What aspects of motherhood?

HB: Probably knowing that I will be responsible for helping to shape and grow another human being. And that I have a clean slate and I have a chance to infuse into a child all the ideals and beliefs and you know, the moral values and the system that I believe in and that I can pass this along to someone else. And hopefully, produce a wonderful human being that adds something wonderful to the world. The thought that I might be able to do that, the thought that I will do that because I'm committed to doing that is really inspiring.

Such a limited time?

SB: Can I just say, can I just say something in terms of the movie for that question is that one of the things about kids is that there is a totally unconditional love and it doesn't matter how irritating and how annoying, which they are, at times.

HB: Well she taught me that.

SB: I have kids and, and I love them. They're lovely, wonderful but they also have, I mean anybody who's got a kid would agree with me because that's the way it is.

And that unconditional love is very, is specific for kids because you don't have in, in other kind of love relationships, the annoying part becomes dangerous.

With kids, it's not dangerous it's just there, like the weather. I mean you can't really decide... The love is there.

How did you choose this story, how did you decide?

SB: I found, I at that point where I received the script, I, I read a lot of scripts, which, which wasn't all that, then I read this and I felt that these characters were real. And it was like a very truthful, I mean it sound pretentious to say, but important story to tell. And it was, and it wasn't that was like heaven but it was also entertaining. It was also fun and very, I was just very touched by it. And I thought yeah. I would want to do that. I would.

Did you fall in love with the characters in this story?

HB: Yeah I love the characters. I love that parts of it were really scary for me. I was entering into uncharted water as an actress, and as a human being, never dealing with many of these issues and that excited me and challenged me to do something different.

And, um I read the movie and for some reason, when I read the screenplay, I felt a connection to it and I'm not really sure what that was.

Even to this day, I'm not really sure other than I connected to the, the, the characters, the movie and I connected to the idea that no matter what we go through in life, we've all have gone through our ups and downs. I have like that you have.

The, the idea that once you get through it, you're better off because you went through it. Even though while you're going through it, it's the hardest thing you can imagine.

When you get through it, you're somehow made better. And I think that was a great metaphor for life and I connected to that.

Do you see this as a woman’s film?

HB: I wouldn't necessarily say it's a woman's film. I think it's a, it's a very human story and although Audrey Brand is a woman, and you know she's dealing with her children, I still think the element of, of Benicio Del Toro's character is a really strong element of the movie. And it’s really about relationships. It’s about friendships and I think both men and women experience relationships and, and friendships.

And without the men in the movie from Benicio down to you know, John Carol Lynch, I don't think you'd have you know, nearly this, the, the impact of the movie would not nearly be what it is. So, no I wouldn't say it's a, it's a woman's movie in, in any way. I think there's a lot to be learned and gained for, for men as well.

The Benicio...

SB: I don't think it's a woman's movie. I don't think, I think, I think it’s a, I mean I've, I've shown it to a number of people and actually, interesting enough, um, men react even more, react even stronger to the movie than women does.

And I think it's, it's probably what it does, it gives, it gives an insight to men and women, which is not an action film.

I mean, there are no machine guns. And we can tell you that much (laugh)

I was referring more to a sense of perspective

SB: I don’t think so, which is why what you asked me pre, or somebody asked me about that I often deal with men's relationship. I do think that it has a very strong male point of view; it's also written by a man.

Benicio's character really I really related to that from previous relationships but the boyfriend or the husband has had some annoying friend from the past, do you ever experience that?
HB: In my real life?
Yeah. Just some...

HB: Not so much.

...from, from their past that you just don't understand why they're in their life.

HB: No, not so much.

No? That was new for you.

HB: Yeah. I haven't had that experience. SB: But you know, I mean anybody you get close to might have habits. It doesn't have to be a friend. I mean it can be like a, irritating habit like eating onions.

I mean it can be things that you don't necessarily appreciate and, and you can relate and you, you know acting and movie making is not about a very distinct experience and then repeating it in a movie. It’s about ability to envision a certain state of mind.

And you can use, and you then use things, which are similar but you don’t necessarily have to have lived a loss, or have to have lived a something else.

If you are a good actress like Halle is, she will, she will understand it intuitively. She will work on it. She will read about it. She will know about it but she will also have a, a very thorough imagination of it.

Yeah, but can you imagine how it is to loose the, uh, love of your life?

SB: Yes.

If so...

SB: Yes.

HB: Yes, I can imagine. I had to imagine it in order to, to, to play it and Susanna had to imagine it in order to, you know direct the movie and, and help me know how to play it. So, it's all about imagining, for sure.

Do you plan on making more Dogma films?

SB: I'm not; it's not like totally alien from me to at one point make another Dogma film. I mean, I, I've only done one Dogma film, Open Hearts. And, and, and I would, I think the austerity of that film taught me a lot.

I wouldn't want to do it again. I like fine music, I like the movie making part of making a film but, but I do think there is a lot of truth to be learned by making a Dogma film.

Because you've got no, there's no icing on the cake. There's only the cake. You can’t decorate anything and that's very, I mean that's very educational.

You are in the mood with the music.

SB: Yeah.

Tell us about music in the movie and what do you think about the music?

HB: I don't have, I heard the real music when I saw the movie. I haven’t seen it; I don't think I know the real music so I'm gonna see it tonight. Just so I can know what's, what's what (laugh) I saw it an early, early, early...

SB: She'll get it, she'll do it she'll get the shock of her life. She thought she really liked the film but no (laugh)

No she has seen it, we're just joking, she has seen it but we just changed some of the music afterwards. Um, uh that is the, that I wish the music is sort of the unconscious, that's what unconsciously take you through all the emotions. It’s not the action it's not the visual. It's the, it, it leads you it takes you on your hand and leads you emotionally from one point to the other.

Things We Lost in The Fire is released 1st February.

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