When was the first time you read Alan Warner's "Morvern Callar" novel?
It was before I knew they were making a film of it. When I was reading it, I started going off to make cups of tea, I started making my tea in a really weird way and I thought, This character's coming to me, I'd love to play this part! It's funny how a character comes into you, it's a bit like being possessed.
How was Lynne Ramsay's on-set direction?
Lynne is very precise about what she wants, and that's a great experience for an actress. To be honest with you, a lot of directors can be very lazy. If you can act, you'll do a scene and they'll just say, "Great." And you're like, "Come on, direct me!" You can always do something good the first time, it's often the tenth time you try it that you really get the essence of the scene. However, Lynne was like some mad composer defining and tuning the composition and my movement.
Is it easier working with a female director when you're doing nude scenes?
It's not easier or harder. I just think they have to be respectful of the nudity and why it's there. I've often refused to take my clothes off for scenes. I read the script and I think, "That's not necessary, that's not necessary..." There are films that I've recently done and there was nudity involved. And I've ended up not doing films because we couldn't sort out the nudity. They're like, "But you do nudity!" And I'm like, "Yes, but in the right context."
There's something poetic about the film and sometimes it's like looking at a painting rather than a film...
Yeah, it's completely tangible like that. I just think Lynne's a genius, she's so special. The thing about Lynne is whether she was a moviemaker, doing her photographs, or painting, she's a true artist. She has utter respect for everything that she is doing. You listen to her talk about films, or sound, or colour... I could listen to her talk about that all day - it's beautiful to be around.
