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Kelly Macdonald as Gina in The Girl in the Café.
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HBO:
So Kelly, how did you first get involved with the project?
Kelly Macdonald:
I was sent the script and was told, you know, Richard Curtis, and I just, oh ho! Because I know Richard, vaguely, and so that was quite a happy meeting. And I read it, and I really loved it. And David Yates I know from "State of Play," the director. I know Hilary, the producer, and Bill, obviously, from "State of Play," too.
So it was both kind of comforting to go in and audition, and also kind of terrifying because I knew everybody in the room. At least if people don't know you, you can sort of try and pretend to be more sophisticated, or... [LAUGHS] Funny or something. They all kind of knew all my tricks, so....
HBO:
What was your initial reaction to the script?
Kelly Macdonald:
Richard is just such an incredible man, and such a clever writer that you are completely intrigued by these two people. They're both so different. But they're similar in the fact that they're both quite uncomfortable in their own skin. And I think that's what sort of pulls them together.
HBO:
Tell us a bit about, about Gina and how she comes to meet Lawrence.
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"I think he finds in her somebody that he can relax with, and somehow she understands him. She's the first person that's really stopped and paid attention to him. And they just seem to get it with each other, I think." |
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— Kelly Macdonald
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Kelly Macdonald:
Well, it's called The Girl in the Café, and they meet in a café. And it's just a case of the café is completely jammed full of people, and Bill's character's got no choice but to sit at the same table as somebody. And he sits at the same table as Gina, my character, and it's that awkward thing where somebody is sitting that close, and as soon as you make a bit of eye contact you feel like you've got to go, oh...[LAUGHS] And say something. It's the really unlikely sort of coming together of people.
HBO:
And what sort of a girl is Gina?
Kelly Macdonald:
She's an enigma. She doesn't give a lot away about herself. And you're aware that she's got a past, and a past that hasn't been the happiest, but she doesn't sort of carry that around with her too much. I don't know if she's running away, but she manages for quite a while to get by and to get along with Lawrence without revealing too much about herself.
HBO:
What do you feel is the sort of overriding attraction between the two of them?
Kelly Macdonald:
I think he finds in her somebody that he can relax with, and somehow she understands him. She's the first person that's really stopped and paid attention to him. And they just seem to get it with each other, I think.
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Bill Nighy and Kelly Macdonald in The Girl in the Café.
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HBO:
And what's her reaction to Lawrence's job, what Lawrence does?
Kelly Macdonald:
When they meet, she's not aware of what he does for a living. And I think she is surprised, because it's not a top position in government, but he works with all these powerful people. And so I think she's quite sort of taken aback. And interested in what his life is all about, what his working life means.
She's naive in a way about these complicated political issues, she sees them quite simply and asks quite pointed questions that kind of cut through all the nonsense. And so she's your average person on the street really, I think. [LAUGHS]
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"She's naive in a way about these complicated political issues, she sees them quite simply and asks quite pointed questions that kind of cut through all the nonsense. And so she's your average person on the street really, I think." |
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— Kelly Macdonald
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HBO:
How's it been working with Bill Nighy?
Kelly Macdonald:
I love Bill Nighy. I'm so lucky with this job. I was lucky to work with him in "State of Play." And I remember, actually, I said to him that we had been doing some scene or other, and he was doing his thing, and I remember watching him and thinking, god, I hope this isn't the last time I get to work with him. So this was just a joy.
HBO:
It is such an awkward, stumbling sort of relationship, isn't it?
Kelly Macdonald:
Yeah, well Bill and I already have the friendship and everything there. So, actually, we had to make things awkward, which is quite good. Which has been really enjoyable. A challenge.
HBO:
Apparently Hugh Grant said there is a precision and rhythm to Richard Curtis' writing that helps with the performance. Have you found that to be true?
Kelly Macdonald:
Absolutely. Richard had helped him, I think for "Love Actually," he had a read through just to hear everything, so that was the only other thing I'd read of his. And then he's just so clever, everything means something. He puts a lot into all the dialogue. And you see things come up again and again. So he's got a definite style. But it's such an easy job, I would love to pretend that it's been hard work, a real struggle to achieve these emotions, but it's a gift.
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