Actress Samantha Morton is perhaps one of our most versatile actresses moving from television to independent movies to sci-fi blockbuster with relative ease.
Beginning her career in television and the theatre the thirty year old actress has gone on to become a double Oscar nominee and work with some of the biggest names in film including Woody Allen, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Sean Penn.
I caught up with her to talk about her new project Synecdoche, her career so far and her new campaign Vodafone Group Foundation's World of Difference Campaign.
You are best known as an actress who has moved between big budget movies such as Minority Report and smaller projects like Control in a career that has spanned a decade how now do you choose your roles and how has it changed throughout you career?
I don’t think it has changed at all it’s always down to if I liked the script, an interesting part and interesting director, someone I could get along with, it might be that I can’t do some jobs because of the travel and the country that it’s in and I think ‘I can’t take my family there right now’ so it’s always been the same the integrity of the script.
What was it about the Longford script that drew you to the part of Myra Hindley, which is a very controversial subject?
I initially said no to that because had personal issues with playing such a character but then they approached me again and I looked at the bigger picture and I thought ‘hold on a second if I am an artist, a true artist, art should raise questions and make people think’.
And this film wasn’t about Myra Hindley as you correctly say it was about Longford, he was an incredible man, a very interesting human being and very inspirational.
The film was about him and about the change in policy should life mean life? And all these questions about the judicial system that I find fascinating so in a way in order for it to ring true having an actress on board was, I suppose, better do you know what I mean? Than having the prosthetics and trying to do an Myra Hindley impression because it certainly wasn't about that it was about the greater issue.
You did face some criticism from the victim's families how difficult was that to cope with?
I didn't read any of it because I don't read the press but all I can say is that I am terribly sorry that drama, and if they would like to pick me out that's fine I can take that on board, I can only apologise for any hurt and offence that was not the reasons why we made that drama at all.
I think all the people that have been effected by that were to ask themselves about the judicial system they might think that it needs to be reformed, I'm not suggesting that they let people out early, but life should mean life for some people. It's very topical and all I can do is apologise from the bottom of my heart if I offended anyone from doing my job.
In recent roles you have played strong and interesting women such as Deborah Curtis and Mary Queen of Scots what was it about these multi layered women that interest you so much?
It's funny because last year, no not last year the year before, I played Marilyn Monroe, Myra Hindley, Mary Queen of Scots, Deborah Curtis it was quite bizarre really. To be honest it's about character and about getting my teeth into something and finding this roles, or the project, fascinating like with Longford I was attracted to the idea of social reform.
A project like Mary Queen of Scots it's very exciting because it's a big budget film and you get to wear the dresses, it's like playacting when you were a kid. And I suppose Deborah Curtis is just someone that I admire greatly and having read her book I was blown away by her story and really wanted to play her the diversity makes my life interesting.
And what is your latest film project?
The latest film I have coming out is Synecdoche, which premiered at Cannes, and it's Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, he is a writer he wrote Adaptation and being John Malkovich, and it's with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. So that is the film that I have coming out and I just finished a project last week called The Messenger, with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, I play an Iraqi war widow, my husband goes out to fight in Iraq and doesn't come back, so that quite topical and I'm about to start directing my own stuff.
I was just about to ask you about that you are about to make your directorial debut on The Unloved what was the attraction of moving behind the camera?
I tried to get other people to direct it first and they all said no you do it and I thought 'no' and then the years went by and I couldn't stop thinking about it, I used to lie in bed at night and see the shots in my head. I have an incredible producer on board Kate Osbourne and Revolution Films are doing it for me, Michael Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton's Company, so I'm with really great company.
You are a mother of two how hard is it to juggle you career and your parenting commitments?
Really hard and it changes all the time what they need changes and what I need changes so you have to be adaptable and if you remember to put your children first and make sure that the choices that you make are the right choices for the family I think you can sleep at night.
It isn't easy at all, I have an eight year old and a six month old, and the government didn't make it easy for me a long time ago because I needed a have a nanny, because I was a single mum in order to work, and there is no way you could claim but I think now you can so it's been made a little but easier now.
Away from the camera Samantha supports a string of charites but is currently backing the Vodafone Group Foundation's World of Difference Campaign that is searching for four people to put their jobs on hold for a year and take their skills and passion to work for their favourite charities.
You are currently backing the Vodafone Group Foundation’s World of Difference Campaign what is it all about and how did you get involved?
Basically it’s a competition where we pick four winners who would like to take a year out of their live to go and work for a charity, they could do anything they could be in IT, media, fashion no matter how bizarre, as long as they are passionate about a charity, a UK registered charity.
Those selected will get their wages paid, up to £25,000 a year, and up to £20,000 expenses for that year. But it very important that people know that they have to get the support of that charity first, so you can’t just go oh I’m going to get in touch with the Vodafone Foundation because I want to go and work for a charity, people need to find something that they are passionate about, get in touch with the charity and say ‘Can you use my skills? and ‘can I help you in any way?’ and more often than not they are going to say yes.
The reason why I got involved was because it touched a personal note for me because a while ago I was reading the newspaper and I read about a woman who was a driving instructor and she decided, she had been in care herself, and she was looking for a charity for children in care and found that there wasn’t so set one up her own flat, literally in her bedroom.
So she set this charity up an she has now been awarded an OBE, she has offices in Manchester and London and she is someone who has made a world of difference to people’s lives and it’s courage like that I just found incredibly enlightening and exciting.
I phoned the charity up and said ‘can I help and be part of it?’ she was like ‘absolutely’ because it was something that was close to my heart so when I heard about this I was really excited that there was a foundation such as this giving this kind of money away and opportunities. And obviously the charities will gain a lot from this but the individuals themselves it’s a life changing opportunity.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Actress Samantha Morton is perhaps one of our most versatile actresses moving from television to independent movies to sci-fi blockbuster with relative ease.
Beginning her career in television and the theatre the thirty year old actress has gone on to become a double Oscar nominee and work with some of the biggest names in film including Woody Allen, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett and Sean Penn.
I caught up with her to talk about her new project Synecdoche, her career so far and her new campaign Vodafone Group Foundation's World of Difference Campaign.
You are best known as an actress who has moved between big budget movies such as Minority Report and smaller projects like Control in a career that has spanned a decade how now do you choose your roles and how has it changed throughout you career?
I don’t think it has changed at all it’s always down to if I liked the script, an interesting part and interesting director, someone I could get along with, it might be that I can’t do some jobs because of the travel and the country that it’s in and I think ‘I can’t take my family there right now’ so it’s always been the same the integrity of the script.
What was it about the Longford script that drew you to the part of Myra Hindley, which is a very controversial subject?
I initially said no to that because had personal issues with playing such a character but then they approached me again and I looked at the bigger picture and I thought ‘hold on a second if I am an artist, a true artist, art should raise questions and make people think’.
And this film wasn’t about Myra Hindley as you correctly say it was about Longford, he was an incredible man, a very interesting human being and very inspirational.
The film was about him and about the change in policy should life mean life? And all these questions about the judicial system that I find fascinating so in a way in order for it to ring true having an actress on board was, I suppose, better do you know what I mean? Than having the prosthetics and trying to do an Myra Hindley impression because it certainly wasn't about that it was about the greater issue.
You did face some criticism from the victim's families how difficult was that to cope with?
I didn't read any of it because I don't read the press but all I can say is that I am terribly sorry that drama, and if they would like to pick me out that's fine I can take that on board, I can only apologise for any hurt and offence that was not the reasons why we made that drama at all.
I think all the people that have been effected by that were to ask themselves about the judicial system they might think that it needs to be reformed, I'm not suggesting that they let people out early, but life should mean life for some people. It's very topical and all I can do is apologise from the bottom of my heart if I offended anyone from doing my job.
In recent roles you have played strong and interesting women such as Deborah Curtis and Mary Queen of Scots what was it about these multi layered women that interest you so much?
It's funny because last year, no not last year the year before, I played Marilyn Monroe, Myra Hindley, Mary Queen of Scots, Deborah Curtis it was quite bizarre really. To be honest it's about character and about getting my teeth into something and finding this roles, or the project, fascinating like with Longford I was attracted to the idea of social reform.
A project like Mary Queen of Scots it's very exciting because it's a big budget film and you get to wear the dresses, it's like playacting when you were a kid. And I suppose Deborah Curtis is just someone that I admire greatly and having read her book I was blown away by her story and really wanted to play her the diversity makes my life interesting.
Tagged in Samantha Morton