Carey Mulligan by Tom Browne

entertainment

“Stories About

Women Are Largely Carey Mulligan talks about her lead role in the new film Suffragette, and the problems still facing women today by to m browne

Untold”

CAREY MULLIGAN

Waiting in London’s Soho Hotel for Carey Mulligan to arrive is a nerve-wracking

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“It’s an amazing role and an amazing cast.” Carey Mulligan (centre, next to Meryl Streep) and the other women behind Suffragette

finally she arrives, dressed in a long floral dress and heavily pregnant (she and her husband, the musician Marcus Mumford, are expecting their first child later this year). She smiles and greets me, and I immediately relax. Far from being intimidating, Mulligan the person is reassuringly…normal. We’re here to talk about her role in Suffragette, which has already caused a buzz of excitement among those who have seen it. Six years in the making and written by British playwright Abi Morgan—who brought the life of Margaret Thatcher to the screen in The Iron Lady— Suffragette begins in London in 1912 and ends with the death of Emily Davidson, whose tragic collision with the king’s horse at the 1913 Epsom 22

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Derby gave the suffragette movement its first martyr. Mulligan plays Maud in the film, a laundry worker and housewife who gets drawn into the movement almost by accident. Although her character is fictional, she’s a useful cipher for the women of that time, who were gradually radicalised by the injustices they witnessed.

experience. I don’t usually confess to being starstruck, but Mulligan’s achievements cast a long shadow: numerous acclaimed performances on stage and screen, Bafta winner, Oscar nominee and ambassador for the charity War Child—all before the age of 30. She must be intimidating in the flesh, surely?

“What’s good about Maud is that she begins the story not involved in the cause at all,” explains Mulligan. “She’s within the boundaries of her social convention. She’s in a Victorian working-class family, she’s a wife and a mother, and she works in the laundry. But she has absolutely no interest in the suffragette movement and absolutely no interest in being

involved in politics. She keeps herself to herself. But through meeting these women and being inspired by them, she finds her voice.” those expecting a gentle piece of heritage cinema might be

surprised by how shocking Suffragette actually is in places. There are scenes of rioting and civil disobedience early 10•2015

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others—are both a shock and an education. Although the basic outlines of the suffragette story are well known, and characters such as Emmeline Pankhurst (played in cameo by Meryl Streep) will be familiar to most, much of the detail is an invaluable history lesson. I ask Mulligan if she was surprised when researching her role. “Yes, a lot of the stuff in the script was surprising to me,” she replies, nodding her head. “I knew about the

on, often filmed in tense close-up with handheld cameras. But this is soon overshadowed by a brutal sequence in which a crowd of women outside Westminster, angry at being told that a change in law to grant women the vote has failed to pass, are set upon by policemen armed with truncheons. Moments like these—and many 24

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hunger strikes, for example, but investigating what that meant and what force feeding meant was eyeopening. And I didn’t really know anything about the destruction of property and communication lines. Also, the act of walking into a gallery and defacing a famous piece of art…well, just imagine walking into the V&A today and taking a knife to

Carey as Maud in Suffragette; (right) marching for women’s rights with Violet (Anne-Marie Duff)

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a lot of people have sat around tables a painting. It would be terrifying! in various production offices and A crazy, terrifying act.” decided it wasn’t financially viable.” So has the women’s movement been overlooked in the teaching of our history in schools? considering Carey Mulligan’s “Well, I remember a page in a career, it’s easy to forget this textbook that was dedicated to social obvious point about sexism. After movements in Victorian Britain, but all, her credits over the past five years it wasn’t something that we went into alone include movies such as Never in great detail. I was talking about this Let Me Go, Shame, The Great Gatsby, recently with Anne-Marie [Duff, who Inside Llewyn Davis and Far From the plays fellow laundry worker Violet]. Madding Crowd. These are some of She remembers very distinctly the best films of the past decade, and covering the suffragettes, but I don’t. would be career highlights for any I certainly didn’t feel, actor. Good judgement as a young woman, and a degree of luck any kind of pride when helps, of course, but “You either it came to voting. It none of Mulligan’s make a lot of wasn’t something I was achievements have anticipating through been easy. compromises my teen years.” “Before I did Far and play roles Indeed, although From the Madding you’re not very Crowd, I hadn’t worked Pankhurst herself keen on, or you for about 18 months,” has inspired many plays, TV dramas, she reveals. “That was have to wait” books and songs, this mainly because there is the first time the wasn’t anything that suffragettes have been depicted on interesting to work on. You either the big screen. Given how gripping make a lot of compromises and play and historically important their story roles you’re not very keen on, or you is, you’d think that the big studios have to wait. would have addressed this oversight “I’ve been incredibly lucky in before now. getting the jobs I’ve done, and I did “I don’t think it’s an oversight at enough work in the earlier part of my all,” Mulligan interjects firmly. “I career to allow me to sit around a bit. think we have a sexist film industry, But that’s a privileged position—not and stories about women are largely many people get to do that.” untold. This is one that’s fallen by When discussing the problems the wayside because of that. I think other, less fortunate female actors 10•2015

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Standout roles: (left) as Daisy in The Great Gatsby and (below) Bathsheba in Far From the Madding Crowd

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tabs on the suffragettes from the start, secretly photographing members and compiling dossiers. The references to today’s debate on surveillance, of course, couldn’t be clearer. “It was the first time the Met used that kind of surveillance, and it was on women,” Mulligan points out. “The whole surveillance culture rolled out from there, from following the suffragette movement. It was the first time they felt that kind of threat.” And we should remember that the devastating film of Emily Davidson going under a horse was the first such clip that went worldwide. The news footage of her funeral—which closes the film—likewise had an enormous global impact. Given that we’re still debating the power of images and the power of global © M ovi estore collecti on Ltd/Alamy / © 20th century fox

“Yes, Ben’s extraordinary,” agrees face, we briefly touch upon the Mulligan with a smile. “It would have Bechdel test. You can try it yourself: think of a film with at least two named been easy to make him a draconian Victorian patriarch, but he added all female characters who talk to each this colour and empathy. Lots of men other about something other than were supportive of the men. Although only suffragette movement, intended as a rough but Sonny represents indicator, it’s amazing “I never felt we the average working how many movies fail. were making man who was brought Thankfully, Suffragette passes—within the first a documentary up in the way that most men were brought up. five minutes. about events He just can’t grasp But as well as the long ago; it’s why his wife is suddenly numerous standout about the way having these ideas.” female performances, it’s also worth things are now” highlighting a couple the contemporary of male ones—not least relevance of the Ben Whishaw as Maud’s husband film is also reflected in another great Sonny, an ordinary workingmale performance—that of Brendan class man dismayed at his wife’s Gleeson, who plays Inspector Steed growing radicalism. of the Metropolitan Police. He keeps

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communications, Suffragette really is a movie for our times. “Absolutely,” agrees Mulligan. “It’s using the framework of 1912 to talk about the period we’re living in today. I never felt like we were making a documentary about events long ago; it’s about the way things are now.” And with that, we shake hands and part. Mulligan, you sense, knows that Suffragette represents some of her finest work as an actor, and should figure prominently in the awards season. Ten years since her debut, her star shows no sign of waning. Now that’s intimidating. Suffragette opens the London Film Festival on October 7 and is released on October 12. For coverage of the LFF, go to readersdigest.co.uk/entertainment

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