FLARE caught up with Carey Mulligan, the
24-year-old breakout star of An Education, at this year’s
Toronto International Film Festival. Her portrayal of a middle-class
1960’s teen who is swept off her feet by a much older, deep-pocketed
player (played by Peter Sarsgaard, seen left) is not only
heart-wrenchingly convincing, but it also has many linking her to a
certain man named Oscar.
Q: Fashion plays a huge role in the
transformation of your character in this film. What role does it play
in your own life?
A: “I’m working with stylists now, which I’ve
never done before. It’s nice because you don’t have to think very much
about what you’re going to wear. Prada and Miu Miu are some of my
favourites, that’s what I like to wear for events.”
Q: Part of the attraction your character, Jenny, has to
this older man is that he represents a life that she doesn’t have. Is
that foreign appeal something you can to relate to?
A: “I had a strong draw to America when I was a
kid. I’ve always loved New York and thought that’s where I should be.
I had this massive obsession with musical theatre until I was about 13.
I’d walk around with a Les Misérables t-shirt. Literally for
two years, I wouldn’t take it off.”
Q: How does it feel to be part of a movie with so much
buzz surrounding it?
A: “It’s all positive. It means I get to go
places I would never go. I was talking to someone about going to the
premiere [at the Toronto International Film Festival] and I was really
nervous and I had these shoes I couldn’t walk in. I thought my ankles
were going to break. I was just stressed out, and they said, ‘well can
you imagine going to the premiere of a movie you hate?’ Well, yeah,
that’s a good point. It’s nice that people seem to like it.”