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  • Absolute pleasure to meet you.

  • -Thank you! - I love the film. What a nail-bitter, I had

  • goosebumps throughout it.

  • Had you read the book?

  • Yes, I'd read the book. I got really bad sunburn because I didn't leave the beach...

  • -That's so funny!

  • It was terrible but the film is incredible. I mean was it an instantyeswhen you

  • got that script?

  • Well, it was a long time before I got the script, I mean there was a lot of, you know

  • it was a coveted role this and you know clearly. You can see why because as a woman in a Hollywood

  • film you're often asked to - there are big parts, there are interesting parts but you're

  • often asked to play a very sort of, a version of being female, being a woman that's palatable,

  • that's sort of in the way of male fantasy of some sorts and sympathetic and sweet, obviously

  • There are exceptions, but here is a part that sort of blows femininity, sort of the whole

  • door of femininity wide open, and says look, you know this is a new way that you can look

  • at the modern woman. You know, are you going to like her, are you going to agree with her,

  • are you going to relate to her, is she like you? It's asking all these questions of us

  • and I just thought 'wow', this is something I've never seen before. So yes, the chance

  • to work with Fincher, the chance to do this, the chance for someone to take a risk on me

  • and say 'look this is nothing like you've done before but I know you've got this in

  • you. Come on let's go on this ride together!’.

  • And you did have it in you. You were absolutely fabulous -- completely captivating.

  • Well, probably because, you know I think we've all got the darkness in us if we want to explore

  • it or go there, you know it's just when - as an actor you've got to make all of you available

  • some point, it's just when someone asks for which bit. Someone's going to ask for your humour.

  • Someone's going to ask for your rage. Someone's going to ask for your sort of romantic side

  • and that's you know, that's what's fun about it. That's what keeps me doing this job and loving it.

  • And a very challenging role, especially some of those sex scenes. That library one I was

  • like, 'OH!'.

  • I didn't think you were going to say that! Yes, it's a funny. In some ways you know those

  • are far less difficult than the, especially with Fincher work, than the dialogue scenes because

  • Fincher's sort of intense scrutiny of language and intense scrutiny of what people do to

  • each other with how they speak is you know, the multiple layers of meaning, you know

  • it really turns your brain into a knotted mass at the end of it but you know it's fun.

  • It was good to have some romantic scenes in there, come on we needed a bit of...

  • And I heard with Neil Patrick Harris, especially, you guys were in fits of laughter. You kind

  • of have to make it a little bit fun don't you when you're doing these scenes?

  • Well, Neil and I - Neil was just a wonderful guy to work with, he's just a dream sort of

  • partner to work with. He's dead professional and we did have fun and it was you know, we

  • had to do a lot of rehearsal because in order to make something look wild and abandoned

  • and free, it has to be technically quite precise and you have to make sure you - and it was

  • very corrupt. It's not a sex scene like you've ever seen it before. It's pretty corrupt,

  • pretty shocking - the kind of thing my grandmother will probably avert her eyes from. But you

  • know the experience of doing it is obviously very funny because you think 'god, can we

  • go this far? Shall we do this? Will that be too naughty?'.

  • It was very naughty, some of them...

  • And Ben Affleck, wow - working alongside a massive Hollywood star like that - what is

  • he like? Is he a really lovely guy?

  • Well, Ben is probably funnier than people imagine, you know because he's and he's totally willing

  • to sort of laugh at himself and David Fincher would sometimes say to him you know are you

  • not worried about your leading man status at the end of this job? And he said I wouldn't

  • of taking this job if I was worried about my leading man status and he's having this

  • moment in his career where he's, you know acclaimed sort-after as a director, writer

  • and actor and he's got all the confidence that goes with that, which is incredible attractive

  • but without any of the arrogance. He's a great, great collaborator and it was exciting. When

  • you're around someone and they just carry that energy

  • of this success with them I suppose, it's exciting.

Absolute pleasure to meet you.

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