Ben Foster praises ‘Galveston’ co-star
BEN Foster says ‘Galveston’ co-star Elle Fanning is such a great actress that he used to get distracted by her on set.
The 37-year-old actor costars with Elle, 20, in the new movie, which tells the story of a dying hitman who returns to his hometown to carry out his revenge and he had nothing but praise for the young actress.
Ben - who recently welcomed a baby daughter with wife Laura Prepon - said: “I think Elle is such an exciting actor, and she’s got a great reputation for just being a pro. That makes a big difference. It really does. If you’re a good actor, with a bad rep, that just makes it harder. When you have a great actor, who’s got a great rep, then you want to go play with that person. When the cameras roll, she has the most devastating truth pouring out of her eyes, and I just find myself distracted, at times, watching how fantastic she is.”
And Ben was also excited to work on director Mélanie Laurent’s English language directing debut.
He said: “I had seen Mélanie Laurent’s film ‘Breathe’, which was spectacular. It’s one of the most effective films about adolescence. I have not had the experience of being an adolescent girl, but in my estimate, it was a very deep dive and an effective one. I was terribly moved by what she did with that, so that drew me to it.”
Meanwhile, Elle learned “how to be a woman” through making ‘Mary Shelley’. She portrays the ‘Frankenstein’ author in the new biopic from Haifaa Al-Mansour and though the precocious writer lived in the 19th century, Elle promised the tale - which documents Mary’s tumultuous romance with the poet Percy Shelley (Douglas Booth) - still feels “timely and modern”.
She said: “I felt like I learned a lot from Mary about how to be a woman.
“I felt like I took her life on and experienced it all from beginning to end from her, which was exciting.
“The movie is very... it’s a period piece but it’s also very timely and modern.”
Elle hailed the movie as a “milestone”, not only because she learned a lot and related to the character as an artist, but because it marked her move into adult life.
She said:” What fascinated me about the script was that it’s about a struggling artist, but it’s a woman struggling artist, which you don’t see very often.
“When I filmed the movie, I was 17, about to turn 18.
“This was the last movie that I had to do school on the set. It was a milestone movie for me.
“I really felt wiser and more mature after.”
The actress hailed the author as a “feminist icon” and feels she’s often overlooked in discussions about classic authors.
She told Total Film magazine: “I remember talking about Mary Shelley in school but just Lake Geneva and Lord Byron and that story. It’s true but it’s not the most interesting thing about her.
“She’s a feminist icon, but most people don’t hold her in the same regard as, say, Jane Austin.
“She’s just very interesting and not given the credit that she deserves.” — BANG Showbiz