DR AWING THE LINE
Rosamund Pike, who stars as the legendary Marie Colvin in the film ‘A Private War’, in conversation with the war reporter’s biographer Lindsey Hilsum
rosamund pike: ‘There were a few preconceptions in making a film about a war correspondent. An early draft of the script had Marie as a competitive, up-and-coming reporter, but as soon as we spoke to her friends, it was clear that though she wanted that front page, she was not competitive with other women; she was actually incredibly supportive.
‘Another cliché was that she was a thrill-seeking adrenaline junkie – but Marie was much more complicated than that. I’ve come to understand her as someone who didn’t find it very easy to manage her home life: her finances, paperwork, romantic relationships. The person who finds life chaotic goes to a place where life is undeniably chaotic and reaches a place of calm.’ lindsey hilsum: ‘When you’re somewhere dodgy, the colours are brighter, the mountains are clearer. I called my book In Extremis because Marie was writing about people who were living in extremis – going through the unendurable, and ‘in extremis’ was how she lived her life as well.’ rosamund pike: ‘She got so involved with the people whose stories she was trying to give a voice to. It was an escape from herself – and I can understand that sense of purpose if you can dive completely into someone else’s life and shed some light on that life.
‘I think courage is the one quality that I admire above all others. But Marie’s story raises a lot of questions – it’s not just about courage, it’s about where you draw your line.’ lindsey hilsum: ‘The tragedy is, that’s why I’m alive and she isn’t. Her line was too far.’