Rose Byrne: It’s intimidating playing a British icon like Beatrix Potter

The actress stars in Peter Rabbit, out March 16
Icon: Rose Byrne reveals feeling 'intimidated' starring as British icon Beatrix Potter
Jennifer Ruby9 March 2018
The Weekender

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Rose Byrne says she is nervous about how British cinemagoers will react to her depiction of Beatrix Potter in the new Peter Rabbit film.

The Australian actress, 38, plays a character called Bea, an artist who is loosely based on the author of the tales and acts as a mother figure to Peter in the live action animation.

She stars opposite Domhnall Gleeson, who plays the nephew of the fearsome Mr McGregor. James Corden voices Peter.

Byrne told the Standard: “She’s such a beloved figure. I was most nervous about the British reception because she’s such a national treasure here, so that was the most intimidating thing. I just wanted to honour that and make sure everybody was happy.

“I was one of those little kids who just loved her and was completely transported by her magical world and her intense imagination. I even had a pet rabbit, I was very into it.”

Byrne, who rose to fame in American films including Bridesmaids and the X-Men franchise, said it was important to her to get the English accent right: “She’s such an iconic, legendary figure so I just wanted to capture that spirit and so I wanted to make sure I did a convincing job.”

Beatrix Potter: Rose Byrne stars in the upcoming Peter Rabbit film (Getty Images )
Getty Images

The supporting cast of voice actors includes Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki, but Byrne did not get to meet them until after filming. “There were some fantastic people voicing some of the rabbits but it was very separate,” she said. “I got to spend time with Margot and Elizabeth Debicki and Corden when we were doing the press, which was really fun.”

She added that acting opposite characters she could not see made her feel like a child again. “It’s like returning to your childhood, performing these stories with imaginary people around,” she said.

“It could get a little tedious some days but you figure it out. It’s just a different type of scene. Will Gluck is a really great director, he was really high-energy and moved things really fast. You kind of need this on this type of shoot, moving things on and not letting things get stale and old.”

Peter Rabbit is out next Friday.

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