Rose Byrne has “given up” trying to predict how her films will perform.
Rose Byrne doesn’t worry about box office success
The 46-year-old actress has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, but Rose wasn’t sure how the psychological drama film was going to be received.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rose shared: “I’ve given up trying to figure out what will resonate and what won’t. But I knew it was extraordinary and special, and I just knew it was an opportunity. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I cannot mess this up’.
“It’s a gift for an actress. And I got to try everything: I was stretched. I was challenged — and in a feature film, too, which is so rare to get this opportunity.”
The Mary Bronstein-directed movie tells the story of a psychotherapist who has to care for her daughter, who has a pediatric feeding disorder.
Rose appreciated having so long to prepare for the complex role.
She explained: “We had a long rehearsal period, [Mary] and I, which was incredible.
“For five weeks, we worked together, like three days a week, just poring over the script, going through every line and sharing stories. And I was obsessed with, who was this character before? There’s very little information given. Like, who was she before this? Why is she reacting like this? This is my kind of detective homework.
“Also, the film is obviously very heavy and dealing with challenging stuff, but in between, [there’s] levity. You have a child on set, so we’re keeping it light and always trying to keep that energy in the air. And it also moved so quickly: We shot in 26 days, [we had a] tiny budget, so it’s two takes, maybe three. It felt like a tightrope.
“The whole experience was thrilling, but in a kind of terrifying way.”
Rose actually feels fortunate that Mary approached her to star in the film.
The actress shared: “She can speak more to it, but it was a very personal story to her. It was very much a personal expression of something she’d gone through.
“I think after that, she started to think about, who could bring these characters to life? … I just honestly could not believe it had come my way. I just thought, ‘This is incredible,’ and she’s a fierce personality, and she made this movie happen, and the character is really the film, and the film is the character, so an acknowledgment of this performance is really, truly, for me, an acknowledgment of the film.
“The film is amazing. It’s a piece of art. It is singular, and it will live on.”