"My dad never went anywhere without a jar of marmalade"
Emily Mortimer is taking on the role of Mary Brown from Sally Hawkins
StudioCanal
- Laura Rutkowski
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What was it like taking over the role of Mary Brown from Sally Hawkins?
I was asked at the beginning of last year, and it wasn’t a decision I took lightly. They’re such big shoes to step into. I admired and loved Sally’s performance in the films, as everybody did, so I wondered if there was a way I could even begin to compete with that, because it was so perfect and beautiful. It was nerve-racking, but also impossible to say no, because I would feel so churlish to say no to Paddington. It felt like the honour of a lifetime to be asked.
Did you relate to Mary Brown at all?
When you meet the Browns in this film, they’re about to become empty-nesters and they’re going through the accompanying stresses and strains that puts on a marriage, where you’re stuck with each other and you blame each other for the children not wanting anything to do with you. I was very understanding of that position. Hugh [Bonneville] and I both have children that have left home. The middle-aged married banter came very easily.
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You worked with Ben Whishaw on Mary Poppins Returns. Were you in touch during filming despite him not being on set?
We got very close playing brother and sister in Mary Poppins Returns. I didn’t really talk to him about Paddington at all, but I felt very close to him all the way through filming Paddington in Peru. I felt his spirit somehow. It was a very intimidating environment as the newcomer, but I would calm myself down by imagining Ben and having a conversation with him, and then it was all right.
It was nerve-racking, but also impossible to say no, because I would feel so churlish to say no to Paddington.
Was it difficult not having an actual Paddington Bear to act alongside?
Often in acting, there’s CGI and I’m talking to a tennis ball or something, which is challenging! With a lot of films where stuff is added in post-production it can feel like there’s no magic to it at all, it just feels like computer fakery. But Paddington isn’t like that. The animators are so invested in it and such artists themselves.
Did you enjoy the Paddington books as a child?
Oh, yes, I really did. What I remember is being delighted by the marmalade sandwiches under his hat. It’s such a strange and amazing image that stayed with me. I love marmalade. It’s almost like a vice. If I’m really hungover, my go-to is Mother’s Pride white toast with lots of butter and lots of marmalade. I could get through ten slices of that easily. Marmalade has always been a big thing in my family. My dad [the playwright and barrister John Mortimer] never really went anywhere without a jar of marmalade, even on holiday.
What’s something important you’d keep under your hat at all times?
My husband and my children! Also wherever I am in the world, I find an app that can get me on to Radio 4 or the BBC World Service. Radio 4 reminds me of home, and of my dad — Desert Island Discs and the Today programme were always on. I also love a bath. If I could take those wherever I went in the world, I’d be OK.
What does the idea of home mean to you?
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Home is a complicated thing for all of us, but especially for people like me who don’t live where they grew up. My home is in New York with my family, but I’m also very connected to London and England, and all my family and friends who live there. That’s partly why Paddington resonates so much, because he belongs everywhere and kind of nowhere. Home is where the people I would put under my hat are.
Authors
Laura Rutkowski
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