Behind The Scenes
The Instant Family star spills on her instant connection with her onscreen husband
Did you know straight away the script was special? I’d just had my second child and I was deep in the fog of newborn-land. No sleep, breastfeeding and recovering – all those things. I was like, “I don’t want to go back to work!” And then I read this script, at the encouragement of my agent and everybody else and I was like, “Oh dear, I’m gonna have to go back to work. Oh sh*t.” Bobby [Cannavale, Byrne’s partner] read the script too, and he was in floods of tears at the end. So, I was like, “Well, that’s that. I have to get myself back to work.” If a script can get Bobby in tears that’s something, right? Oh, he’s a soft one! He’s just a big old softie. Big heart. Did you take your family on location with you? Yes, everyone came. We all bunkered down in Atlanta [Georgia, US], for three months. We just made our home there and it was great. They were really accommodating, obviously, with me having two small children, so I was well taken care of. You know what it’s like. It’s hectic, such chaos! How did you and Mark [Walhberg] figure out your dynamic? Mark is so impressive, the most disciplined actor I’ve ever worked with. He’s very relaxed and he’s very funny, really funny. And also technically brilliant and very prepared. I appreciate all of those things, especially being a working parent. You know, you’re always, even more so now, “Let’s do this! Let’s do it great! And let’s do it now!’ And he has a similar ethic. Your and Mark’s bond with the kids in the movie feels really natural. How did you build that? When I first met them they’d already spent time together and were a really tight unit. I was like, “Oh goodness me, how am I going to get to know them, to get these kids to trust me?” It was a similar dynamic to the movie, really, which worked great. And we all got there quickly. They were really relaxed with one another, and with Mark, so they felt they could be themselves. Some of the scenes in this movie are massively emotional. Were there any tough days on set? There were definitely days where you were like, “Oh
‘Mark is technically brilliant and prepared’
God, how are we going to get through this.” But there were also moments where you get caught unawares by an emotion sneaking up on you, which I think is always exciting. Also, I just didn’t want to screw this great story up! INSTANT FAMILY is in cinemas now