. And then to me, I think of it as like, sometimes I want to drive the car and sometimes I just want to be the passenger. And there was something about this show, this story that I was like, no, I want to be in every part of it. And that felt right. And it would have felt really strange not to. But I'm happy to live in another director's world for a while. I've worked with people that are like, never blink. And so I was like the whole film. And you learn all these different ways of expressing, which is cool. And it's one of the reasons I think that I quite like to move from different, because I'm not sure if I would be able to cope with that if that was for like 10 years, where you're like, this is this person's vision and you have to slide into it without having some sort of, wanting to sort of break free a little bit. Yeah, I agree. So as you say, sometimes it's OK to be in that world. And then you watch and you go, OK, well, I'm there to serve that person's vision. There are things that I would do differently. But I think that's the struggle. And I think, well, what I never want to do is to be able to be on set and think, this is the way I see it. So I'm not going to provide them with any options, you know what I'm saying? So you just do it. I feel like your job is to be like. Yeah, give a bunch, give a bunch. They love you. I think it's pretty courageous. You know, a huge advocate for actors and the kind of courage and vulnerability it takes to be an actor. I really do. I really, I think, you know, to put yourself out there and then to have to watch your big face on like a big screen with other people looking at you. And a TV's better. A TV's better, exactly. It's like an iPad size. Yeah, exactly. Oh, I can deal with that. You're watching a lot of life on it. Yeah, that's fine. Do you watch a lot of your stuff? No, not at all. No, no. I mean, with Lessons, I've watched it a lot because I had to because I was editing the show, but normally, no, not at all. I mean. It's so extraordinary. You must feel. Do you have a different feeling of pride now that you've been so involved with it? Like, so it's success. Does it have a sort of bigger. It feels good. But, you know, it came out during the strike. And so it felt very, it just came out and it lived its life. And I, I really appreciated having that experience to truly just let the piece speak for itself that I couldn't come in and explain myself. And I realized how much of our artistry is then us trying to explain a lot of questions about, like, what do you hope people get from it? And I'm like, I am more curious to know what you do get from it than what I thought I was saying. That's well said. Yeah. That's exactly it. It's like sometimes it is, you know, we are contractually obliged to talk about this stuff, but sometimes you think, did you like it or did you not like it? Yeah. And like, I want people to have their own experience. And the fun of it is actually seeing what people got. And I've had like a bunch of people, mostly at the grocery store, come up to me and be like, oh, and they say something. I'm like, I didn't know that that's what we were doing. Didn't think about it, but that's really cool. And that's the whole thing is we're just making things, putting it out there, and then it's up for everybody else. You know, it's like, you don't, you don't go to an art museum and like painters are next to their paintings being like, ah, ah, before you think a thought, let me just tell you a little bit about what I'm doing here. Yeah, or else you're going to the painter. Any funny stories while you were painting? Yeah, yeah. Any pranks? How many pranks did you guys have? Where did you buy the canvas? Did you have a bit of a laugh at the thing? They're like, mind your own business. Just watch. Do you like the paint? Buy it or don't buy it. Yeah, it's so true. It's really funny. And I've always struggled with that part. And I struggle with talking about acting because I didn't go to school for it. I don't know how to. No, I didn't either. I knew I liked you. We have so much in common. Oh, no, not a minute's training. Yeah, no, me too. I just stare. I was like, how'd you figure it out? I was like, you just stare at a wall for a while and you think about stuff. Like, that's what you do. So I have a hard time understanding fully. Like, I do think that there's the preparation part, which I care a lot about and enjoy. And then there's just something that happens on set that seems to be truly divine and that I can't even take credit for. Yeah, and it's exactly. And I don't know how to explain it. But it's, again, you know, it's something I say endlessly, but you play a part. You play a part, people. So your work, of course, your work, of course, is important. But if you were to say a kid is able to just do it and you don't go, so why did you just make that teacher, why did she arrive on a unicorn? Where does that come from? What do you think about unicorns? The kid's just like, I don't know. It's just free. It's just, it's sort of free and to be able to hold on to that as much as possible. And that's not to say that the work isn't, you know, the preparation and all that kind of stuff. But the first priority is to be there on the set and to be like, well, maybe, we don't know what's going to happen now. So we have to unlearn the idea that we do. Just being present. Yeah. Just being present, listening. How many times I thought, oh, you know, like something like, oh, this is a scene, I'm going to just cry. I'm going to let it rip. And then it starts and you're like, I'm not. It's actually a completely different scene than I thought. Interesting. Well, here we are. Let's do it this way then. Blood. My God. Couldn't have been fish blood. So what about the lying part of your character? How did you? My own. Oh, Tom Ripley. Sorry. So when you're playing Tom Ripley. Yes. What does it feel like to lie when he's lying? Well, I tried to make him lie as little as he could get away with so that he lies in order to get himself out of a situation. And he murders to get himself out of a situation. So he's not going, when am I going to? He's not bloodthirsty. He's doing it because he had nothing else to do. Sort of. I mean, he could have not murdered, I suppose. Yeah, yeah. We all make that decision. Yeah, no. It's a choice you make every day. Yeah, yeah. I know you've murdered a few people. Yeah, yeah. No, of course. Let's see what we're going to talk about today. No, no, no. I thought we were going to talk about that next time. So I tried to sort of. It's that thing of just going, OK, well, it's seeing somebody think. Although, you know, a lot of the time, I think the best acting opportunities is when someone, like, the thing that we really want to see when we're watching a movie, I think, or at least I do, is when someone goes, I'm not in love with them at all. And you know that they are. No, it's the best. When the thing that you are expressing is in opposition to the thing that you're feeling. And that sort of is lying. But it's lying sort of in a way that we find acceptable. So all that stuff, and you go, how is she? And you know, you're so brilliant. I love it when we disguise what we're feeling, which we do so much. So I suppose any of those things about him being a liar or sociopath or any of those kind of things, I find kind of unhelpful. And actually, the kind of stuff that Tom Ripley, I suppose, is famous for as an iconic sort of literary character is him being a psychopath or is he actually or is he a murderer or whatever? But the murdery part actually only took up. We shot it for nearly a year. It only took up for a few weeks. So the rest of it was actually quite. He's mostly not murdering. Yeah, I noticed that too. Which is like you, like your life. Yeah, like me, yeah. Mostly not murdering. It's like three murders, two days. Rest of the time, you're just doing your thing. Yeah, exactly. Well, I guess it's like the times that I've had to do like a scene where it's lying. It's like we're trying to get away with something. It's an interesting and very fun dance where you know that you, like in order for the scene to work, you can't let on to your scene partner that you're lying. However, you're kind of given that, you know, to that audience being like, go with me here. And that's so fun. And those are the times that I have. I think there was a scene where I did where it was like a very complex lie I had to do. And that was, I think, the only time in my career where I would go back and look at the monitor because I was like, am I hitting that line right? It felt like I was doing target practice. It was like, because if it's too far, then it feels like, well, the reality falls apart. Absolutely. Yeah, it's very fun. Yeah, and it's like when someone's playing like an evil character in a bad piece of television and then they're manipulating someone and then they hug them and then over their shoulders. Yeah, oh gosh. Fabulous. Yeah, yeah. It's like, when has anyone ever done that in real life? Yeah, you just make a face to yourself. You do it ages later. But I do think it's extraordinary how human beings are able to disguise absolutely what's going on. Recently, my mother died very recently. So I'm doing a lot of press at the moment. And I've had to do a lot of, you know, in the grieving process. And the thing that's really alarmed me, or it's something that I found really astonishing, is that I know that when I'm talking to someone on the street, or like you're getting into your Uber or whatever, you're like, hey, how's it going? But there's no part of me, even though I'm going through this devastating time in my life, there's no part of me that's conveying that to them. To the taxi person at that time. And it's like when you're doing period dramas, when people talk about wartime stuff, that you're not spending your whole time talking about war. It's like during the pandemic, when we were all dealing with the pandemic, and somebody would come around and be like, can we please not talk about it? Do you mind if we don't? So sometimes when you're going through the very thing that's the stress. Where is it living? And sometimes you actually don't want to talk about it. Sometimes the unconvincing things, when we're seeing things like in Setter 7, World War II, that they're always talking about. World War II. We're actually going, oh my god, can we just lighten up or whatever? And I suppose that idea of what we're able to disguise, I've always found so interesting about acting. And so that we get a story that's perhaps very comedic, and you play the soul, or else you get something that's very tragic, and you play the lightness. I think that's what the great actors are able to do. Yes, of course. Yeah, that it isn't so all one. It's not all one. Because everything's existing kind of in the same time. Yeah, yeah. That makes sense. It's a fascinating thing to discover. It's never like, it's never one thing. It's true. And so did you find it hard when you finished Lessons in Chemistry to let it go? You know, I had this funny moment, because it had been so many years of my life, and so all-consuming, like the longest hours I've ever done in my life. Because if I wasn't filming, I was working on script edits, or editing, or every minute, every second. And then you just have this thing where you wrap, and you go home, and you're like, you're talking to your friends about it, and you're like, I swear I was important yesterday. Like, I promise you. Like, I was dealing with some real wild stuff every day, and it's just one day over, and I'll feel a sense of loss, because it's a true loss of purpose. My purpose was this thing, it's not there anymore. What do I do now? Oh, I have to like, actually take care of myself. Yeah. And so, I was pretty tired by the end of it. Bet you were. I felt like I couldn't do a day more. I felt like I maximized everything. So in that way, it felt very complete. Yeah. But I missed it. Like, I missed that feeling of having a purpose that was beyond myself, and trying really hard at it every day, and always feeling like, oh, maybe I could push it a little harder, maybe I could do a little more. That feeling is, it's so rare, too. Like, it was really the first time in my career where I was doing something that felt so difficult every day, but I was surrounded by amazing people. I've had difficult shoots where it's like, you're just dealing with like, complicated individuals, and it feels, but this was like, no. It was just, we were striving for something that was really a high bar, given our time. And so, it felt really satisfying. Yeah. The obstacle sort of becomes the way. There's a director that I worked with that I, he said a thing that I really just really loved, which is, of course, in artistic situations, you're going to argue, and you're going to have differences of opinion, but that you should argue as allies, not as enemies. Yes. And I thought it was such a beautiful thing to say, because I think sometimes a difficult set, and I don't believe that there isn't anything that, through communication, you can really just, everybody mostly wants to make it, do it right. And there's a choice that you can make to say, okay, to set up an environment where you're able to just communicate things a little easier, and people who are just in the business of making sure that they get their own way, I think that can happen to really very talented people. Totally. And in a way, sometimes understandably, because I think actors have to save the day an awful lot of the time, and I don't like it when people say, sometimes it can be that, oh, that actor is difficult. Maybe that's just my experience, but I've never really seen an actor go, I don't like my costume, I'm not coming out of my trailer. Usually, I've seen actors saying, my character just wouldn't say that, and my audience isn't going to buy that, and I don't want to let the story down or the audience down. That just doesn't make sense. And so, let's not do that. Let's not proceed until we've solved this problem. And I think that's an honorable thing to do, because then what happens is, it comes out and everybody goes, oh God, that's really clever. And you think, oh, what was going to be passed over? Because people were only interested in completing the call sheet that day. Sometimes you've got to just go, we've covered it, but we haven't captured it. And I think that's- Ooh, I like that. We've covered it, but we haven't captured it. That's right. Okay, so I have a question about playing a character that has existed in many different iterations and forms. And I feel like you have experience with that, because you do theater as well. Yeah, yeah. Do you have the same approach every time in terms of researching and watching previous versions of it, or do you just block it out? Absolutely, I block it out. Okay. Because, number one, I adored the film, the Tom and Mr. Ripper to Mangela movie with Matt Damon and Jude Law and Kenneth Pottser and all those amazing people. But mercifully, I hadn't seen it in a very long time. Yeah. And I knew that this was going to be a very, very different prospect. One of the first conversations I had with Steve Zellier, our writer and director, was, you know, why? And he had such a singular vision for it. You know, he wanted it in a very particular way. He wanted... You know, I was worried that I was too old and blah, blah, blah. Because I had just a very specific idea that was based on the film. But I suppose I had to remind myself that that film was also a reiteration of something. There was another version with Alain Delon before, and there are lots of different rippies, loads of different ones. So it has been reinterpreted a lot. And I feel like it's very important that, you know, he said, you know, we want to age the characters up. And then, you know, he was talking about this very particular kind of noir-ish, black and white version that he had. And that made me feel very comfortable. He had no interest in doing that again. And I always think that it's important, you know, because it happens in the theatre so much. If it was a Shakespeare character, you know, that's, you know, thousands of people have played one character. And I always find that really interesting. And I think the response, I suppose, is to be respectful, but not too reverent. Because what's the point of doing it if you're going to do it exactly the same way? So... I didn't look. No way! Because, you know, I don't want to do it for myself. I don't want to do it for myself. I don't want to do that. Because I love that film. Yeah. And I see them as two very, very separate entities. Which they are. Anyone who would see it, you'd go, they're miles apart, thank God. Yeah. What do you think about some sort of, like, Ripley universe? You know, into the Ripley, into the Ripley-verse. Like little... Just all the Ripleys. Like Marvel. Exactly. Right. But the Ripleys together. Oh, like, sort of like the Fantastic Four. The other thing. Yeah. Like the animated film. Yeah. Ripleys together. I'm just curious, because I got a couple studios interested. You do? So kind of you. Yeah. No problem, no problem. You are good. You make things happen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm not going to... I'm going to use this opportunity. Are you not tired? You've been setting up projects for me? Oh, yeah. God, you're kind as well. No, I'm writing a part for myself as well. All right. You're going to be in the tune. You can play. You'd be a good tone. I'll be a Ripley as well. I have to ask you about working with Lenny Abramson. Oh, my gosh. Because it was such a moment of Irish pride. Yeah, of course. And that's in such a movie. Do you get bored talking about room and how... No, I don't talk about... I actually don't talk about it that often. It actually makes me laugh. I had somebody come up to me one point and they're like, you know what film you were good in? Room. I was like, okay. Yeah, thank you. And where is my Oscar? I was like, yeah, I kind of thought that that was like my one thing I've done. Like, I didn't know that that was like a deep cut. You know what? I saw that. I thought you were good enough. It was good. I don't get what anyone else says. I thought you were quite good. 5,000 years later, I was like, glad it holds up. That's amazing. But what part? You want me to talk about Lenny? Did you know that it was going to be... Did I know he was Irish? No. Did I know it was going to be good? Yeah. No. I don't mean... I can't see when I'm making it, you know? In lessons in chemistry, did you ever feel... Because you had more control over it, did you think, oh, we're onto something here? Yeah, also because you're doing everything at the same time, and you're editing it, and you're kind of going, okay, this is... We've got our first episode, you know? And they're like, okay, we got two episodes. Like, cool, you know, just keep it going. But with Room, it was my first time... I mean, I'd been a lead in one other thing. Wow, really? I auditioned for it, though, so I was like, okay, I think I know how to do it. But it was so wildly outside of reality in terms of thinking about how life would be for her. And so it took a lot of time, and I did not have the technique that I have now. I was much more... I was like what I think actors are like, where they have headphones in, and they're kind of like this. Like, I was that kind of actor, you know? Where it was like I was listening to really intense music, and like... It's like I didn't fully trust myself to go in and out. That's so interesting. I didn't know how to as well. And it's like I knew how to get in, and I didn't know how to get out. And so after that movie, I was like, whoa, I need to figure out a plan. And I started scuba diving, and I realized that it was the perfect metaphor because you don't get to like strap a tank on your back and just like jump in the ocean. You have to be like, okay, this is how much I have in my tank. If I go down deeper, it takes more. I have to go really slow on the way up. And I was like, oh, that's what I need to be doing. And I need to give myself the grace of that. So then moving forward, when I'd have big emotional scenes, I'd make an announcement and be like, I'm going to go underwater for a little bit. It might take me a little bit to get back out, but I'm here, and I'll be okay. That's really wonderful. So as a producer, you felt like it's your job when you have a big scene on Lessons in Chemistry where you think, okay, but now today, all I can do really is act. Yeah, sometimes you have to put the phone down. And other times you want it, though. Other times it was very helpful to snap out of it and to be like, okay, now I need to deal with whatever is going on. But that was the biggest hurdle for me that I felt like I needed. That was the learning lesson from Room for me. It was, I was like, I know how to get in, but I'm not trusting myself to get in and out every day, to have lunch as myself. Or it just became stickier and stickier because we were filming in order, and I didn't want to mess it up. Well, you didn't. I don't have... I agree with that guy. I actually thought you were quite good in it. I'm kind of good in it. But I even remember seeing the movie for the first time, and it's like, it's just a white wall almost to me, you know? It's like, I can't see. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so I just remember the first screening, and everyone was like, what the hell was that? Like, Bri, what was that? And I was like, is it good? Is it going to be okay? Because it's maybe my own performance, maybe on a good day I can receive 40% of it through the screen. So where do I start? Like on a good day. On a good day. Like, it's hard. It's like nothing, you know? To watch it, it's like nothing. Which I'm actually really grateful for. It'd be really weird if I was like, watching myself being like... Oh, go girl. Yeah, it's not for me. So it feels a little weird though, because then if a film does well, you're a bit like, is it? Is it? Because you just can't feel it. Well, that's why I'm asking about when you have a producerial role, and I've definitely had it in the theatre. But in the theatre, what I love about working in the theatre is that it's the only art form, stage work, where you don't get to see the result of what you're doing. A painter, you see the painting. A movie, you see the movie. A book, you read the book. If you write a book. It doesn't exist. But this, you only see it through the feeling in the room, and the audience sort of reflects it back to you. And I love that about it, because sometimes when I see my own work, and like when they film theatre, I find it horrific, because I think, oh god, like... It's not meant for this. Yeah, it's not meant for this. It's like, put your clothes on, yeah. Just stop, or whatever you're doing, desist. So that's why I'm asking about the producerial thing, where I do think there must be some other hat that you have on that actually goes, no, I think that actually your development of your ability to be able to discern what your performance is must be quite strong. Oh yeah, I mean on Room, it really... I remember there was one day in particular, because Lenny would talk to me and brief me on what he was trying to achieve, and then when we'd be in Room, once the doors closed, it was really hard to get in and out. It was much easier if I understood what Lenny's agenda was, and I could just be there instead of constantly resetting. There was one day in particular where I realised I could hold this scene with the boy, with Jacob, and also fix the props that needed to be reset, and wait, and hold, and wait, and hold. And I was like, whoa, I remember being like, I think I've just unlocked a new level of focus and flow, and it's a really amazing thing. You felt that too? I know exactly what you mean. It's great, it's a challenge, and everybody's doing that together. Like, isn't the best thing, I think about filming, is when everybody's got a big, big job. Oh, it's the best. You're doing a big, I don't know, some big shot. Yeah, like a big winner or something. And then somebody's winning, you have to have a change of clothes. It's all sort of quite theatrical, and you're really involved all together. I find that really the most exciting thing. Oh, it really gets me going. That's why I think it's beautiful what you say about it, everybody just doing the same thing. We had it on, again, to go back to the theatre, but we had it where we were all called co-creators, but that's exactly what you're doing. We're co-creating it together, and so if you were to just take out the job titles and go, well, everybody has an opinion here, what's the thing? And everybody's just a little cog in this amazing machine. Exactly. Yeah. Need it all. We do, we need everything. Well, thanks. I feel like I kind of understand acting now. Yeah, I've fully got it. Yeah, I'm ready. Okay, well. Nothing more to learn. There we go, now we're good to go.