#snowman interview

Scaring children on film became much tougher, purely emotional, than she had expected.

- The child actors learn their lines and say them in a very honest way. There was one, I do not want to reveal who, who went so deep into his fear that when I looked at him, I could not hold back tears. It was pretty hard to hold back tears when we were about to take the stage, with both faces in close-up, because I saw the fear. And the actor was about as old as your son, right? - Exactly the same.

Rebecca Ferguson made a first breakthrough around the Millennium change, when she was 16-17 years old in the TV 4 soap “New Times”. Then she engaged in other things for a few years, before running on Richard Hobert at a flea market in Simrishamn, where she lived with her partner and her then 4-year-old son Isaac. A week later, she had been given one of the lead roles in his film “A One-Way Ticket to Antibes”. This led to the starring role in acclaimed British television series “The White Queen”. The English language is not a problem for Rebecca, as her mother comes from there. Hollywood has never stopped chasing her ever since. And private life also looks different. Rebecca is secretive about her new husband, just saying that he is an Englishman, is called Rory and is an entrepreneur. Together they now have the daughter Saga, a year and a half.

- I live in London, we have a house in Ridgmont a little outside the city. Then we just bought a farm outside Simrishamn. I travel there as often as I can. Isaac, who is now 12, lives in Simrishamn with his father. Isaac goes to school there and has his friends there. He feels better there than traveling with me all the time. When I’m not filming, I can be there for several months at a time. Now during the fall vacation, Isaac comes to New Orleans, where I will do the next movie.

Despite her star status, few people recognise her if they meet her on the street.- It is perhaps because I like to change looks from film to film. And I have no interest in being a celebrity, even though I think it’s just fun and nice if and when people say something nice or want to take a selfie. I thought most people would recognize me from the “Mission: Impossible” films with Tom Cruise, but most people actually mention “The greatest showman”.

There Hugh Jackman plays the circus director PT Barnum (1810-1891) and she is Jenny Lind (1820-1887), the singer who Barnum launched as The Swedish Nightingale. Rebecca has two great song numbers in the movie. - People say they’ve learned the songs and they like how Jenny Lind is in the film.

Are you nervous about how “Doctor Sleep” will be received?  This is surely your biggest movie role so far? - Definitely, otherwise I’ve played second fiddle against for example Tom Cruise or Michael Fassbender. Have been involved in helping to support them. But nervous … well, I very rarely feel nervous about how films are received. - And that’s Ewan McGregor’s picture on the poster … (laughter).

What were your thoughts on him before you met on set? She giggles a little before answering: - I think I was a little, a little in love with him when I saw “Moulin Rouge!” And the TV series “Lipstick on your collar”, I loved it. - He is an amazing actor when it comes to being normal and simple. Then he can go into the dark at the same time, as in “Trainspotting”, but I do not know if he carries any darkness within him. He doesn’t give away as much, he is very private, which I respect.

As you reading this, she is in New Orleans recording “Reminiscence” against Hugh Jackman and Thandie Newton. - It’s a dark love story. Very intimate relationships. Hugh and I have talked a lot about taking our roles to a new level, where we have never been.

When will we see you in a Swedish movie again? - When a good script comes along. When you make a big movie you get in well with cuddling, so I don’t have to make some movies for the money. A director that I really liked offered me a role, but it was sci fi, I don’t want to do that anymore. And a female director (Lisa Langseth) who is going to do a series for Netflix wanted me, but I want to make a movie for the cinema. After all, I’ve only did it twice in Sweden, Mani Masserat Agah’s “We” and then Hobert’s film.

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