Interview: Morfydd Clark On ‘David Copperfield’ and the Horror Community
2020 was set to be Morfydd Clark’s year. With scene-stealing dual performances in Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’, a small but key role in Craig Roberts’ festival hit ‘Eternal Beauty’ and a phenomenal, potentially career-making turn in Rose Glass’ highly anticipated ‘Saint Maud’ (which was acquired by A24 directly after its TIFF 2019 premiere), it seemed like this would be the Welsh actress’ breakthrough year after nearly half a decade spent playing bit parts in films such as 2014’s ‘The Falling’ and 2016’s ‘Love & Friendship’. But then, just a few short weeks before ‘Saint Maud’‘s planned April release, the world came to a complete and sudden halt.
With theaters shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both A24 and StudioCanal had no choice but to delay the theatrical release of ‘Saint Maud’ to October 9 in the UK and a still undetermined date in the US – although a listing on the Alamo Drafthouse website has it dated for September 25. Meanwhile, ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ was quietly released in theaters and drive-thrus on August 28, while ‘Eternal Beauty’ is currently set for an October 2 VOD release in the UK and the US.
Film Updates spoke to Clark, who has been quarantining in New Zealand where she is set to film Amazon Prime’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ prequel series (“That’s the one thing I’m not allowed to talk about,” she says apologetically), about everything from playing two roles in the same movie to working with Tilda Swinton to the frustrations of the ‘Saint Maud’ release delays. Read part one of our exclusive interview below:
Film Updates: So I wanted to talk to you about ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’. Can you tell me a bit about the casting process? Did you audition for both roles initially? How did that come about?
Morfydd Clark: No, I did a tape for Dora and I did it with my friend who I went to drama school with. He’s very good at comedy and so I think I was very lucky to do it with him because he’s hilarious and very much suits the dynamic of the film. So I was very lucky to have him. I did a tape and then I was asked to go and meet Armando [Iannucci, director of ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’]. I was quite nervous about this because it was just for a meeting and I’m always much more nervous when I have to talk and my personality has to show instead of just doing an audition because it’s like ‘No, now if I don’t get it, it’s because I have a bad personality!’ (laughs) and I went and had lunch with him and he was like, ‘So I’d like you to play Dora’ and I was kind of like, ‘Oh my God!’ because I didn’t know that was kind of in the works and then he was like, ‘And I’d like you to play Clara too’ and I just basically kind of under-reacted because I so wanted to scream, I was like ‘Hm, okay’ like really serious and cool about it. But then after I said goodbye, I went to the toilet and had a little scream about it.
F: Did you film your parts as Clara and Dora chronologically or did you have to switch between both roles during the filming process?
M: I felt really lucky that we shot it in order. My first day was the first scene where Clara was giving birth and they made sure not to overlap the characters at all, which was quite good.
F: The cast list is pretty much a who’s who of incredible talent. You’ve got Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi. What was it like working with all of these incredible actors?
M: Well, I still feel like a newbie even though I think I’m starting to maybe establish myself in a way that kind of still feels odd, but I just felt like I was constantly trying to like not be creepy [on set] because I was with all these people that I’ve watched so much and know stuff about! But that first day really relaxed me because well, first of all I had no lines. I was basically just screaming and giving birth and I basically had Daisy May Cooper, who plays Peggotty, and Tilda Swinton, who plays Betsey Trotwood talking about their birthing stories and kind of giving me tips about what it’s like to give birth. So it was just amazing. Every day was kind of quite freaky, like a “pinch me” moment, but also I think when you go to drama school, there’s a sense of like ‘[your experience on set] has to be hard’ and ‘you have to feel it’ and ‘it has to be difficult’ but just watching these people who I think are wonderful, who have done it for years and years and years, just having a joyful time was really good for me to let go of the idea that you have to be [a serious actor] and to just have fun. And that’s also a testament to Armando because the set was very relaxed and he allowed people to have moments of fun. That’s how he gets the performances he does because I think everyone feels very comfortable to add things or to try things. So yeah, the ease to which that they do their work was really wonderful to see.
F: The representation and diversity in this film is amazing as well. And it feels so groundbreaking, because you don’t usually get to see this kind of representation in a period drama.
M: Yeah, I think it’s how period dramas should be cast unless there’s a narrative reason that it shouldn’t.
F: So obviously, this is such a beloved novel. I genuinely have memories of reading it when I was young and I imagine it means a lot to so many people. I feel like this was such a great adaptation and it was such a beautiful film as well.
M: I really think it’s an anarchic film. It also follows the way of living that I want to [follow] as well in that it’s about creating a community that is safe for everyone and in that way, I think it’s kind of the most anarchic film that I’ve done. I’d already been cast in ‘Saint Maud’ when I was doing [‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’] and doing that story where it’s all about people looking after each other and making space for people’s eccentricities and shortfalls, it kind of amplified the world that Maud lives in [for me], which is like much more similar to what we know now. Who knows what she would have been like if she’d been around a group of people who accepted her?
F: You’ve played a number of iconic and beloved characters, such as Mina in Dracula, Dora and Clara of course, and now Galadriel in Lord of the Rings. How do you approach these types of roles? Do any type of research beforehand or try to immerse yourself in the source material?
M: I think just as soon as I’m cast in something, I kind of have the character in my head. It’s not necessarily conscious but they’re just always there, and I feel with ‘Saint Maud’ that I was really lucky that for various reasons, we didn’t film for months. So I had her in my mind and I was filming ‘David Copperfield’ and then ‘Eternal Beauty’, which also kind of has similar themes and I was just kind of imagining how she’d react to every situation that I was in and I kind of feel that – I don’t feel that I’m a transformative actor. I feel that I play versions of myself. So it’s more that every time I get cast in something, I feel that they are there as a little friend in me until I [finish filming].
F: So I want to talk about Saint Maud for a bit. Can you believe it’s almost been a year since it debuted at TIFF?
M: No, it’s really weird because this year’s felt – I can’t believe it’s been like six months since February! It feels like [the year’s] gone [really quickly] but also like it’s been an eternity. It’s a quite weird juxtaposition of feelings!
F: What was the experience of premiering it at TIFF’s Midnight Madness in front of genre fans like?
M: So I had just done the ‘David Copperfield’ premiere the day before, which I found terrifying. I ended up actually fainting during the Q&A, which was just so embarrassing. So I was really jet-lagged and hungry ’cause I hadn’t eaten because I was in this posh dress and I was kind of terrified because I’ve never done anything like a premiere [before] and I was like ‘What if I faint every premiere? What if I’m like a fainter and I can’t deal with this?’ But then going to Midnight Madness was like a real remedy – not that [the ‘David Copperfield’ premiere] was a horrible experience, it was just very big and frightening. But the Midnight Madness crowd was so warm and also so ready to have a good time that it kind of felt like a remedy to what had been a far from ideal first experience. And it’s been really interesting doing the Q&As for ‘Saint Maud’ and I found the Midnight Madness one particularly interesting I am continually realizing just how much of a genius Rose [Glass, director] is by the questions that come up after [people watch it] because there’s stuff that I just hadn’t noticed and that wasn’t on my radar because it kind of wasn’t within my realm. So yeah, it was great and it was also great kind of knowing where the jump-scares come in and seeing the audience react [to them].
F: So the movie’s obviously been delayed several times now because of the pandemic, unfortunately. I can’t imagine what that experience must have been like. I imagine you’re really excited for people to finally get the chance to see it whenever it does come out.
M: Yeah, I am really excited. But I’m also glad it got delayed because I just don’t think it was the right time for it, I think, particularly with the subject matter. it just didn’t feel right. I also want people to see it and for people to be safe of course. But it’s been amazing seeing how the people who saw it in the in the film festival circuit are still so behind it. That’s kind of really lovely to see and it’s just wonderful to see how stories are important to people, particularly now.
F: ‘Saint Maud’ was acquired by A24 in the US. Were you aware of the big A24 following before the movie was purchased by them?
M: I’d seen ‘Hereditary’ and I am massive Florence Pugh fan so I was also really excited for ‘Midsommar’. And also the casting director for ‘Saint Maud’ [Kharmel Cochrane] also cast ‘The Witch’ and she’s wonderful. I kind of didn’t have a job when she was casting ‘The Witch’ and she got me in to read with the little boys when they were auditioning them. So I read the script for that and was kind of like ‘Well, this is really fucked up. Oh my God, I love this.’ So that’s kind of how I discovered A24. I also really have now fallen in love with the horror community because there was a tweet I saw a few months ago that was like ‘My trauma didn’t make me stronger but it definitely made me funnier’ and I think there’s lots of people like that in the horror community online! So I’ve kind of become even more interested in like the main fanbase, not just because of A24, not because of necessarily just their films, but because of the community as well. They’re very interesting, quirky people. I love it.
F: You actually worked with Florence in 2014 on ‘The Falling’, what was that experience like?
Morfydd: Carol Morley, the director of that, is just a brilliant, brave woman and I’m saying she’s brave because almost everyone in that film had never done a job before but she was kind of like ‘No, I want that person. I want that person’. That was Florence’s first job and it was one of my first jobs. She just really believed in us. There was also a lot of feminine energy on that job that I really enjoyed but because I was playing a teacher, I wasn’t allowed to talk to the girls that much because part of that process was that they were all kind of together and I wasn’t among them. So it’s been amazing seeing these people who I met on the brink of adulthood just becoming wonderful people with amazing careers, and I feel very lucky to have done that job.
F: I can’t help but see parallels between ‘Eternal Beauty’ and ‘Saint Maud’, especially between the lead characters. When you read a screenplay, what really makes you want to be part of that movie? What attracts you to the role?
M: I think I’m very interested in society and our responsibility to be kind and to care for people. I was very lucky to do ‘David Copperfield’, ‘Eternal Beauty’ and ‘Saint Maud’. They all explore that and also family. I find fascinating how with David Copperfield, he doesn’t have his biological family anymore but he has a family that creates itself around him. But in ‘Eternal Beauty’, [the main character Jane] has a family and she has a huge amount of support from them but also so much pain. Then in ‘Saint Maud’, you’re like, ‘Where’s her family? What happened there?’ And so I found that really interesting in all of them. I feel that all of those films have made me a kinder, more careful person. That is really the stuff that I want to be involved in, that kind of makes you see the way in which you make ripples in the world and how you’ve got to make sure that they’re gentle ones. I also think that Armando, Craig [Roberts, director of ‘Eternal Beauty’] and Rose are all incredibly empathetic people. That’s what I’d say is common between all of them.
F: So these movies have all premiered almost a year ago, but they’re still very relevant today. How does it feel to have them ready to go but now have to wait for them to come out because of obvious reasons? I’m sure you want people to finally be able to see them.
M: Yeah, it’s nerve-racking. Also ‘Saint Maud’ went down so nicely at festivals that I’m like, ‘Maybe just leave it at that! That’s it! We don’t have to release it!’ I’m definitely nervous about it. I’ve never been a lead in anything before so I don’t know how that’s going to feel like and it is kind of daunting when you have to rev yourself up to it possibly coming out but then it doesn’t so now I’m just kind of like, ‘I’m not going to [think about it] until 24 hours before it’s set to come out!
F: I want to ask about the community of people that kind of built itself around Maud, some who haven’t even seen the movie yet. Why do you think so many people are connecting with and embracing her?
M: I think it’s just the love of the outsider, which I definitely have as well, and how it’s about rooting for the underdog. But it’s really amazing to see. Particularly at this time, I guess it’s kind of really been amplified for me that people are so desperate for content because we love stories and it’s also an exciting time in terms of how lots of people are really excited because this is Rose’s film, and she kind of seems quite different in the world. I think, with horror fans particularly, there’s a thirst for the next push, like ‘Where’s the edge? Where are we going next?’ and it’s really wonderful seeing the value of stories. But also how much more they become once they are released. The Q&As and everything that’s been said online has opened another door in my mind of what Maud represents, and that kind of the story, once you let it out there, becomes so much bigger than when you made it because once it’s in someone else’s mind, it’s kind of expanded again. And I also feel like A24 has created a fanbase that is so passionate and also so up for discussion, which I think is what I found really interesting. With them, it’s not like ‘We like this. We don’t like that.’ It’s like ‘What did you think of this? What did you think of that?’, which I love.
The second part of our interview with Morfydd, in which we discuss ‘Saint Maud’ and ‘Eternal Beauty’ in detail, will be published within the next few weeks.