Emily Mortimer

The British star of TV’s The Newsroom and the movies Lars and the Real Girl and Shutter Island goes back to 1959 in the film The Bookshop, in theaters now. Mortimer, 46, plays war widow Florence Green, who faces local opposition as she attempts to open a bookstore in a small, coastal town. Mortimer also stars as the grown-up Jane Banks in Mary

Poppins Returns (Dec. 19). What about The Bookshop captured your

interest? It reminded me of a lot of life experiences that aren’t very often portrayed: the courage it takes to put one foot in front of the other and carry on. On the surface, it’s not terribly dramatic, but underneath, it is fraught, painful, passionate and sad in the way that life is. Your father, John Mortimer, was a screenwriter and author. Did you relate to Florence’s love of books? I do love books. Reading is both an exercise of holding the mirror up to life and seeing your own life reflected back at you, but also it’s an escape into other people’s lives. Who are some of your favorite authors? Dickens was my dad’s favorite writer, so he was my go-to as a child. I first read Great Expecta

tions when I was about 14, and then I read them all. I did my thesis on Dickens at university. Give us a glimpse of working on Mary Poppins Returns. The by far most “pinch me” moment was when Dick Van Dyke arrived. What a guy, what a performer and what a lesson in how to get older. He’s got the heart and soul of a 25-year-old. He’s so full of spirit, cheekiness and joie de vivre, sprinkling his magic everywhere.