How were আপনি approached for the role? Did আপনি need convincing?
"No I didn't actually! As soon as I read the script I knew I wanted to be a part of it. It was one of my favourite scripts I've ever read... I just loved the character. She's really interesting and not like anything I've ever read before. I got sent the script from my Australian agent, and it could've gone under the radar, as I was working so hard on Sucker Punch, and not really paying attention to scripts. I decided to read it one night, and had a moment of 'okay, I have to convince them I can do this'. I put a really ridiculously long audition tape of about six intense scenes, sent it to Julia, and got offered the part. Julia wanted a two-minute take of me just scrubbing a table, as she wanted to see that ability to meditate through menial work."
Do আপনি remember your first meeting, and discussing the intensity of the shoot?
"When I got প্রথমপাতা from filming Sucker Punch, Julia and I met for coffee in Melbourne, and I was just blown away দ্বারা how intelligent she was, and how much research she'd done. She gave me a huge তালিকা of films she wanted me to watch, and she seemed to have such a great knowledge of film, for someone who'd never made a film before. She said, is there anything you're not comfortable with, and I said, not really. The only thing that was changed in the script, was when Lucy is having her bikini wax. Originally in the script it was specified she got everything taken off, and I ব্যক্ত to Julia, that's a bit much for me. I kind of feel like that makes women look like ten-year-olds, so that was the one thing we changed. It's such a small thing, but because I look so young anyway, I think that could almost push it into paedophilia territory. That's not what I get from these guys. Other than that, everything is what it was on the page. We had two weeks to rehearse, and all the other cast members came in, and we discussed everyone's boundaries. দ্বারা the time we started filming, I felt completely comfortable and prepared."
What were the key films Julia wanted আপনি to watch?
"The ones that struck a chord with me the most were The পিয়ানো Teacher, the Isabelle Huppert character. I see her and Lucy being quite similar, with their perversity almost, and they're quiet, still characters with lots bubbling under the surface that never really gets released. I watched Belle de Jour, obviously, because of the connection with the sex worker. A film called Under the Skin, with Samantha Morton - she's my favourite actress of all time, so watching her being really ব্রেভ is always very inspiring to me. I remember Julia asking me to watch Antichrist as well [laughs]. I remember talking to her afterwards, and she ব্যক্ত 'did আপনি watch it?' I ব্যক্ত 'yeah, that was really intense.' She said, 'I know, and compared to that, ours is nothing!' পুডিংবিশেষ Gainsbourg's performance makes আপনি go, yeah, I can be ব্রেভ like that."
What is your take on Lucy's sexuality, as আপনি don't see sex scenes as such?
"A few people have misinterpreted it slightly, and ব্যক্ত 'this is about female sexuality'. It's really not, at all, for me. I think আপনি get a sense from Lucy that's she's pretty free and open with that kind of thing. She enjoys sex, and she likes the risky element. In the way she's willing to do the job in the film, it's almost her taking control দ্বারা losing control, দ্বারা objectifying herself. She has a perverse fascination with seeing how far she can go before she breaks. I like the fact that Lucy's sexuality isn't dwelled on too much. I don't think in her life she struggles with it, it just happens to her. The sleeping chamber scenes are my favourite, as Lucy becomes a blank canvas for these men to project on to. We live in this society, where in জনপ্রিয় culture only young, hot, straight people are allwed to have sex, and that's really not the way the world works at all! I like the idea that আপনি see these guys who are shunned, who aren't allowed to be sexual creatures anymore. I found it really heartbreaking, that they want to be with this girl who's asleep, so they can't be looked at. A few people have ব্যক্ত it's disturbing, but I think there's something lovely about it. Obviously, man number two has a couple of problems...
From a technical point of view, how did আপনি endure those scenes, particularly with man number two?
It helped that we did a lot of rehearsal, and they were just lovely. Chris Haywood, who was man two, was just hilarious, and kept whispering 'Im sorry, I'm sorry'. If he had come in and been like, 'yeah, let's do this', that would've been awful, but he was so aware of my boundaries and apologetic. I honestly think that scene was harder for him than it was for me. I learnt to focus on my breathing during those scenes, and shut it out."
I find it interesting that আপনি received the script for this while filming Sucker Punch, as I found that film offensive, and this the polar opposite.
"I had an amazing time making that film, and I প্রণয় Zack [Snyder] and I প্রণয় those girls, and I think that, unfortunately, my intention for that film got muddled up in the way that... আপনি know, because being a feminist, I can definitely see how if I wasn't connected to that film, I would have problems with it. But it's hard to be objective with it when it's something that আপনি প্রণয় and are a part of. [Zack's] message got mixed up with the studio's. We had to rewrite so many things, and the way it ended up being edited. It's tough for me, as I understand why it didn't quite work, in terms of the message I was hoping would come across. Sleeping Beauty was almost like a follow-on from that idea... Sucker মুষ্ট্যাঘাত got me thinking of gender politics and female sexuality, and women being objectified, and Sleeping Beauty was just a deeper investigation of that for me. I can see the মতামত of sexism thrown at Sucker Punch, they make sense. Some people have ব্যক্ত to me Sleeping Beauty is really sexist, and I really disagree. First of all, there's obviously different schools of feminism, and I'm pro-sex, and I think sex work can be really wonderful as long as the conditions are good, and pornography is great, as long as the conditions are good. Which I know is rare, but if we can build up this awareness. It's not a moral film, but if consenting adults watch the film, hopefully it will make them think about something they wouldn't normally think about."
