RABBITING ON...

A great talker, brilliant actress, dedicated mum and unapologetic animal lover – as long as that animal is a fluffy bunny rabbit – Rose Byrne opens up to Noosa Style.

Rose BYRNE

WORDS: VIOLET WILDER

SHE MAY HAVE GROWN UP ON THE SUN-KISSED SHORES OF SUNNY SYDNEY - BUT DURING A DEVASTATING BOUT OF 40 DEGREE HEAT WHILE SHOOTING PETER RABBIT, ROSE BYRNE WORRIED FOR HER HEALTH… BUT NOT AS MUCH AS SHE DID FOR IRISH CO-STAR, DOMHNALL GLEESON’S WELLBEING. “I FELT LIKE I WAS BURSTING INTO FLAMES EVERY DAY ON SET,” SHE LAUGHED. “AND I’M AUSTRALIAN, I GREW UP WITH THESE TEMPERATURES - BUT THIS WAS TOO MUCH EVEN FOR ME. AND POOR DOMHNALL’S IRISH - THEY WERE LITERALLY FOLLOWING HIM AROUND WITH FANS THE ENTIRE TIME.”

Rose’s acclimatisation to life in the lens – in the cultural sense, if not the meteorological – has been dynamic, determined and impeccably delivered. In everything she does, the 40-year-old is a pleasing conundrum. Those round dark eyes and porcelain skin give the effect of a pofaced Jane Austen heroine, but Byrne’s go-to setting these days takes on more of a comedic slant. In truth, her career has straddled both sides. Starting out as an angst-ridden, angelic leading lady with roles in Star Wars, Troy and Damages, somewhere along the way Rose reinvented herself as a comedy heavyweight with standout performances in Get Him To The Greek, Bridesmaids, Spy, Peter Rabbit and Instant Family. While girl power release Like A Boss didn’t perhaps commence 2020 with impact she would have hoped for, her return as Bea in Peter Rabbit almost certainly will… both at the box office and at home - Rose is mum to Rocco, four, and Rafa, two, with actor partner Bobby Cannavale, and claims her comic renaissance has been “the joy” in her career. “I think when you have kids you begin to look on drama in a whole new way,” she says. “That mystery and enchantment we all had as youngsters get diluted somewhat as the years go by, almost without us noticing.

Rose is warm though devastatingly sharp at times. Her emergence as a major player in the so-called Gum Leaf Mafia – the delightfully disproportionate number of Australians hitting the top notes in Hollywood – is reward for the dedication she has put into her craft.

“We all get on well and it’s a delight to see the country exporting so many really talented faces to Hollywood. And we’ve been doing it for years.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the connections we have always had with British and US culture. I know people complement me on my English accent but that’s a direct result of growing up watching so much British TV, and that in turn infers there is a real synergy in terms of how we understand each other.

“I think what is also nice though is the fact that whether it’s Margot [Robbie], one of the Hemsworths, Russell [Crowe], Cate [Blanchett], Nicole [Kidman] or anyone else, we always keep our gaze fixed on home and we always come back here, or to New Zealand.”

Indeed, just when her reputation is at its highest, it seems incongruous to prise the actress away from happy times at home.

“Obviously it’s difficult to juggle commitments but it means I cherish our time together all the more. The other thing about Peter Rabbit is it was actually shot in Sydney! Although we live in New York, any excuse to get home we take, as the opportunity to teach the kids first-hand about how incredible Australia is too good to pass up; so it’s the perfect excuse for my family to decamp to Sydney for the summer.”

Asked what she misses most about home, she replies: “The natural beauty - Sydney is the most beautiful city in the world… the beaches, the coastline, the skyline, the weather, the diversity, it’s stunning.

“And as you’ve alluded, the other thing is always to make a movie that my kids can watch someday. That excites me more than anything else, I think.”

Modest Byrne admitted to being totally unprepared for the rigours of parenthood. Help arrives in the form of her grandparents, who live in Tasmania, but when back in the US, her reach is towards friends and, of course, Bobby.

“As I’ve always said, you take each day as it comes. Clearly I could have made the whole situation easier by just stopping work or a whole, but that’s not me and that’s not how I want my children to see the world… as getting in the way of routine.

“I would much rather they feel a part of the routine – that means we can share all of these incredible experiences together. I think we’re mastering it, slowly.”

The one thing Rose hasn’t quite got to grips with yet is the technical nature of liveaction/computer-animation productions.

“I’ll be frank, can be tedious and very technical. Will [Gluck] is the perfect director for a film like Peter Rabbit as keeps that energy high, he keeps you motivated, and that’s so important.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever really get to grips with the demands of interacting with a floating tennis ball, or a man in a blue leotard and a blue stick. There was a lot of ‘look over there, no look that way, what – which way?!’ I’ve discovered a new found sense of respect for that medium of acting. I said I’d never do it again after the first movie because it requires such high energy, technicality and choreography, but knowing it will make my own kids happy someday was enough to get me back!”

ROSE BYRNE QUICKFIRE Q&A

Q: I read that most of your fanmail is for Star Wars, is that true?

ROSE: Yes [laughs] and I was in it for probably a minute-and-a-half - I had one line while standing behind Natalie Portman. And probably 90 per cent of the fan mail I get is for Star Wars. The fans are ridiculously, passionate - it’s crazy.

Q: You did Troy and Star Wars, and then Damages cemented your name before making a 180 and became this comedy star. How did you manage that?

ROSE: Well it was because of Damages - I’d had a stable job for five years and then suddenly I was on my own, not knowing what I was doing next, and I decided I wanted to really push the boundaries and test my strengths, so that’s when I went up for Get Him To The Greek.

I’m sure they were wondering what the hell I was doing there, but Judd Apatow has a freedom about him, he doesn’t like pigeonholing actors, he likes to test them and allow them to go beyond their perceived image.

So I basically harassed my agents after Damages, saying I really wanted to do some comedy because I hadn’t done any, I was just known for very heavy, serious work. So Get Him to the Greek was my comedy break and then I got Bridesmaids on the back of that, and it’s gone from there.

Q: There is lots of talk of a Bridesmaids reunion? Would you consider that?

ROSE: If all those amazing women were coming back, I mean of course I would too but it depends on a lot of things and is it just nice to leave it where it is. I have really great memories of working with those girls and, again, it was one of my first comedy roles, I feel like I learned a lot on that job, from Melissa, from Kristen, Judd, Paul [Feig]. I never thought it would be as big as it was; I don’t know if anyone expected it. So, you know, who knows?