< Home / Interview / Critic / Bio / My article in Japanese >

Adam

Coverage by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

Actress Rose Byrne

Story : Adam Raki (Hugh Dancy), an electronics engineer, suffers from a developmental disorder called Asperger syndrome. When a young woman named Beth (Rose Byrne) moves into his apartment building, Adam is quite taken with her. Beth does not know quite how to react to Adam's unconventional overtures, but decides to give him a chance nonetheless. But Beth's parents are apprehensive about their daughter's new romance, which could end the young lovers' relationship before it has a chance to grow.

Opens today July 29, 2009

Runtime:1 hr. 37 min.

Interview with Rose Byrne

Q : What was the thing that gave you the most trepidation or that you were most anxious about?

(Rose Byrne): Well that it was such a huge role and it was going to be a small film with no money. It’s a performance piece essentially, there was nothing really to hide behind in that sense, and that’s a huge responsibility. And just finding the chemistry I suppose with Hugh about why she would fall in love with someone who has a really confronting condition that’s going to make a relationship that much more difficult and how to make that believable, you know that she would…

I’m not saying doesn’t happen but just for me to go, “Okay right, how is this going to work?” But it’s such a testament to the script that it happened more organically. We tried to shoot it pretty chronologically as well, so bit by bit as the story unfolds and they get together, you can kind of see that side of it wasn’t such a challenge. So, I guess initially it was those things.

Q : Kind of the story could be like an average neurotic New Yorker.

(Rose Byrne) : Yeah, I know! You watch that and you go how many people out there are un-diagnosed with Asperger’s you know what I mean? You go, “That reminds me of this person and that person.” Honestly you do, and it’s only recently, like ten years I think, since it’s been diagnosed within the medical community, so it’s still a very new thing and obviously a lot of people are still realizing it and coming forward and all that sort of stuff. So it’s great that it deals with that. But I don’t think the film is really an Asperger’s film per say, it’s more about the human condition I think, because beyond it you can just relate to it regardless of the condition, and think about “Wow my boyfriend does that or my girlfriend does that.”

Q: Had you known anybody who is diagnosed accordingly?

(Rose Byrne): I do. I have a family friend who has Asperger’s so I knew a bit about it yeah, and it’s incredibly difficult. I mean he’s only a teenager so on his parents I’ve just seen what they’ve gone through and everything, and it’s tough.

Q: Back at home?

(Rose Byrne): In Australia, yeah, in Sydney. But I didn’t do too much further research just because Beth was ignorant about the condition so I tried to keep that a bit more organic when she finds out and all that stuff.

Q: Hugh said that on the set he stayed very self contained, and so did you know he was doing that on purpose or were you offended?

(Rose Byrne): No I just thought… He used to read Anna Karenina between takes and I’d be like, “Really? [laughs] What about David Sedaris or something a little lighter?” So I’d bring War and Peace, no I wouldn’t. At the time I think it was such a brutal schedule, we were sort of all a bit delirious at the time, it was very much a whirlwind, and it’s only subsequent to that during this press, I’m like “Oh, Hugh!” He’s a completely different guy; he’s shed that skin and he’s back to himself and he’s animated and engaging and a totally, totally different person.

No, I didn’t really take offense, and I think maybe even at one stage he was like, “Sorry, I’ve just you know…” and he was just apologizing for something and I was like “Oh, no no.” And it’s such a personal thing; I mean he had such a huge responsibility doing this role and portraying someone with this condition, I totally understood, as you should being another actor. You know what I mean; you should respect how someone works and how they get into their zone, and I’m sure I would have done the same thing too. Maybe I was doing a bit of Beth and being too animated, and too in his face.

Q : I guess it isn’t hard to ask if you’re now comfortable with a comedy. I mean that must have been a tough thing to figure out. I’m just curious how you go about doing it in each case; I guess it’s really different with each person, getting it right.

(Rose Byrne) : The comedy do you mean?

Q : The comedy, the humorous side without it seeming forced or without it seeming too “RomCom.” You know, this movie had the balance kind of right.

(Rose Byrne): Yeah it does. It could have descended into being sanctimonious and earnest as well because it deals with this condition, but then you don’t want to make fun of the character either, so it’s a real testament to Max that the tone of it is really good. I think the humor is so important because I think you learn more when it’s funnier, like that becomes a lot clearer. But I personally found it very liberating because I’d been doing Damages which you know, that character’s kind of under siege the whole time, it’s so stressful and she’s just watching her back and she’s paranoid. This role was really liberating because she was spontaneous and eccentric and curious and confident; I loved it. And the more we went on the more I could find the humor in it. And I think that’s what gets better through the relationship, is her kind of humor. She’s sort of got this great kookiness about her.

Q : How different do you think the relationship between Adam and Beth would have evolved had they met in their teenage years?

(Rose Byrne): Wow. In their teenage years? I don’t think it would have gone very far. I think my family friend who has Asperger’s as a teenager and yeah, there have been no relationships on the horizon I don’t think just as yet. So I feel like for someone with Asperger’s it takes just that bit longer to embark on this sort of thing. So I think it probably would have been more of a friendship.

Q : Hugh Dancy said he thought maybe nobody will see this movie and then it got so much attention. What was your feeling going into it?

(Rose Byrne) : I agree. You do something like this, and I’ve done plenty of films like this where you shoot on a wing and a prayer and no money and no sale and you never know. And the odds are against you of course, so when it was accepted to Sundance and then we sold it to Fox Searchlight it was really, truly great. I think it is deserved too, it’s a really great audience film; it’s must better to see it with an audience and everybody’s laughing. It’s very accessible, it’s not an intimidating film, and it’s not really an Asperger’s film, it’s just a film about relationships I think, more than anything else. I guess a romantic comedy if you will. Of course, you finish and you go, “No one’s going to see that.” [laughs] So it’s sort of a miracle we’re here.

Q : Did you step back and think, “What if I had Asperger’s?” I mean I was watching the movie and I was trying to relate to “What if I had it? How would I react?” when I was looking at the film. So did you ever find yourself ever?

(Rose Byrne): I did, yeah, and there are bits and moments where he’s alone and he’s so scared and he can’t communicate, you know when she’s knocking on the door trying to get him to come for that first drink or whatever, and I did. You feel like, as someone without Asperger’s, I still have so many insecurities and neuroses about social things and stuff like that, and have moments where you kind of freak out, but it’s really nothing relative to this, which is obviously a much more serious thing. I guess it puts that in perspective.

Q : What was it like working with Peter Gallagher?

(Rose Byrne) : Oh it was great, he was lovely. He brought such a swagger – he was so well cast I thought – and presence to the role, he was wonderful. And he really embraced me as his daughter, he was right into it. And he’s really funny; my favorite scene in the film is at the Cherry Lane Theatre where Hugh meets them and then he goes on this rant about the Cherry Lane Theatre and they’re standing there. I love that scene; it just breaks me up every time I see it. Yeah, we had a lot of fun. And he came to Sundance and just this year they were doing a twenty year reunion retrospective on Sex, Lies so he had that and then he had Adam. He was really cool.

Q : What are you up to with this Judd Apatow movie?

(Rose Byrne): I’m playing a very small role opposite Russell Brand in this film called Get Him to the Greek, which is the sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I’m playing a pop star called Jackie Q and she’s like a Fergie slash Lily Allen type of pop singer. It’s a really small role but it’s a lot of fun and a real departure from anything I’ve done before, so I hope I make it in the movie.

Q : Is this your new pop star career?

(Rose Byrne): No, I don’t think so. I’ve had to sing though, so that’s been interesting.

Q : What was it like working with him?

(Rose Byrne): With Russell? Oh with Judd? Oh Judd’s the producer on the movie, the director is Nick Soller who’s wonderful, and Judd has been there, when was he there? One day on set, anyway. But they’ve been great; it’s so interesting to see inside this world of these guys, I mean this is the comedy of my generation so it’s like really exciting to be part of it, even not a big role, but it’s been very exciting. And Russell’s great; the hardest part is not laughing because he’s so funny and you know, we do a lot of improvising and I have to keep a straight face and he’s just hysterical. I’m learning to hold on. It’s so hard; you know when you’re just trying not to crack up? It’s very difficult.

Q : Have you started shooting season three of Damages yet?

(Rose Byrne) : No, we start in September. I’m finishing up on Get Him to the Greek in August in London and then going on to the show.

Q : What do you think are the basic elements that turn a romantic comedy into a classic? And what are some examples of romantic comedy classics?

(Rose Byrne) : That’s such a good question. I think chemistry between the two people is always a huge part of making something work in any sense. And in terms of a classic, goodness me… I don’t know if it’s like a great theme it has underlying it, or like a style to it like I suppose with When Harry Met Sally, it’s got that great structure to it which makes it very unusual and I think kind of groundbreaking for that kind of thing. I don’t know if it’s the fashion, you know like Annie Hall that was so sort of timeless what she did with that character. Or maybe it’s a combination of all of those things. And also time too; something comes out and you don’t know if it’s going to be a classic but it becomes a classic ten years later. If we have any of those elements I think we’re lucky.

Q : Having the film situated in New York, did you think that was an element or an important character in the film? Or your character’s being Jewish?

(Rose Byrne): Yeah, yeah. I mean I have a lot of Jewish friends and I’ve worked with so many Jewish people so I love that and I’ve been to many Bar Mitzvahs and weddings and all that stuff. I love that. I think I was Jewish in a past life maybe. But I think for this in particular, just with Adam I think it gave the film a little more sophistication because it was in New York, and a little bit more charm which was really good. And it gave it, because it’s small it’s just Hugh and me really, it sort of I guess gave it a little bit of a bigger context, which I think was really important. Whereas if it was just in a small town it wouldn’t have been as sophisticated or something. So yeah, I think it was important that it was shot here.

Q: had asked before about it being a play. Did you ever think of it as sort of a theatrical piece in some sense?

(Rose Byrne) : I guess it has that element of it’s a performance piece, it’s obviously a real antidote to the summer blockbuster; it’s not action packed or anything like that, it’s much more intimate. I feel like New York gave it more of a cinematic quality as well, which is really important so it doesn’t just descend into being a chamber piece kind of thing. But yeah, I guess you could see maybe the potential for it being a play or something like that.

Q : What’s the advantage of being a very low budget movie? I know the food is terrible but are there other great aspects of it? Do you think for instance it’s a more honest performance?

(Rose Byrne): Well I suppose we do it for the love a little bit, like everyone’s there not for the money, not for the pampering, they’re there for the role. So usually you’ll find everybody’s fairly passionate about it. But whether you’re on a really big set, like something like Troy where there are thousands of extras and a huge production with money, or something like Adam which is tiny, really at the end of the day it’s you, the other actors, the director, and the script. You know, taking away everything else so hopefully you bring the same dedication to what you’re doing, no matter what the context is.

Q : Like when you ask people what films are their benchmark a lot of times they don’t go to the big mega films, it’s the films which really demanded a performance out of them. Did you feel that this was the case here? Did you see things that showed your evolution for yourself?

(Rose Byrne): I think seeing the film subsequently I kind of went “Wow, I’ve never seen myself do that role before,” so that was not really while I was doing it so much. It was such, I think I said before, a whirlwind that I didn’t really know if it was working or anything, you’re just kind of doing it and trying to do it well, you’re so in the zone. It’s sort of afterword that I saw it, and I think I saw that the film actually worked and was engaging that you wanted to see what happened between us and how much the audience loved it. I was like “Wow, this is really good,” and I hope people get to see it and to see that I can do something that’s a bit lighter and funnier and all that sort of stuff. And I think Hugh did such an incredible job of portraying someone with Asperger’s; having a family friend who has it, it’s a very delicate kind of thing. He just did it so accurately and with such sensitivity and precision. And it’s hard too because it could be boring to watch you know, and not have that, but he nailed it, I thought he was really good.

Q : There are a lot of humorous movies here, I’m wondering from your perspective, how do you see the difference between British humor and American humor?

(Rose Byrne): I don’t know, like you look at the American Office and the English Office and that kind of says it all really. It’s like, they’re similar but it’s not quite as, I suppose British humor can be incredibly, how do I pout it, I think they take a lot of risks with British humor. Like I saw the British Office originally and I thought, and I’m probably an idiot, but I thought it was a documentary for the first like five minutes. I was going, “Is this, what’s going on?” I couldn’t figure it out, it was so realistic. And how brave for those guys who created that show to go that far with it, to alienate an audience so much with how real it was to then obviously fascinate them so much that they want to watch it.

But then you look at the American Office and it’s obviously not as alienating in that sense, it’s slightly more conventional I suppose in the way it’s done. But I mean, you look at the great British humor like Monty Python and Fawlty Towers, but then I loved Family Ties growing up and I loved Cheers, so I think it’s wonderful that there are these different cultures with different takes on it. I mean there’s a wonderful Australian guy called Chris Lilley who did this great show called Summer Heights High which was on HBO, if you haven’t seen it or heard of it write it down and check it out; he’s like a genius and he did really well over here, critically acclaimed and has won everything in Australia but he’s like a great new Australian comedian who’s done really marvelous things. So I think it’s wonderful that we have so many different types.

Q : It’s funny that you have a British actor and an Australian actress playing these two Americans, but you were talking about people accepting Asperger’s more in the world and it was maybe pushed under, and you were saying there are a lot more people who may not realize they have it.

(Rose Byrne) : Yeah, yeah.

Q : Do you think there’s something that makes us more aware of it? Or is it that there is more of it? Or is it that we’re more accepting that people are more conscious of it? What do you think?

(Rose Byrne): I think it’s sort of about educating people firstly about it because I think a lot of people probably haven’t heard of it or don’t know that much about it. And I guess it’s just becoming more and more prevalent if that’s the right word, too. I feel like it is everywhere you know, and I don’t know if that’s a why either, that’s the kind of interesting question is where is it developed from you know? But how great that there is a diagnosis for it so these people aren’t just ostracized, there is some solution and support network for the family and for the friends and for all of that sort of stuff. And I know they’re doing a lot for people from the Asperger’s community with the film too, like we have a guy who’s moderating a Q&A in Boston I think who runs an Asperger’s fund. So I think the more education people can have about it the better.

Q : So what about doing theater yourself? You’ve got the tv shows…

(Rose Byrne) : I would love to do some theater here, I just think it’s quite difficult because of my visa and stuff like that. I think it’s actually really hard, like you have to be in a production that’s already mounted, like Exit the King was on in Melbourne before it came here and I think that’s how it works. A Streetcar Named Desire, which is coming, will first be at the Sydney Theatre Company and then it’s booked to come over here. So I think it has to be something like that for me to be able to do it. I’m not sure with Hugh’s play; I think Hugh’s play was on in England before it came here.

Q : Yeah I think it was.

(Rose Byrne): Yeah so I think it’s the same thing unless you have a passport or a green card. But I would love to; I really want to see Marcia Gay Harding in God of Carnage because she was on season two of Damages and she’s obviously great.

Q : So let me make sure I understand. So what’s next is the Judd Apatow film, then you’re back to the tv show? And so no more movies for a while.

(Rose Byrne): No, I think I’ll probably be on the show until, I don’t know, early in the new year I suppose, and beyond that I don’t know. So hopefully I’ll get some more comedy; I’d love to try and do some more comedy and get better at it.

(Rose Byrne): Did you catch a cold coming to New York?

Q : Yeah I did. I came from Australia on Monday so I got a flu on the red eye I think; I had a really bad fever last night. Anyway, not to go into it. Don’t come near me.

Q : So what are you taking for it? I’m concerned now.

(Rose Byrne): I’m really organic, I hate those drugs, like I get really spadey so my makeup artist, she just told me all these things to get from Whole Foods, so I’m going to go there after this. Maybe if I don’t feel better tomorrow I’ll go to the doctor. Anyway, I won’t go on.

End.