Get to know Mia-Interviews with Mia-Jane Eyre

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110327/ENT/103270313/1151/Pecan-Crusted-Chicken-Bourbon-Sauce/Sweet-Jane-Mia-Wasikowska-embraces-chance-play-Bronte-heroine?odyssey=nav|head

Sweet Jane: Mia Wasikowska embraces chance to play Bronte heroine
2:36 PM, Mar. 25, 2011 |

Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska share a scene in 'Jane Eyre."
Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska share a scene in 'Jane Eyre." / LAURIE SPARHAM/Associated Press/Focus Features

Written by
AMY LONGSDORF
Courier-Post Staff

Rising star Mia Wasikowska believes, in some strange way, she was fated to play the title role in "Jane Eyre." The 21-year-old actress had never seen any of Hollywood's previous adaptations of the Charlotte Bronte classic when, on a whim, she began reading the book in 2009.

So taken was Wasikowska by the story of the determined governess that she made a call to her agent asking if there was a screen version in the offing.

"I thought it would be such a great role but the chances of there being something out there were very small," notes Wasikowska. "But then it was, like, two months later when (my agent) sent me the script and I was meeting with (director) Cary (Joji Fukunaga).

"I just connected instantly with the book without having to. (It was like) I had wanted to do the project before there was a project."

Luckily for Wasikowska, she already was a bankable star thanks to her turns in 2010's "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Kids Are All Right."

"Mia just sang out to us," says producer Alison Owen. "If you look at the range of actresses out there, you will find some fantastic ones; there's no doubt about that. But Mia is born to play Jane; she inhabits and, ultimately, defines the role."

Published in 1847, "Jane Eyre" is the story of an orphan who bounces around some of the bleakest parts of London before winding up in Thornfield Hall, the home of Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender), a man with two children and oodles of secrets.

Even though the novel was written in the 1800s, Wasikowska believes the Victorian romance is as relevant today as when it was written.

"I would hope that (what comes through in our movie) is that Jane is a really strong and impressive young woman," says the actress. "She's someone who believes that she's worthy of a good life, of being treated well, being loved. She doesn't compromise herself for her relationships."

Through the years, there have been 18 film and nine television adaptations of "Jane Eyre," including versions starring Virginia Bruce (1934), Joan Fontaine (1944), Susannah York (1971) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (1996) but Wasikowska never doubted she could bring something fresh to the role.

I liked the idea of bringing out a darker side, and also a younger side," says the actress. "Jane was 18 (in the book). I think I was 20 when I did the role. So I was already two years older. She's really a teenager. She is a teenager like any other teenager now."

To prepare, Wasikowska pored over visual references "to form an image of Jane in my head." She studied photographs and drawings of the time, hoping to understand how "for example, people physically held themselves."

During filming, Wasikowska also re-read the novel, underlining passages she believed were pivotal to Jane's transformation from willful orphan to self-possessed governess.

There was no preparation for the windswept brutality of the English countryside, though.

"Physically the scenes on the moors were (tough)," notes the actress. "It's hard enough to stand on them without being blown over, so filming (and speaking dialogue) on the moors was challenging."

As Wasikowska sees it, drafty Thornfield Hall was the perfect setting for Rochester and Jane Eyre to conduct their strange flirtation. And Michael Fassbender, last seen in "Fish Tank" and "Inglourious Basterds," was the ideal choice for the brooding Edward Rochester.

"He has qualities of being both potentially dangerous and also really vulnerable, and loving," explains Wasikowska. "So it's the right mix of excitement and fear and challenge."

A native of Canberra, Australia, Wasikowska scored her breakthrough by playing a suicidal gymnast on HBO's "In Treatment." In the wake of the series' rave reviews, she landed small but pivotal roles in "Defiance" with Daniel Craig, "That Evening Sun" with Hal Holbrook and "Amelia" with Hilary Swank.

Even as she races up the A-list, Wasikowska stays humble.

"I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do," she relates. "I don't have a sense that I've made it. I know that I want to continue (acting). I have a lot to do that I haven't yet done."

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110327/ENT/103270313/1017/sports04/Sweet-Jane-Mia-Wasikowska-embraces-chance-play-Bronte-heroine?odyssey=nav|head

Sweet Jane: Mia Wasikowska embraces chance to play Bronte heroine
2:36 PM, Mar. 25, 2011 |

Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska share a scene in 'Jane Eyre."
Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska share a scene in 'Jane Eyre." / LAURIE SPARHAM/Associated Press/Focus Features
Written by
AMY LONGSDORF
Courier-Post Staff

Rising star Mia Wasikowska believes, in some strange way, she was fated to play the title role in "Jane Eyre." The 21-year-old actress had never seen any of Hollywood's previous adaptations of the Charlotte Bronte classic when, on a whim, she began reading the book in 2009.

So taken was Wasikowska by the story of the determined governess that she made a call to her agent asking if there was a screen version in the offing.

"I thought it would be such a great role but the chances of there being something out there were very small," notes Wasikowska. "But then it was, like, two months later when (my agent) sent me the script and I was meeting with (director) Cary (Joji Fukunaga).

"I just connected instantly with the book without having to. (It was like) I had wanted to do the project before there was a project."

Luckily for Wasikowska, she already was a bankable star thanks to her turns in 2010's "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Kids Are All Right."

"Mia just sang out to us," says producer Alison Owen. "If you look at the range of actresses out there, you will find some fantastic ones; there's no doubt about that. But Mia is born to play Jane; she inhabits and, ultimately, defines the role."

Published in 1847, "Jane Eyre" is the story of an orphan who bounces around some of the bleakest parts of London before winding up in Thornfield Hall, the home of Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender), a man with two children and oodles of secrets.

Even though the novel was written in the 1800s, Wasikowska believes the Victorian romance is as relevant today as when it was written.

"I would hope that (what comes through in our movie) is that Jane is a really strong and impressive young woman," says the actress. "She's someone who believes that she's worthy of a good life, of being treated well, being loved. She doesn't compromise herself for her relationships."

Through the years, there have been 18 film and nine television adaptations of "Jane Eyre," including versions starring Virginia Bruce (1934), Joan Fontaine (1944), Susannah York (1971) and Charlotte Gainsbourg (1996) but Wasikowska never doubted she could bring something fresh to the role.

"I liked the idea of bringing out a darker side, and also a younger side," says the actress. "Jane was 18 (in the book). I think I was 20 when I did the role. So I was already two years older. She's really a teenager. She is a teenager like any other teenager now."

To prepare, Wasikowska pored over visual references "to form an image of Jane in my head." She studied photographs and drawings of the time, hoping to understand how "for example, people physically held themselves."

During filming, Wasikowska also re-read the novel, underlining passages she believed were pivotal to Jane's transformation from willful orphan to self-possessed governess.

There was no preparation for the windswept brutality of the English countryside, though.

"Physically the scenes on the moors were (tough)," notes the actress. "It's hard enough to stand on them without being blown over, so filming (and speaking dialogue) on the moors was challenging."

As Wasikowska sees it, drafty Thornfield Hall was the perfect setting for Rochester and Jane Eyre to conduct their strange flirtation. And Michael Fassbender, last seen in "Fish Tank" and "Inglourious Basterds," was the ideal choice for the brooding Edward Rochester.

"He has qualities of being both potentially dangerous and also really vulnerable, and loving," explains Wasikowska. "So it's the right mix of excitement and fear and challenge."

A native of Canberra, Australia, Wasikowska scored her breakthrough by playing a suicidal gymnast on HBO's "In Treatment." In the wake of the series' rave reviews, she landed small but pivotal roles in "Defiance" with Daniel Craig, "That Evening Sun" with Hal Holbrook and "Amelia" with Hilary Swank.

Even as she races up the A-list, Wasikowska stays humble.

"I feel really lucky to be able to do what I do," she relates. "I don't have a sense that I've made it. I know that I want to continue (acting). I have a lot to do that I haven't yet done."

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/movies/movie-news/Mia+Wasikowska+Calls+Jane+Eyre+Modern+Woman-92427.html

Mia Wasikowska Calls Jane Eyre 'Modern Woman'

31 March 2011

* Currently 4/5 Stars.

Mia Wasikowska has described Jane Eyre as a 'modern woman'.

The Charlotte Bronte novel has been adapted once again for the big screen with The Kids Are All Right star taking on the lead role.

Directed by Cary Fukunaga the movie also stars Michael Fassbender as Rochester and Jamie Bell as St. John Rivers.

Speaking to BlackBook magazine the actress said: "Jane is such a modern character. If you put her in contemporary society, she'd be running Parliament.

"There's something so remarkable about a woman who feels worthy of respect regardless of her social status."

Wasikowska had a great 2010 with Alice In Wonderland breaking $1 billion at the box office and The Kids Are All Right going on to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

She has already completed work on Restless and Stainless Steel and is currently working on The Wettest County In The World.

Jane Eyre is released 9th September.

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/mia-wasikowska-shooting-star-2864864.html

Mia Wasikowska: Shooting star

Friday September 02 2011

There are certain terms that are always used in press profiles to describe Mia Wasikowska: willowy, petite, shy, and old soul chief among them.

When the 21-year-old Canberra native quietly slips into the designated interview suite in the Corinthia hotel on London's Embankment, she strikes Day & Night as a younger sister or niece whom you still think of as a child, but who is actually a grown woman taking on -- or over -- the world.

That being said, as we make small talk while I pour her a glass of water, I still feel like I should be asking Wasikowska about school exams or whether she's Team Jacob or Team Edward, rather than having her tell me about meeting her fellow countrywoman Nicole Kidman for the first time during rehearsals for their upcoming movie Stoker, or her recent invite to join the Academy to vote in the annual Oscars, or how it feels to carry a movie -- Alice in Wonderland -- that grossed over $1bn at the world box office.

Make no mistake about it: Wasikowska might be quiet, but she's making a hell of a lot of noise in Hollywood.

Today we're meeting to discuss her title role in a new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's classic 19th-century gothic thriller-cum-love story Jane Eyre, the story of a young, independent-minded woman who becomes governess to the children of the brooding, mysterious Mr Rochester (played by Kerryman Michael Fassbender).

Wasikowska says she was sold on this new version of the story from her first meeting with rising director Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre). "It became clear very quickly that we both had very similar ideas for the project, and about who Jane was and how she should be portrayed," Wasikowska explains in her mixed Australian-American accent.

"I'm not a huge fan of melodramatic period dramas where it's all about the costumes. What's really cool is how Cary was able to keep it quite grounded and almost realistic, but also retain the gothic elements, because it's a really dark story. It's definitely not Jane Austen."

Classic stories are constantly being rediscovered by and reinvented for new generations, so what does Wasikowska see in Jane Eyre that modern audiences could relate to?

"I think at its core it's a very modern story. If you take away the costumes and the period elements, it's about a young girl, who is very much like any other 18-year-old in that she's trying to find a connection and love in a very isolated environment. I think that alone is so identifiable."

The book's most famous line -- 'Reader, I married him' -- has also long marked Brontë's book out as an early feminist text. Does Mia consider herself a feminist? "Yes, I am, and I don't know why it's such a loaded term. Feminism is just equality, so I am a feminist, and I think most guys nowadays are too."

Wasikowska is also full of praise for her Irish co-star Fassbender. "We had so much fun during this shoot," she says. "I feel we both really reverted to our eight-year-old selves on this job. It was brilliant to have somebody with whom you can level out the intensity of the material.

Fassbender is the actress's second Irish leading man. Her first was Gabriel Byrne, opposite whom she starred in the first series of the HBO psychotherapy TV drama In Treatment. It was Wasikowska's first job in America and she was extraordinary as Sophie, a suicidal teenage athlete receiving counselling from Bryne's character Paul Weston.

"I was 16, and it was such a big deal for me," she says. "I learned more in those few months than I have on anything else. It was literally 25 pages per episode, all dialogue and monologues.

"Gabriel and I had a very similar relationship to Sophie and Paul. He was always teaching me stuff and telling me of his experiences."

In common with her In Treatment character, Wasikowska started out as a ballerina in Australia, and turned to acting "when I wasn't enjoying dancing as much". She clocked some early work in Aussie soap All Saints and in films including Rogue, before heading to the US.

Since then, she has quickly climbed the Hollywood ladder. An appearance in Amelia, led to this year's Oscar-nominated comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right, in which Wasikowska played the daughter of lesbian couple Annette Bening and Julianne Moore.

Tim Burton then came knocking with Alice in Wonderland, the staggering success of which secured Wasikowska's place on every 'rising young star' list going, as well as causing Forbes magazine to declare her one of the highest-grossing actors of 2010, alongside names such as Depp and DiCaprio.

"I think I was more nervous before Alice than afterwards, but my life hasn't changed very much since," she says. I really rarely get recognised. Super rarely."

"Actors definitely get treated a different way when we're on press tour or on set. I'm really aware of not needing that attention and pampering, so that when I finish a film and go back home, I don't want to need that stuff."

It's all very level-headed stuff coming from a young woman who earlier this year was included in Time magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People in the World, alongside figures such as Lady Gaga and the Obamas.

Wasikowska laughs, clearly embarrassed. "That was so funny," she says. "It's a big honour, and so flattering, but I don't believe everything I hear. Someone once told me, 'Believe 5pc of what everybody tells you', and that's a good theory. There's always hype. It's really nice to hear that stuff, but then you have to just get on with it."

The 'Time 100' essay about Wasikowska was written by Glenn Close, with whom Wasikowska stars in the upcoming drama Albert Nobbs. That film -- co-written by Close and John Banville -- was shot on location in Ireland last winter.

"I spent a few months living in Dublin, and fell in love with the city," she says. "I actually contemplated moving there, and going to Trinity College to study Art History. The weather was bad, but I loved it."

Does she sport an Irish accent in the movie? "I do," she laughs. "I don't know what people are going to think, but doing the Irish accent was very liberating compared to doing the English accent, which can be so repressive."

Furthermore, that project allowed Wasikowska to work with Close, who, it turns out, had a profound impact on her early ambitions to be an actress.

"When I was a kid I remember seeing Glenn in 101 Dalmations, and being just terrified of Cruella de Vil," she explains, laughing.

"My mum had to literally show me photographs of Glenn in real life with pretty blonde hair so that I could realise that Cruella wasn't just roaming the earth killing puppies. She makes that kind of impact. But that's when it clicked with me what acting really is all about."

Jane Eyre is released on September 9

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/mia-wasikowska-interview

Oscar Watch: Wasikowska Talks Romancing Fassbender in Jane Eyre and Close in Albert Nobbs
Awards by Anne Thompson | November 8, 2011 | 5 Comments

Mia Wasikowska

I first met Mia Wasikowska at the Cannes Film Festival, where she walked the red carpet for Gus Van Sant's Restless, in which she played a young teen with cancer squeezing every ounce of pleasure out of her young life. The 22-year-old Aussie world traveler's timeless beauty works in both period and contemporary films such as The Kids Are All Right and HBO's In Treatment, which catapulted her into a series of enviable gigs indeed.

She snagged the title role Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the upcoming period ensemble Wettest County in the World, in which she plays Shia LaBeouf's girlfriend, as well as back-to-back costume dramas that are getting year-end awards buzz: Cary Fukanaga's film version of Charlotte Bronte's romantic classic Jane Eyre and Glenn Close's labor-of-love, Albert Nobbs. While the clear-eyed, self-reliant orphan governess Jane Eyre falls in love with brooding employer Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender), in Albert Nobbs, Wasikowska plays a flirty servant who is wooed by Close's Nobbs, in the guise of a man. She has no idea.

I first met Mia Wasikowska at the Cannes Film Festival, where she walked the red carpet for Gus Van Sant's Restless, in which she played a young teen with cancer squeezing every ounce of pleasure out of her young life. The 22-year-old Aussie world traveler's timeless beauty works in both period and contemporary films such as The Kids Are All Right and HBO's In Treatment, which catapulted her into a series of enviable gigs indeed.

She snagged the title role Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the upcoming period ensemble Wettest County in the World, in which she plays Shia LaBeouf's girlfriend, as well as back-to-back costume dramas that are getting year-end awards buzz: Cary Fukanaga's film version of Charlotte Bronte's romantic classic Jane Eyre and Glenn Close's labor-of-love, Albert Nobbs. While the clear-eyed, self-reliant orphan governess Jane Eyre falls in love with brooding employer Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender), in Albert Nobbs, Wasikowska plays a flirty servant who is wooed by Close's Nobbs, in the guise of a man. She has no idea.
We range around all of the above in the interview below.

We range around all of the above in the interview below.I first met Mia Wasikowska at the Cannes Film Festival, where she walked the red carpet for Gus Van Sant's Restless, in which she played a young teen with cancer squeezing every ounce of pleasure out of her young life. The 22-year-old Aussie world traveler's timeless beauty works in both period and contemporary films such as The Kids Are All Right and HBO's In Treatment, which catapulted her into a series of enviable gigs indeed.

I first met Mia Wasikowska at the Cannes Film Festival, where she walked the red carpet for Gus Van Sant's Restless, in which she played a young teen with cancer squeezing every ounce of pleasure out of her young life. The 22-year-old Aussie world traveler's timeless beauty works in both period and contemporary films such as The Kids Are All Right and HBO's In Treatment, which catapulted her into a series of enviable gigs indeed.

She snagged the title role Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the upcoming period ensemble Wettest County in the World, in which she plays Shia LaBeouf's girlfriend, as well as back-to-back costume dramas that are getting year-end awards buzz: Cary Fukanaga's film version of Charlotte Bronte's romantic classic Jane Eyre and Glenn Close's labor-of-love, Albert Nobbs. While the clear-eyed, self-reliant orphan governess Jane Eyre falls in love with brooding employer Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender), in Albert Nobbs, Wasikowska plays a flirty servant who is wooed by Close's Nobbs, in the guise of a man. She has no idea.

We range around all of the above in the interview below.