Actress Jemima Kirke on whether she's in touch with the cast of "Girls" and Sally Rooney's writing
Sally Rooney's critically acclaimed novel "Conversations with Friends" has been adapted for a TV miniseries on Hulu, following the adapation of her novel "Normal People." It's set to come out on May 15.
Telegraph interviewed Jemima Kirke, who's playing the role of Melissa, a writer who's in an unhappy marriage with her actor husband Nick (who's played by Tswift beau Joe Alwyn).
As Kirke was reading the book, she said she thought: “This is marriage written from the perspective of a 22-year-old. I don’t think that’s good or bad. Her writing is beautiful but there were moments when I struggled to make something work."
In the interview she talks about "Girls," the MeToo movement, and why she doesn't think it should be considered a "failure" if your marriage ends. (Kirke also mentions her daughter started crying and laughing when Taylor Swift facetimed her after learning she was a fan.)
📺"Her writing is beautiful but there were moments when I struggled to make something work."
Jemima Kirke speaks about starring in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s debut novel Conversations with Friends
Read the full interview 👇https://t.co/Y44ywbYUBB pic.twitter.com/ApyXgcngxg
- Telegraph TV & Radio (@TeleTVRadio) April 23, 2022
Key points behind the cut.
On the cast of "Girls," the MeToo movement and social media
-She says the only one from the cast of Girls that she's in touch with is Lena Dunham, but she hasn't spoken to Dunham since Dunham got married. The author of the piece writes, "The curtness of the reply implies that the cast is no longer close and Kirke has no interest in pretending otherwise."
-The article talks about Kirke's background. Trigger warning: She went to rehab at 19 and was raped by a drug dealer in her early 20s. She also had an abortion at one point.
-Kirke is unsure of some of the changes that have happened in the industry following the MeToo movement, even though the writer says she does have "progressive thinking." Kirke says that when she was doing sex scenes in "Girls," they weren't really directed and you "felt a bit lost," but that was exciting to her. "I was curious to know what it would be like to be naked and doing these actions in front of the sound guy and all these different people."
-Kirke wearily says, "Things are much more sanitised and everyone is protecting their arses. My view is that you don’t always have to be comfortable on a movie set as an actor. I don’t know where to draw the line but it’s definitely a blurry one. [As an actor] you’re supposed to be present in your emotions in that moment… I think maybe we are making discomfort into a negative thing."
-She says if "Girls" came out today, "it would definitely get grief," and that Lena Dunham would be too scared to make the show today.
-She would sign onto a "Girls" reboot (which Dunahm said she could envision happening one day) "for the right amount of money."
On parenting, love and marriage
-The piece mentions how she once posted a photo on Instagram and thanked her children's nanny by saying, "I can't stand playing with children so you've saved them and me a whole lot of boredom." Kirke says she got a lot of shit for saying that.
-Kirke says she's picking about the roles she chooses, because of parenting obligations (she has two kids).
-She says she doesn't share "Conversations with Friend's" cynical view toward love (the Telgraph says the book "paints a pessimistic view of mongamy"), but that "permance" is an old-fashioned concept.
-Kirke explains, "Marriage can be something you go through on your journey. You were really in love at that moment and you had a party and a big dress. You committed to each other and that was your intention but life changes and that’s OK. It wasn’t a failure. I’ve had friends getting married who ask, 'Do you think I’m making a mistake?' ‘Maybe! But do you really want to get married? Yeah! So do it. I don’t see what the problem is. The perspective of marriage as something super-permanent and spiritual is really antiquated.’"
Source
Telegraph interviewed Jemima Kirke, who's playing the role of Melissa, a writer who's in an unhappy marriage with her actor husband Nick (who's played by Tswift beau Joe Alwyn).
As Kirke was reading the book, she said she thought: “This is marriage written from the perspective of a 22-year-old. I don’t think that’s good or bad. Her writing is beautiful but there were moments when I struggled to make something work."
In the interview she talks about "Girls," the MeToo movement, and why she doesn't think it should be considered a "failure" if your marriage ends. (Kirke also mentions her daughter started crying and laughing when Taylor Swift facetimed her after learning she was a fan.)
📺"Her writing is beautiful but there were moments when I struggled to make something work."
Jemima Kirke speaks about starring in the BBC adaptation of Sally Rooney’s debut novel Conversations with Friends
Read the full interview 👇https://t.co/Y44ywbYUBB pic.twitter.com/ApyXgcngxg
- Telegraph TV & Radio (@TeleTVRadio) April 23, 2022
Key points behind the cut.
On the cast of "Girls," the MeToo movement and social media
-She says the only one from the cast of Girls that she's in touch with is Lena Dunham, but she hasn't spoken to Dunham since Dunham got married. The author of the piece writes, "The curtness of the reply implies that the cast is no longer close and Kirke has no interest in pretending otherwise."
-The article talks about Kirke's background. Trigger warning: She went to rehab at 19 and was raped by a drug dealer in her early 20s. She also had an abortion at one point.
-Kirke is unsure of some of the changes that have happened in the industry following the MeToo movement, even though the writer says she does have "progressive thinking." Kirke says that when she was doing sex scenes in "Girls," they weren't really directed and you "felt a bit lost," but that was exciting to her. "I was curious to know what it would be like to be naked and doing these actions in front of the sound guy and all these different people."
-Kirke wearily says, "Things are much more sanitised and everyone is protecting their arses. My view is that you don’t always have to be comfortable on a movie set as an actor. I don’t know where to draw the line but it’s definitely a blurry one. [As an actor] you’re supposed to be present in your emotions in that moment… I think maybe we are making discomfort into a negative thing."
-She says if "Girls" came out today, "it would definitely get grief," and that Lena Dunham would be too scared to make the show today.
-She would sign onto a "Girls" reboot (which Dunahm said she could envision happening one day) "for the right amount of money."
On parenting, love and marriage
-The piece mentions how she once posted a photo on Instagram and thanked her children's nanny by saying, "I can't stand playing with children so you've saved them and me a whole lot of boredom." Kirke says she got a lot of shit for saying that.
-Kirke says she's picking about the roles she chooses, because of parenting obligations (she has two kids).
-She says she doesn't share "Conversations with Friend's" cynical view toward love (the Telgraph says the book "paints a pessimistic view of mongamy"), but that "permance" is an old-fashioned concept.
-Kirke explains, "Marriage can be something you go through on your journey. You were really in love at that moment and you had a party and a big dress. You committed to each other and that was your intention but life changes and that’s OK. It wasn’t a failure. I’ve had friends getting married who ask, 'Do you think I’m making a mistake?' ‘Maybe! But do you really want to get married? Yeah! So do it. I don’t see what the problem is. The perspective of marriage as something super-permanent and spiritual is really antiquated.’"
Source