- 2 months ago
Kirby talks about the controversial love affair between Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend.
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00Hey everyone! Thank you for turning in to another episode of In Studio. Today we have
00:07special guest, Vanessa Kirby. How are you? I'm good. I'm quite jet-lagged by myself.
00:12Yeah, you were just telling me you were jet-lagged. What is the time difference again?
00:16Well, it's eight hours in London ahead, but it's 16 hours in Sydney, and we were just in Sydney.
00:21You were just in Sydney. Yeah, just being wheeled out, doing mad press. I honestly lost my mind,
00:26and I forgot what I said to who. I think I might have repeated myself with the same person quite a lot.
00:31First off, I want to start off by telling you I'm team Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend,
00:36just like the public was back then. Before we jump into season two, in telling their story in season
00:43one, how familiar were you with their story? Knew nothing. Okay. I didn't even know his name. I
00:50didn't even know it happened. Is that terrible? I didn't know it happened. Do you know what I mean?
00:54I actually got so attached to them that I was doing a play just as I finished that season,
00:59and someone in the cast went, oh my god, my dad has a letter for some reason. I can't remember quite
01:05the link that Peter had written to Margaret, and she brought it in. I had it in my hands,
01:09and I was really emotional. I just love them, and they're so sweet. Reading his autobiography killed
01:18me just how much he loved her. I think they really, really did really love each other. It's so tragic,
01:23and I'm actually really proud that it got, it's kind of in the public memory. Did I repeat myself?
01:29Not yet. What do you think it was about their, I guess, forbidden love story back then,
01:34where the public was for them, and why fans watching the series who had no idea about it
01:39are in favor of them as well? Because it's that-
01:42I'm speaking for everyone, because I-
01:44Yeah, I mean, you guys, everyone. Yeah, some people aren't the answer yet. Maybe? Do you think?
01:49I think some people thought he was too boring for her.
01:52I guess so.
01:52Too stable, you know, like a father figure type. I don't know, some, I heard some things about,
01:57I mean, a lot of-
01:58Back then?
01:58Yeah. In her circle.
02:02And always thought she should be with, but I loved that, actually. I loved that she went for somebody.
02:05I really noticed that, actually, when we were at all the family occasions,
02:08like filming the coronation and the wedding and the funerals and stuff.
02:12Clara and Matt always had their little sidekits, you know, Philip and Elizabeth, and mine was like
02:16five rows back, in the middle of all the extras, like away from, you know, they were always in the
02:21back with the guests. You know, he was always there and never, we were never a unit. And I just thought,
02:25she still fought for it. She still waited. She must have really loved him. I think the fact that
02:29he was almost like an underdog, but also that she wasn't allowed to do it. I think I've definitely
02:33felt so-
02:35It's so heartbreaking.
02:36It's insane.
02:37Yeah, that's crazy.
02:38What, just because he's married someone else before? Can you imagine?
02:41Legally, not because of love, that makes me really angry. I was angry and I, and actually get,
02:46I love it when people get angry with me because they've watched it. I felt really pleased. Team Marx.
02:50Yeah. Now it's interesting because a lot of people are like afraid to spoil shows,
02:56but all of this really happened. So when you, when you see people in the public and fans of the
03:01show, what are those interactions like? Um, well, firstly, I never, ever get recognized,
03:05so I never meet any fans. Do you like that though? Like not getting recognized? Um, yeah,
03:11I mean, it's, I'm honest, I'd never, once in a Spanish supermarket, once, which is weird.
03:17What did they say to you? I don't know because you said it in Spanish, but then she said Margaret.
03:21I mean, she could have thought I was like a long lost cousin or something. Anyway, she took a picture.
03:26Most of the time people, people connect with it and, and, um, we never expected it. And, um,
03:31what's been really amazing is the amount of how kind of universally it's received. It's been in the
03:38sense of, I think it's because it's about human beings in this, in this family that they're in a
03:42really weird set of circumstances as opposed to, oh, it's a comment on class or either being glorifying
03:49them or being really critical of them. It's sort of like, wow, let's look at this family that we
03:53don't know about, um, lived through some quite brutal, brutal things that you wouldn't expect.
03:58Yeah. Now you grew up in London. Was the fascination for the royal family, like growing up,
04:02was that all always around you or is that an outside kind of thing? Boring. Yeah. But yeah, I'm,
04:08I'm glad in a way that it sort of like revived an interest in them because I think, you know,
04:12the queen's been around for so long that you just never, you just, she's part of the furniture.
04:16Do you know what I mean? It's like, well, that's just the queen on the front page of the newspaper,
04:19but like what's she doing now? Shaking someone's hand. But to remember her as a 25 year old girl that,
04:24you know, his father had a terminal illness and she didn't know about it, died very suddenly,
04:28and then had to take on this weird duty. Um, yeah. When you just, when you don't want it.
04:34Another thing I found out and when researching is that Princess Margaret is no longer alive.
04:40Yeah. Someone else in the interview the other day, like, how do you think she feels about it?
04:44And I was like, oh, my fingers up. I was, I just had to go.
04:48Do people ask that? Cause I know Claire gets that a lot. Like,
04:50has, have you heard from the queen or the family, but you can't hear from her cause she's not around.
04:56Hey, um, so, uh, what Margaret, I know. Princess Margaret.
05:00You're having living like rolling in the grave. Um, no, I don't, I don't, I'm sure she'd be very
05:05withering about it no matter what. Oh, I wouldn't ever do that.
05:09Really?
05:09Yeah. I can imagine so. She has such a dry humour.
05:12It's very Margaret of her, yeah.
05:13Yeah. Someone was like, would you like to sit next to her at dinner party? I was like,
05:15I would love to, but I think I'd be terrified. I really think I'd be terrified.
05:20One thing I know you've talked about before and Claire has talked about is kind of nailing the,
05:24the posh accent because it's quite different. And Claire mentioned saying, especially the word
05:30one. And she said, she said she had to say it repeatedly after every take. Was there a word
05:35that you kind of had to practice extra? It was sort of, cause she says one.
05:39Cause Margaret has quite, quite good, like quite powerful lines throughout.
05:43Yeah. Yeah. Uh, yeah. So you have to try and always like, yeah. Um, well, she says one.
05:50So that's why she's from Manchester, but I don't say that. So I never did the one.
05:53Okay. But, um, we did all fall into this weird habit of all speaking in it on set.
05:58Yeah. Must have pissed the crew off so much. Really?
06:01Yeah. I mean, I couldn't, I walk onto set and I'd have to start speaking like this
06:05and saying things like actually, you know, making sure you don't say the, the Y on the end.
06:10Yeah. And things like, um, crown, ground is the O is the crown instead of,
06:15I got nailed for that all the time. Crown. Cause we said the crown, you know,
06:19did you know, no, no, you, you, things like that. Blah.
06:23That's great. Uh, no, in season two, where we first see Margaret, she's kind of rolling up,
06:28rolling out of bed, talking to Elizabeth and she meets her, Elizabeth, meets up with Elizabeth.
06:32Elizabeth points out that she's still drunk from the night before.
06:36Do you think it is that sorrow that has carried over into season two and kind of capturing that?
06:43Definitely. Because, um, I mean, literally the last time you see her in season one,
06:47she's saying, and the Peter on the day actually rewrote those lines. She says,
06:51I'll never forgive her when she says that today.
06:53Oh yeah. That's the last line. Oh my God.
06:57The one before that, you know, when she says to Elizabeth, um, when he says,
07:01when she says you can't marry Peter and she says, but don't you understand? I'm,
07:03I'm lost without him. I'm unhinged. I'm flailing about whatever that means.
07:07So to actually say to your sister, I, I'm, I'm scared of being unhinged.
07:11I have potential to be unhinged and admitting that that felt like the sort of the beginning,
07:17the foundation of where we started season two. Um, and actually it was really exciting to play
07:22because I always knew Margaret had it in her. So it was amazing to have the opportunity to really,
07:26at least for a little bit in episode four, really explore her, her darkness and what,
07:31where her psyche can go and also trying to recover from that.
07:35Speaking of episode four, uh, it was a great episode for you, but it was also,
07:39it did touch, touch on the, the carrying of her sorrow and kind of the darkness.
07:44And she rushes into this engagement with this awful Billy.
07:48Yeah. Um, but Elizabeth approved of him.
07:52Can you kind of talk about that episode? And then you,
07:55you do meet Anthony and kind of that journey for Margaret.
07:58Yeah. So the, I really had to understand why she would get engaged with somebody like Billy
08:03Wallace. Like I couldn't, I spent ages trying to get my head around.
08:06I was like, what the hell? And then I Googled it. I was like, did this really happen?
08:09Yeah, it happened. Right. And so like realistically trying to find,
08:13you literally just laughed in like disbelief. Um, so.
08:17Because it happened rather quickly, but I think that was just because of that.
08:19It did. She just did it. Right. So I was like, ah, I was like, so it happened.
08:23But if you wrote it, you'd be like, well, that wouldn't happen. So the fact that it did,
08:26I really had to try and find the realism behind it. But I think, um, what I thought was, okay,
08:33so this is somebody that has pushed so hard against the establishment to do something different,
08:36to break the, break the rules, to do something and didn't succeed, having waited. He's been
08:41banished. I mean, horrendous. And then she goes, okay, right, fine. One last try. I'm going to try
08:46and go with the establishment. I'm just going to, this is who I am. I didn't give up my title and
08:50privileges. I'm going to go with somebody that's aristocratic and my family approve of. And it
08:54backfires so horribly. After that, she's like, I'm done with this. And I think in her heart,
08:59like she's always wanted, she's so essentially, we're all like the grandest of everybody. And yet,
09:03she also doesn't want to be it at all. So fighting that identity within herself,
09:07suddenly Tony comes along and represents this whole other part of, unexplored part of her,
09:12who, which is dangerous and really rebellious and sexy and sort of electric. And he represents this
09:19kind of rogue rebellion, swinging 60s London that she just goes like, oh my god,
09:24maybe this is the answer. So it was also quite an interesting thing.
09:28And then it ends up not being the answer.
09:29Well, of course not. But you know, I was hoping in a way in my head, I was like, maybe it's like,
09:34Yeah, but then I looked it up. Yeah, I didn't.
09:36Yeah, I didn't, I know. Like, you know, in Jack and the Titanic, I was like, don't,
09:39he's not going to die in this time. I know he's not. But you know, I really wanted it to be the
09:44sort of Romeo and Juliet thing. I kept saying that to Ben the director. I was like, yes,
09:47I'm so happy she's got someone just because I love her and I really want her to. And Ben's like,
09:51hmm, it's not, it's not. And actually, I realized that she's meeting him when she's probably in like
09:56the most painful place of her life. And so is he, as we see with his mum. And so you get two people
10:01meeting with their wounds really open. And how does that start? And why? And you know, I think a
10:07really telling moment is when Peter says he's going to remarry, which killed me all the day. I hated
10:12reading that letter. But the fact that she straight away says, I need to marry, I need to marry Tony,
10:18I need to do it quickly, I need to do it now. You know, it's not, it's not the salvation that
10:23she's looking for. And yeah, just Wikipedia, we know how it ends. I heard he used to read,
10:28like later on, this is for the actress that gets to do it next. He left notes around her house saying,
10:33I hate you. Can you imagine? Yeah.
10:37Are you kind of happy? You don't have to
10:42be part of that storyline of showing the divorce in the next season?
10:45No, I'd love to. I was really hoping there'd be some massive
10:49blowout argument. I could smash some plates and throw things at him. And I said to Peter,
10:54I was like, are you sure? I'm not even in episode 10. He was like, no, that's the next chapter.
10:59So we had to try and set up the relationship for someone to be able to really go there,
11:03which is going to be so fun. Now, I know Olivia Colman is playing Queen Elizabeth,
11:08who is playing Princess Margaret. Do you know yet? Or can you say?
11:11I can't, I don't know. You don't know? I literally don't know. I don't think they know yet.
11:15Okay. I think they're talking to people, but I had lunch with Peter Morgan recently. I was like,
11:19so can you, is there anyone you know? Give you a hint?
11:22I won't know. He was like, no, because you'll tell everyone. And I would. So he's actually done
11:27himself like great service. You would tell me right now.
11:30I would literally be like, I'd have to. I'd have to. I can't ever keep anything,
11:34as you can probably tell. I mean, who do you want to take over those shoes?
11:38I don't know that either. Really? I've never even thought. Yeah.
11:41Because if you, imagine if you did, either way. I'm trying to think of who, yeah.
11:44And said it, you know, said it to everyone. And then it's someone not like that. And then,
11:47yeah, no. You offend everybody.
11:49I just leave that to Nina Gold, because Nina Gold is so incredible. I just trust her completely.
11:53Do you, why, who do you think? I don't think of anyone. Exactly. It's really hard though, right?
11:58I can't. I can't. It's tough, yeah.
11:59Do you, do you watch the episodes now? And then do you plan on watching it when you're not on the show?
12:03In the future. And what do you plan on watching in the future seasons? Yeah. I think definitely.
12:07Because it'll be, I'm sure it'll be all the same crew, same directors, and it's going to be really
12:12lovely to watch how it evolves. And I think it's, it's, it was always a sort of like, it felt, um,
12:18we had no idea how it would be received. No. We had no idea whether it would turn out,
12:22whether it would be like the worst thing ever, or something quite good, or whether like my granny
12:26would like it, no one else. You know, we had no, literally no idea. And what I feel like Peter's
12:30really great at, he's, he does push things. It's like, at the time we didn't know, I remember
12:34him being like, I don't think anyone's going to watch this because the election is four days before,
12:38like no, everyone's going to be depressed and no one's going to want to watch this show. And so we
12:44didn't, so I suppose it's always an unknown and I suppose recasting everybody is an unknown thing,
12:51but really brave and bold and cool and innovative. And so I'll be watching it to see how, I guess it,
12:58what it requires you to do is suspend your disbelief. And I suppose it does anyway,
13:01doesn't it? Because it goes, okay, you guys have to try and just pretend to yourself that we are
13:06actually a royal family in this 10 hours of a vision, which we clearly know.
13:10You know, I know Peter has always had an intent for this, an intent for this series and a vision for
13:15it. Do you see it lasting as long as the modern day royal family? Do you see Prince Harry and Meghan
13:22Markle being in it? I think so. I think it will get up to that point. Do you know what I mean?
13:27I think Peter has said that or indicated slightly, but I had to think of it. Like,
13:31who's going to play Trump and stuff? Yeah, exactly. What about what's going on with
13:36Mission Impossible 6? What excited you most with the project right when you joined?
13:41Just how different it was with everything I've done. And I've never done an action movie,
13:45my God. And like, it required a lot of physical training that I was like really bound to be.
13:49I mean, the first time I went out with the trainer, it was in Paris and I was,
13:53I was worse than I thought I was. I mean, I was literally like,
13:57I was always last in running race anyway at school. So like, I was trailing behind her,
14:02like wheezing. But it was, it was cool kind of pushing yourself in that way.
14:06That's true. And watching someone like Tom,
14:08who's like so professional and so on it and so committed and so lovely to everybody.
14:13It was like a just, it was a completely different set going in and getting sort of in that whole
14:19world. It was just utterly different and going home and filming at the same time, The Crown,
14:23which is just, yeah. Now because it's Mission Impossible 6, it's obviously not a surprise,
14:27but your character has a lot of action scenes. So you just revealed something exciting for fans.
14:32That was a good tidbit. Was it? Was it? Oh, at least it was something.
14:35You have a knife and you have a lot of action scenes at Tom.
14:37Well, yeah. And you trained a lot. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
14:41So what do you want to say to fans before we go?
14:43Um, just, I really hope you like the second season and, um, yeah.
14:47And did you just join Twitter? Because you haven't tweeted yet.
14:50No, I don't do Twitter. I do Instagram. You don't tweet. Okay.
14:53Yeah. I just don't have it. I never know what to say in 160. I have way too much on nothing.
14:58Do you know what I mean? And so I just post silly pictures mainly of Margaret. I'm really obsessed.
15:03Do you know what? Maybe like my whole career, I'll just post pictures of Margaret.
15:06That's a great... I think that's going to happen. Like, I'm worried.
15:09Like, I said the other day I was a Margaret pervert and I definitely am. Is that wrong?
15:14I don't know. You know it. No, I don't think so. Are you? No, no, no, no.
15:18Oh, horrifying. Horrifying. Horrifying. I mean, yeah. Bless her. Love you.
15:23Anyways, thanks for watching news. See ya.
Comments