Naturally, Kirby was aware of Joséphine, Napoleon's first wife, having learned about her "over the years" at school and from other sources. Their marriage was dissolved in 1810. Therefore, I could relate to how I felt hearing her name. It's funny how you can then delve so far into the persona and discover so much about this real lady and her incredible life. My initial impression of her turned out to be accurate, I believe because of my attachment with her name. As I dug further and learned everything I could about her, it just grew more profound.
That study involved a ton of reading that was conducted without bias. "I wasn't sure if I was prepared for her to share anything with me. I was willing to listen and say, "You tell me who you are." since I previously portrayed a real person in The Crown. And I thought it was fantastic. I was therefore quite happy to follow the same learning method. With Princess Margaret and The Crown, there was grainy footage and the Desert Island Discs [radio broadcast], which really helped because it was her; with Joséphine, strangely, it was different. I didn't have any of that information, Joséphine.
The amount of literature on Napoleon, the French emperor whose aggressive wars throughout Europe made him one of the most powerful men in global history, dwarfs any number of books that have been published about him. But this most amazing life is what I discovered. Additionally, each report was incredibly unique, which led me to believe that she had a mercurial ability to adjust to her surroundings. She spent a large portion of her life behind closed doors with a leader who sought to seize territory and start wars, yet she managed to survive it all in the center of this empire.
For all of his bellicose rhetoric, Napoleon from Phoenix is enamored with Joséphine from Kirby; in fact, he is briefly seen wiping the perspiration from his forehead on a letter he writes to her. He is furious to learn that she has chosen a boyfriend while he is traveling abroad and subjugating Egypt. Kirby's portrayal of the stubborn Joséphine is appealing, even though not everyone seems to be convinced. French critics have been outraged by the movie, with Le Figaro stating that it should have been titled "Barbie and Ken under the Empire."
The movie follows Napoleon from their first meeting through his infamous loss at the Battle of Waterloo and his exile in Elba. Kirby is once more in awe of her character's resilience. For myself, on day three, I would have given up and been gone! Removed! [As] the majority of people in the twenty-first century! And to be a lady in those days... I simply believed that strength to be quite specific in nature. She also persisted through her entire life in the face of great suffering and loss, which indicated to me that she must possess some sort of silent strength.
Kirby talks warmly of her close relationship with Phoenix, which often resulted in humor. She claims, "We laughed all the way through the shoot," which probably included Napoleon's fairly rudimentary attempts to conceive her and the animalistic sex scenes. What she missed was the opportunity to see the amazing fight scenes in the movie, which are masterfully directed by the incredible 85-year-old Scott, who excels in these even more than in Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.
"I wish I could have been at the front lines of combat. Yes, I did inquire.
She lost out because the most of her work was done early in the shoot. According to her, "the battle scenes were [filmed] towards the end." However, I had a strong sense of connection to the play. I was constantly texting Ridley, Joaquin, and producer Kevin Walsh to see how they were doing and to check in. I felt somewhat detached from that, but very much like Joséphine would have felt. Nevertheless, consistently engaged. And it would have been my dream to be in the front lines of combat. I believe I asked.
You could assume that to be the case. Since she was in her early teens, Kirby, the middle child of three, had dreamed of becoming an actor, having seen a production of The Cherry Orchard starring Vanessa and Colin Redgrave. When she auditioned, at the age of 17, the Bristol Old Vic told her to come back in a year. Rather, she took a year off and volunteered in Africa before going back to the University of Exeter to finish her English degree. She still romanticizes those early days with her pals and performs plays in her free time. She remembers, "Night after night, we'd be practicing, go out all night, and then we'd have lectures the next day."
She then tried out for three roles at Bolton's Octagon theater in 2010—All My Sons, Ghosts, and A Midsummer Night's Dream—right after receiving an offer to attend the acting school LAMDA. David Thacker, the Olivier Award-winning director, advised her that declining the parts would be a grave mistake. Thus, she acted. "I recall receiving my first paycheck while performing in the three plays in Bolton. and the weekly cost was almost £180. Furthermore, it still amazes me that you were paid for the hours you put into this task. And I still have that feeling.
One year later, Kirby was starring in two television shows: an adaptation of Great Expectations and the BBC drama The Hour. Little parts in high-profile movies quickly followed, such as the survival drama Everest and the critically praised film Queen and Country directed by John Boorman. She also appeared in the crazy space opera Jupiter Ascending, which was directed by the Wachowski brothers, the ones behind The Matrix films. However, people didn't really pay attention to her until she played Queen Elizabeth II opposite Claire Foy in the first two seasons of The Crown, portraying her sister in breathtaking detail.
After eight years, Kirby, 35, is prepared to give back. She just founded Aluna Entertainment, a production firm, with Lauren Dark, a former Film4 executive. "Everything is almost done now, and we have touched down at specific locations. And some of those products will shortly be made by us. And it has been an amazing experience because I've realized how many characters and female experiences there are that we haven't yet seen represented on TV. To simply construct those projects has been my main source of drive for the past few years.
Recently, she and Dark boarded Thunder, a Swiss period drama directed and written by Carmen Jacquier that would represent the country in the Oscar race the following year. You can bet that Kirby intends to make use of her position in the business, so it won't be the last female-driven film they executive produce. With sincerity, she states, "I feel like it's my responsibility to create those things." "But at that point in your life, it's always about what you want to explore. "As of right now, there is talk that she may make her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Sue Storm in the next Fantastic Four reboot. Nonetheless, independent film continues to entice. She says, "I mean, I'm always looking to be challenged." "I always gravitate toward the situations that frighten me the most and/or challenge my bravery the most. I eagerly await those projects. Additionally, they are uncommon. But my biggest concern is actually that. Does it seem strange and unsettling? And could I really pull this off? I'm not sure. Then I'd want to give it a go. Even more terrifying than enormous failure.
"Napoleon" opens in theaters on November 22.
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