Felicity Jones is the coolest female judge in American history, fighting for the legal rights of women, bravely speaking out, breaking the rules, and devoting her life to eliminating gender discrimination.
Sex-oriented poster
For most viewers, British actress Felicity Jones began to explode in 2014. A "Theory of Everything" helped her win a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Her career trajectory runs in both directions, with her willingness to challenge real events and her keen insight into big-budget projects.
In recent years, she has taken on small-budget independent films like "Love Crazy" and "Invisible Woman", as well as the big-budget genre films "Dante Code" and "Rogue One". She can balance two different patterns and dramas well, which has also helped her to enhance her international influence.
In "Gender-Based," Jones plays the role of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bud Kingsberg. The character also has a place in popular culture, being dubbed the "infamous RBG," a title borrowed from the stage name of the late hip-hop singer The Notorious B.I.G., which also shows her status among a group of radical liberals. She fought for the legitimate rights of women, spoke bravely, fought until she was old, broke the rules, devoted her life to eliminating gender discrimination, she was a hero of the chaotic world, and the coolest female judge in American history.
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The film focuses on her early years of studying and graduating from law school and the days she worked as a professor before she took over the nation-shaking case. In the 1970s, he was involved as an agent ad litem in cases of sexism in the U.S. tax exemption policy. Although discrimination is not intentional, it has become a well-established provision in relevant policies. Jones delivered a powerful, engaging performance that once again proved that she could hold up a movie.
Recently, the 35-year-old actor was interviewed in Los Angeles, where Jones wore a purple dress from British design brand Vampire's Wife that day. We talked about her role in the film and the homework she did for the role; news about Natalie Portman's original role, her experience meeting with the real-life Ginsburg, and so on.
A documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsberg was released recently, but what research did you do for the role?
Felicity Jones: When I first started playing the role, I had developed a very strong image of the conservative character, she was like the real Puck (a naughty character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream), and I wanted me to incorporate that feeling into the role. She doesn't follow the status quo, she has her own way of doing things, and her own personality is fierce. So her anger is very important in the film, and I want to see the less smooth moments in her life, after all, there are always those moments in our lives, right?
There will always be some crap in life, which will make you angry, difficult to solve, and will make you lose confidence in yourself. The film is all about showing the different moments That Ruth has experienced along the way, so that she can become a plump character. I mean, we see her now, when she appears in this world, going through all kinds of trials and growth along the way, so this movie is about her experience and growth, and I do a lot of work on appearance, such as makeup and hairstyles.
I straightened my teeth because of Ruth's mouth shape. My teeth are British and I want to have very beautiful teeth like hers that are very American (laughs). Then I also brought a wig to make my hair look taller, so I used gray-blue contact lenses, which helped make my eyes more like hers. I need to do a lot more work on appearance than I originally thought. I read the real information about her walking action. She was very careful and very special. She is very elegant and has the temperament of a star in a fifties movie.
Ruth Bud Ginsburg's youth
I found in her early home videos that she possessed that incredible composure and strong personality, both outwardly and internally. I needed to change my posture to be closer to her image, and I also looked at many of her photos since the 50s. I feel like at that stage she's been trying to be the perfect girl, dressed in a petal dress, polite, sweet and cute, trying not to offend anyone, you can feel it in her outfit. In the 1970s her image changed, including the way she dressed and the way she acted.
Reporter: What did you learn from playing Ruth Bud Kingsberg?
Felicity Jones: I learned that you have to learn to fight because Ruth comes from a very conservative family. None of her family members are in the legal profession, so there is no precedent for her career planning, and all the achievements she has achieved have come from extremely hard work. She lived in a time when women were seen as second-class citizens, and she didn't like that state. She understood that to change the status quo, she had to be strong, and she needed to enter the American justice system.
Did the film change the way you think about yourself?
Felicity Jones: Of course, the experience changed my perspective on things. I know the importance of getting things out there, and the importance of having a voice. I think I'm lucky because at home what I say is always heard. When I was growing up at home and with my family, my parents gave me the feeling that they really cared about my point of view, especially when I was very young, so I always had a very optimistic attitude when I came into contact with the world.
And when I'm working, I'm also very concerned about the people I work with. The directors I want to work with are those who make me feel that I can be listened to and accepted, and make me feel that I have the right to speak. But in this movie I found out that Ruth had a lot of difficulties in school. She wrote for the school newspaper, and when she was young, she was very good at writing, and she knew that the power of words was enough to change people's perceptions. So I'm going to focus more on that — you have not only the ability to speak, but also the power of words.
Reporter: Because she's an American, you as a British, did you know there was such a person before you took this movie? Do you think this story resonates with audiences around the world?
Felicity Jones: Absolutely. I think she's the kind of person who can be truly respected. She believes in her beliefs and will stand up for them in any situation. She didn't choose a path to pursue fame or money. She cares more about her ideals. But at the same time she is very strong, because she has to fight, and she believes in her beliefs.
She believes in equality and believes that equality means a better thing for both men and women. It's not just a problem for women, it's a problem for all human beings. So when you hold on to that belief deeply, you have to be strong and strong, because people will question you and other people will keep pushing you forward. For this day and age, we need a film about characters like her, which is very important for our society. This character is something we have to record and tell.
Interviewer: Did you see her in person before making the film?
Amy Hammer
Felicity Jones: The first time I met Ruth was when we visited her at her house. She was staring at Amy (Amy Hammer, who plays Ruth's husband Marty). What I saw in it was the incredible love she had for her late husband and the strength that the relationship had given her. They had a very modern and advanced relationship, and they all had their own things, which was unheard of at the time. And the relationship didn't hurt his self-esteem —he wouldn't compete with Ruth.
From the beginning, I read every piece of advice Ruth gave to the first screenplay and found that none of them had anything to do with her self-esteem, that she didn't ask the script to make her more perfect—rather, it was all about specific legal issues and how to portray the letter of the law more realistically. This is also her attitude and way of dealing with her husband and with him.
Reporter: When you met her, did she share anything with you?
Felicity Jones: We talked about some very intimate topics and I found that she had an amazing passion for the law. When she speaks, she speaks with all her heart, which is why she has achieved what she is today – all because of her flexibility. Everything about her is deeply rooted in her inner humanity and concern for other people. When I met her, that was how I felt about her. Yes, she can make you feel intimate from the beginning, but at the same time she has always had a very serious respect for other people.
Ruth Bud Ginsburg: "People sometimes ask me, how many female justices do you think is enough for the Supreme Court?" I said 9. (The total number of U.S. Supreme Court justices is 9) Everyone was shocked. However, for a long time, 9 justices have been men, why has no one ever questioned this? ”
Reporter: Natalie Portman first took on the role. Have you ever talked to her about the character and is she interested in the film itself?
Felicity Jones: Yeah, we met, and we've been in touch since then because of the "Time's Up" campaign, and that's when I really got to know Natalie. We talked a lot about this movie. Natalie has her own opinion on determining that women can be appointed directors of a film. And for me, it was the happiest experience on set I've ever had, and the atmosphere and collaborations the director created were fantastic. She doesn't care too much about her self-esteem, she considers other people's advice and doesn't get hostile to the other person.
Like you said, there were very few men like Marty 50 years ago, but you've also recently just gotten married. So how would you balance the forces and roles in your family? And in a broad sense, how will your generation deal with these issues?
Felicity Jones: I think a lot of my generation has a relationship like Ruth and Marty. I'm actually pretty bad at cooking, I'm not a good cook, but my husband is very good at cooking and he takes on a lot of it when it comes to cooking. We have a very balanced and modern division of labor in our home, and I think more and more that many people at my age are like me. I've found that a lot of friends are becoming more and more focused on equality and sharing in the division of labor in the family, and I don't think I'd fall in love with him either if he didn't think so.
Reporter: Okay, then it's a silly question — in The Theory of Everything and in this movie, the husband of your character has some physical problems. So in real life, are you a good caregiver? Do you have a better solution to the common cold?
Felicity Jones: I learned everything from my grandmother and mom, usually when you're sick and you need to rest — that's the best advice and the best way to take care of yourself. For example, for a cold, my grandmother and mother would heat up a glass of milk and put some honey in it. Growing up, I drank hot honey milk to make my condition slowly get better.
But at the same time I think yoga is also very important to me. I feel like people should take some time to take care of themselves. We can consciously try. I like sports, I go out for a lot of runs, and I love dancing – going out with friends is dancing, and that's probably the best medicine, isn't it?
Reporter: Last question, I know you're making Hot Air Balloon Pilots right now, and you're going to be working with Eddie Redmayne again. Do you think there is still hope for "Swan Lake" after making this movie?
Felicity Jones: Yes, of course I hope. I've been working on the script with Luca Guadagnino lately, and he'll be the director of the film, Mandeville, which Universal will invest in. We're really working on that right now. The film is a traditional ballet performance, but will incorporate some plot reversals. But we're still in a very early stage of preparation, and we're still dealing with script issues. I'm not sure when I'll be able to start shooting.