The third edition of The Hunger Games movie series offers a new kickass female character in the form of Natalie Dormer's Cressida. The character, introduced inMockingjay - Part 1, out today, is a fearless film director tasked with creating propaganda videos to further Katniss's rebellion against the Capitol. As Cressida, Dormer is confident, in charge, and rocking a seriously edgy look. It's a new sort of character for the British actress, best known for her
work on Game of Thronesand The Tudors. We spoke with Dormer about why these sorts of strong female roles are so important in Hollywood and what it's like to have a shaved head after filming has commenced.
What was your reaction when you found out you'd been cast in a Hunger Games movie?
Oh, just joy at the prospect of joining such an incredible ensemble. The cast list speaks for itself. And I had been a massive fan of the first movie. I was very excited.
Did you have to do much preparation?
I have the joy of working with directors a lot, and I always take an interest in the mechanics of how a camera works, and how a crew works on the other side of my job. So I was more hyperaware of that for the weeks before I knew I was playing this role. Plus, I love my current affairs. I've always got the radio on or the TV on, watching what's going on in the world. And I suppose I was a little more sensitive to the way news stories and images were delivered during that time.
Photo: Courtesy Lionsgate
Was there something you discovered about the way the news is presented to us?
It's just interesting to see the discrepancies and the different subjectivities. As an actor I spend a lot of my time in hotel rooms around the world and it's really interesting looking at the difference between the news in Paris, the news in Berlin, the news on the BBC in London, and the news here in the States. It makes you realize that even within the folds of the 21st century and Western democracy, there are still angles. There's always an angle. It was a very useful lesson to start taking notes and realize that everything is spun to a certain extent.
What appealed to you about playing a character who isn't someone's love interest?
It was wonderful to play a character who is defined by her profession. And the fact that she's really bloody good at her job. Especially as a woman to not play someone who was defined by a romantic interest or a marriage. I loved the fact that Plutarch, Philip Seymour Hoffman's character, introduces her as one of the best film directors of her generation. That was my starting platform for playing Cressida.
Is it hard, in general, to find that kind of role in Hollywood?
Yes. Television has really assisted a lot in providing consciously three-dimensional and heroic female characters. And I think cinema is catching on to the fact that 50 percent of their audience is female and it would be nice to have a little bit more representation other than the wife, the mother, the femme fatale, and the mistress. What's wonderful about the Hunger Games movies, and more specifically Mockingjay, is that President Coin or Cressida could easily be male roles. And they're not. That's what we're aiming for. Not so much waving the flag and getting on a soapbox and shouting 'Girl power!' We'll know we're there as an industry and as actors when the gender is almost irrelevant. It's just about the character and about the journey they're on. And the same could be true inInterstellar at the moment: The Anne Hathaway role and the Jessica Chastain role could have very easily been male. And they're not. Cinema is finally catching on to the fact that it's commercially viable to have more contradictory female characters.
You're really passionate about this subject!
It's really fucking important. It really is. We're half the population and it should be reflected in our storytelling of our culture.
Do you have a strong female in your life who has inspired you over the years?
It changes. I’m inspired by women every day who are doing different things. One of my inspirations is Lee Miller, the New York model turned photographer turned war correspondent. I didn’t base my character on her in any way, but she’s an inspiration to me. She was the first female embedded war correspondent who shot and wrote during the second World War and was there for the liberation of Paris. I’ve always loved Lee Miller’s photography. I love women like that who are ahead of the curve and fighting for something they believe in.
Your character on Game of Thrones has turned out to be a surprisingly powerful woman. Why do you like playing her?
I love Margaery because she’s ambiguous. It’s very hard to read her. I don’t find that being a good person and being politically shrewd have to be mutually exclusive. It’s refreshing to be able to play a character who embodies that point.
On a different note, what was it like to shave off half your head forMockingjay?
It was liberating! I knew that the character had been described that way in the books. And I knew it might be a deal-breaker for taking the role. The director, Francis Lawrence, and I had a conversation about what her look would be and we decided to go for the half-head so it would be more in line with her personality and the Capitol where she comes from. That’s the joy of being an actor–you find yourself doing things and in places you’d never ordinarily have done yourself or put yourself.
Did people in your everyday life react differently when you had the edgier look?
I hid it for most of the time, to be honest. Not because I was embarrassed about it but because for the first months I had an instruction to keep it under wraps. Then it was the middle of the winter so I just had my hat on constantly. Because when half your head is shaved it’s cold. I wasn’t hiding it intentionally but I ended up doing most of the shoot without anyone knowing. I’m enjoying it now though. I have this funky undercut going on. It’s cool to have some fun on the red carpet and stylistically play with it before I lose it altogether.
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