|
A star is born in the British film An Education - FOCUS finds out more about her.
By the time the plaudits for her superb performance in the lead of An Education have died down Carey Mulligan will find her diary booked up for months, maybe years to come.
She took a break from working on Oliver Stone's sequel to Wall Street to promote this film, a nicely judged memoir adapted by screenwriter Nick Hornby from an article journalist Lynn Barber has written about her own youth.
It told of a romance that blossomed between her callow, teenage self and an older man. The film explores this idea in depth and develops the tension between her ambitious parents' aspirations for her and the exciting life this sophisticated new boyfriend represents.
"It's really rare to find a young female character that has a journey like this," Mulligan says with relish, "especially someone so young."
The actress embodies the character of Jenny beautifully, and despite the fact that she was already 23 when she played her 16 year old character she brings an innocence to the role that matches her high flying academic potential.
Screenwriter Hornby and director Lone Scherfig retain the early 1960s period setting of the story and are careful not to confuse intelligence with wisdom, so that Jenny’s unworldiness is not a contradiction to her evident brightness, a sign of the woman to come.
It is, as Mulligan suggests, a plum role and she is equal to it. For an actress whose other work includes the movies And When Did You Last See Your Father? and Pride & Prejudice, as well as the highly charged Doctor Who story 'Blink', this is clearly a watershed moment.
The buzz around her performance is growing and her image will become more familiar through endless news magazines and gossip websites in time to come, the stakes raised by reports of a romance with Wall Street co-star Shia LaBeouf. Even without such paparazzi bait in her life this would be daunting for anyone.
"I'd never been to a film festival before going to Sundance earlier this year," she says with a smile, "and I'd never played a lead in a film before doing this. So when An Education got picked up for distribution that was huge, and everything that's happened since then has been even more huge.
"It's afforded me wonderful opportunities. I wouldn't have got Wall Street 2 if I hadn't done An Education. That's been amazing. But as long as I get to keep on playing interesting parts, then that's the number one priority."
In contrast to Jenny's issues with formal schooling in the film, Mulligan admits she was a model, quite 'strait-laced' student. But when she went to boarding school in her mid teens acting began to dominate her time.
When she started weighing up her options for further education she sneakily applied to several drama schools "the most rebellious thing I ever did," she admits with a grin. Remarkably she failed to get in.
"I applied to three and went to the auditions and it's still the most terrifying experience of my life. For one of them I had to stand on stage in front of 10 other people auditioning in the same group as me and do my piece.
"I did Shakespeare but had never had any training in it so it was a nightmare. When I didn't get in I was disappointed, but 3,000 people apply for each of these places every year, it's hugely competitive.
"Of course there are things I miss from not having trained at drama school. I think I'd be more confident on stage had I gone because I think it means you're equipped with better vocal training and things like that. In general it's worked out very well, though I'd have loved to have gone. I might still."
Not that you'd be able to identity any noticeable chinks in Mulligan’s performance in An Education though any lack of formal training.
It's a mature piece of work from a young performer who has announced her talent in the best of ways, one who could teach others a thing or two about acting for the screen, and showing humility in the face of her success.
"I've got an amazing job,” she beams, "the film is doing really well and I'm getting to work with brilliant people. Everything's pretty brilliant."
Full marks so far, anyway.
ANWAR BRETT
Back to Editor's Extra
|
