In Brighton Rock -- first-time director Rowan Joffe's adaptation of Graham Greene's famed '30s-set novel -- Riseborough stars as Rose, a cafe waitress who falls for small-time hood Pinkie Brown (Sam Riley) to heartbreaking results. The chipper Riseborough rang up Movieline earlier this week to discuss the new film, how director Mike Leigh taught her a valuable lesson about character, why being picky is a good thing, and the "godly" Helen Mirren.
You've worked with a lot of directors and in a lot of genres, what specifically led you to Brighton Rock?
Just the way that it always works, really. You have a meeting; you kind of chat about whether you both want to do it. Of course, if you don't, there's absolutely no reason to do it. (Laughs) If you do, and there's something -- initially when you get the script, you peruse the script. It was so simple with Brighton Rock. The feeling, intuitively, was there. It's like reading a half of a whole, and you see the other half. That's not to say that you're destined to play every role you respond to like that, nor is it to say that you might find enough of them. But there are certain things, as an actress, that you're interested in exploring. I was really interested in exploring Rose. It was beautiful and hard and exciting and tragic and wonderful.
Were you familiar with the book beforehand?
Fortunately, no. Which was fantastic! I am a Graham Greene fan -- I'm just a ferocious reader, I read an awful lot when I get the time. This was one of his big ones that I hadn't read. When I saw there was going to be an adaptation of it, I thought that was really interesting, and the time setting -- thematically that all things were the same but with a different historical backdrop -- I thought only added to it, in so many ways. That's a whole other long answer about all sorts of sociological and political things, but -- viscerally and emotionally -- it was really brilliant that I hadn't read it.
I actually began the book before I'd gone to meet Rowan. I had a conversation with Rowan; I said, 'Rowan, I'm reading the inner-workings of Pinkie's brain in this book.' I've already read the script, but there were detrimental knocks, in a sense -- there were certain things you need not to know. Mike Leigh taught me that: there are certain things you need to know, and there are certain things you need not to know. There's no point in fastidiously researching a whole heap of facts that your character wouldn't be aware of. So, Rowan and I both decided that it was best that I stopped reading the book and perserve the blissful ignorance that Rose's naïveté afforded her -- and that would be the best way to weave through her emotional landscape, in peace.
It's a great part and it works because you and Sam have really interesting chemistry together. How much prep did you do before the shoot to really get the relationship between Rose and Pinkie down?
We didn't know each other before, but I think instantly liked each other. It was lovely. We're very similar in our approach; we're both incredibly instinctive. Incredibly? I don't know. I don't know how you quantify being instinctive. (Laughs) We both felt our characters very strongly -- their internal life and their external life, in the physical way they would be presented to the world, and into their emotional intensity. So, really, the pleasure of it -- and the fulfillment of Sam and I working with one and other, and working with every single person in that movie -- was that we could play. There was a feeling that we could go anywhere. Rowan provided such supportive structure -- such a specific framework -- that it meant we could play. Does that make any sense? It's almost like when somebody draws a chalk circle on the ground. Within that realm, anything can happen. Rowan was so clear with us -- each individually, emotionally, about our characters, and we had to take dual notes from him, but also separately we would ask him things that we wouldn't talk about with the other one. He was very respectful of that and encouraged it, which I thought provided the framework I'm talking about.
Was that something specific to Rowan, or have other directors you've worked with acted in similar fashion on set?
Every time you work with a new director, there is an overwhelming and great quality to them. It's a testament to them having gotten where they got. If that is indeed the right grammar. (Laughs) So, yes, that was one of his wonderfully, unique attributes. He's just a great person, and he's a great person you want to spend time with. An interesting person. Interested. I have a friend who said once to me -- he actually said it to another friend and the other friend told me; it was passed on information, I'll be honest with you. He said: It's not how interesting people are, it's how interested they are. I think that's really a very shrewd observation. And Rowan is very interested in life.
That's similar to what Sam Riley said about Helen Mirren. I imagine you tried to pull every piece of relevant information out of her that you could during production?
I stalked her everyday, from the moment she got in to the moment she left! I'm joking, I'm joking. (Laughs) Of course I took things away from her! With every single person you ever work with you take something away, and Helen Mirren is one of those great and godly people you take an awful lot away from. She is a wonderful human being, as much as I know of her, and she's just... so... bloody... good. That is a joy. The other fulfilling thing beyond the joy of her being a great individual is that she was Ida and I was Rose, and that's why she's great. There was no need for futile anxiety about having to do a good job or match-up, but actually carrying out that job means none of that has to be on your rider. You have enough on your plate being somebody else, which is quite a big feat! (Laughs)
You mentioned before about how sometimes you just don't want to do a project. An up and coming actress like yourself must get many offers, though, so how do you reconcile being selective with worrying about your larger career?
It's really, really difficult sometimes to know. You know when it's really difficult? When you're tired. To totally know what is in your gut is tough. You know that feeling? Perhaps you've been working an awful lot -- you just have to get really good, at all times, at listening to yourself. You have to open and pragmatic with your choices. I am very picky. I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm not really interested in doing anything -- any work -- that I won't feel fulfilled by in some way. Who knows? You can't tell what's going to fulfill you in different stages in your life. There certainly hasn't been a plan in that sense with me. I'll do a love movie this year, two comedies and a period piece at the end! There's no strategy, and I think it would be bad if there was, to be honest.
Not to illiterate too much. Picky equals passionate. Which I've never done before but I quite like it. I like the idea of all the Ps. You can remain picky, pragmatic and passionate. Even better! And now we must part -- that's the fourth P. Until then, we'll say goodbye!