She’s used to finding laughs in catastrophe. But Rose Byrne is only now going to the edge

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I recently had the chance to chat with Rose Byrne, and she described her acting process as being like walking a tightrope. She brought this up repeatedly when discussing her powerful role in the upcoming film, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” It’s a really apt description, actually, considering how she portrays a mother stretched to her limits while caring for a seriously ill child. It’s a bracing performance, to say the least.

As a total cinema lover, I was really struck by what Byrne said. She explained that anything touching on motherhood – and especially the shame, disappointment, or feeling of failure that can come with it – is pretty powerful stuff. There’s this one line in the film, ‘I wasn’t meant to do this,’ and she feels it’s a really radical statement. Apparently, audiences aren’t always comfortable with that honesty. From an acting perspective, she said it was the most challenging part of the role – a real tightrope walk to portray that vulnerability and internal struggle of this woman.

While we enjoyed our iced drinks – an Arnold Palmer for her and a hibiscus iced tea for me – I asked her what drew her to the idea of playing characters who walk a fine line between hilarious comedy and heartbreaking tragedy. I was curious why she found it so appealing to put herself in roles that demanded she balance on the edge of both hysterical laughter and complete sadness.

Byrne, who often touches her long fingers to her face when she’s talking, pauses to think for a moment before returning to the performances she enjoys the most. These are the ones that are humorous, surprising, and happen naturally.

“A bit like life,” she says.

For Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” which arrives in theaters on Oct. 10, perfectly showcases this delicate balance. This effort has paid off: Byrne, 46, received excellent reviews after the film premiered at Sundance, with particular praise given to her raw and energetic performance – many are calling it her best work yet. She also won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, the festival’s top acting award.

In a video interview, the movie’s director, Mary Bronstein, described how the actress completely transformed herself creatively, trying every possible approach. She said this level of openness and willingness to experiment was so impressive that the actress deserves every award – all the trophies.”

In the A24 film, Byrne portrays Linda, a therapist living in Montauk, New York, whose daughter is struggling with a serious eating disorder and needs a feeding tube. Linda is responsible for both parenting and caring for her daughter, while her husband mostly offers support from a distance through phone calls. Her already difficult situation worsens when her house starts leaking, and she and her daughter are forced to move into a dilapidated motel. Interestingly, Linda is simultaneously treating a patient whose mental state may be even more critical than her own.

Bronstein intentionally keeps Linda’s daughter largely out of view, instead focusing the camera almost entirely on Byrne’s visibly tired face throughout the almost two-hour film. Byrne skillfully helps us feel a strong connection with Linda, even when her actions are unsettling-like when she leaves her sleeping child unattended to flirt with a motel worker played by ASAP Rocky.

Bronstein required an actor that audiences would instantly connect with to achieve the delicate balance she was aiming for in the film. She felt confident she’d made the right choice when people began enthusiastically praising Byrne, even before the film’s release, after Bronstein mentioned her as the lead.

“Rose doesn’t appreciate me saying this-it makes her uncomfortable-but it’s accurate,” Bronstein explains. “She’s well-loved, and she’s earned that reputation. This was crucial for the story, as I’m asking the audience to follow this character into some very dark and uncomfortable territory.”

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Josh Safdie served as executive producer for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” a film that’s known for being intense and unsettling. However, that’s quite different from the atmosphere when I met Byrne on a Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she lives with her partner, actor Bobby Cannavale, and their two children. The first coffee shop Byrne mentioned was full, so she quickly changed plans, leading me to a slightly less popular but quieter spot a few blocks away. As we started talking, a car alarm went off – a fitting echo of the movie’s energy, though Byrne herself remained remarkably calm.

It’s a remarkably warm day for September, and Byrne is wearing a blue-and-white sundress with pink sandals. Despite starring in films like “Insidious” and “X-Men: First Class”, she easily fits in with the stylish people of Brooklyn. No one seems to notice her.

Rose Byrne has portrayed mothers facing difficult choices in the past, but “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” seems particularly significant for her career. While she’s consistently demonstrated her range as an actress, comedy has become her defining strength over the last fifteen years. She’s given memorable performances in films like “Bridesmaids,” where she played Kristen Wiig’s rival, and the “Neighbors” movies alongside Seth Rogen-who also appears with her in the Apple TV+ series “Platonic.”

When Byrne received Bronstein’s script, she wasn’t considering it a potential turning point in her career. She remembers the writing simply felt incredibly powerful, especially when thinking about the intense struggles of her character. “The character is completely overwhelmed,” she explains, “unable to process anything around her due to her trauma and anxiety; she’s completely consumed by it.”

Byrne hasn’t given much careful thought to her career path. She began working at age 12 on the film “Dallas Doll”, following training at the Australian Theatre for Young People alongside other children from her area.

I got a role in a film through my school’s drama program, and it happened almost by chance,” she explains. “I really enjoyed it; it felt like a perfect match. I believe it’s beneficial for all children, really, as it helps build confidence. I used to be quite shy.” (While she supports young performers, she points out that when she was a “little actress in Sydney,” she wasn’t subjected to the same level of pressure as some other child actors.)

When she first started working, Byrne was simply focused on finding a job and wasn’t very picky about the positions she accepted, which set her apart from some of her colleagues. She wasn’t as selective as they were, and was happy to gain experience in any role. Note: This demonstrates her initial eagerness and willingness to take opportunities.

I worked with Heath Ledger when we were both very young, and it was incredible. He was getting offers for mainstream television shows – everyone wanted him – and he was a strikingly handsome actor. Of course, his life ended tragically, but he figured out early on what kinds of roles he wanted – and didn’t want – to take,” she recalls. “I didn’t have that same clarity until much later in my career.”

Although she had small roles in movies like “Troy” and Sofia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,” Byrne first gained recognition in America when she starred alongside Glenn Close in the TV series “Damages,” which aired from 2007 to 2012. She describes her time on the show as involving a lot of “black coats and high heels.” As “Damages” concluded, she felt a strong desire to try something new – a feeling she refers to as having “itchy feet.”

Director Nicholas Stoller significantly impacted her career, giving her a breakthrough role as a playful pop star in “Get Him to the Greek.” She’s now largely recognized for her comedic talent, despite delivering a powerful performance as Gloria Steinem in the FX series “Mrs. America” and even portraying Medea at the Brooklyn Academy of Music alongside Cannavale.

Bronstein aimed to leverage Byrne’s natural talent for finding humor in unexpected situations to highlight the script’s darkly funny moments. It’s particularly noteworthy that Linda, who vulnerably shares her feelings with a coworker played by Conan O’Brien, ironically works as a mental health professional, responsible for dealing with other people’s problems. This creates a sharp contrast and adds to the comedic effect.

“I needed someone who naturally gets humor and comedy – it’s something you can’t teach or force,” Bronstein explains. “They also needed to be a skilled, technically proficient actor. That kind of person is rare.”

Byrne admits the prospect of embarking on “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” was intimidating.

“I didn’t want to mess it up,” she says, laughing. “I’m as insecure as any other actress, and I thought, oh my goodness, this is a real opportunity.”

In the month leading up to filming – a 27-day shoot done in Montauk and New York City with permission granted during the 2023 actors’ strike – Byrne frequently visited Bronstein’s apartment in Chelsea. They would discuss the script in detail and exchange personal stories about being mothers. Bronstein, who describes the film as being deeply based on her own life, even shared journals with Byrne that she hadn’t shown to her husband. (Bronstein’s husband, Ronald, is one of the film’s producers.)

Bronstein and Byrne talked with mothers of children with special needs. They practiced breathing exercises. Byrne was very interested in learning about Linda’s life *before* the events shown on screen. He believed clues to her past were visible in her tattoos and the style of her haircut – specifically, an undercut that suggested a more carefree past, altered by the responsibilities of being a parent.

She explains, with a chuckle and her typical dry wit, “You need to examine your own thoughts on being a mother, my own feelings about parenthood, and the really poor decisions Linda made.” She continues, “I believe the character is incredibly detached. It makes you wonder, what would drive someone to become so disconnected?”

Byrne rode high on adrenaline throughout filming.

“It was a little kind of fever dream,” she says. “A little bit like the movie itself.”

Byrne described the experience as similar to performing in a play, but with a key difference: instead of an audience, she had a 35-millimeter camera just two inches from her face. Bronstein specifically wanted to capture every detail of Byrne’s skin, making sure every pore was visible.

Bronstein explains that she’s an actor who truly understands direction. He says, ‘I can tell her, ‘I need just one tear,’ and she delivers exactly that.’ He adds that she’s incredibly skilled, but also able to portray a character’s vulnerability, being both raw and completely immersed in the role.

Byrne’s kids, ages 7 and 9, were instrumental in helping her overcome the intense emotions she was experiencing while creating “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”

“They come home,” she says. “They don’t care if I have a hard day.”

Right after our conversation, Byrne is traveling to Los Angeles to continue promoting “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” hoping to move past her experiences with Bronstein and the film’s production. She understands it’s challenging to attract audiences to cinemas, particularly for a movie that tackles such difficult issues.

“Why do people even bother going to the movies?” she asked. “I only go to see films like ‘The Bad Guys 2’!” (She quickly clarified she meant no offense, adding, “It’s a really good movie, and I love the original books, by the way.”)

Beyond the possibility of awards nominations, she has already completed a new limited series, “The Good Daughter,” starring alongside Meghann Fahy, who gained recognition in “The White Lotus,” and Brendan Gleeson, whom she first collaborated with on “Troy” when she was 23. This spring, she will be back on Broadway in “Fallen Angels,” a play by Noël Coward from 1925. It was considered shocking for its time because it showed women openly talking about sex before marriage and having affairs. She describes this role as another challenging balance to strike.

She has begun to choose her parts more carefully.

“Having children is a real turning point in life, marking a clear division between before and after,” she explains. “Suddenly, you realize how valuable time is, and your priorities completely shift.”

In her downtime, she tries to think about what else, other than acting, she loved to do as a kid.

You know, watching her in this film, she really comes across as someone who’s thoughtfully reassessing her life. She says, “What a great way to reset,” and it feels incredibly genuine. She’s actively asking herself, “What did I enjoy? What do I like to do?” It’s clear this is a process she’s been working through, and she mentions really trying to reconnect with those passions as she gets older. It’s a surprisingly relatable theme, and she delivers it with such honesty. It’s not just about the character; you feel like she’s speaking from personal experience, and that’s what makes it so impactful.

I ask what she landed on. She lowers her voice, ready to hit a punchline: “Still working on it.”

This flaw reminds me of the film If I Had Legs I’d Kick You– a woman’s continuous journey to understand who she is. You get the feeling Byrne really wants to find out.

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2025-10-03 22:32