Anna Brewster
originally published in her. magazine volume 11
The opportunity to feature Anna Brewster in her. magazine came about having just watched her appear in The Last Days of American Crime, an action thriller of massive proportions. There was no way I could turn down the chance to find out more about Brewster and what defines her individuality. We spent the day at Brewster's house, took some photos, and spoke about her life in the film industry.
Photography_ Sebastian Barros
A Conversation with Anna Brewster
Writer_ James Oliver
Can we start by talking about The Last Days of American Crime? What was this experience like and, now that filming is over, how do you feel looking back? What did you gain from this experience?
The Last Days of American Crime was a super-intense shoot. We were shooting in South Africa, and although I’d been there a few times over the years, this was a chance to spend some proper time there. It really is a magical place with wonderful people. What was funny about this shoot was, being the one of the only female characters, I didn't realise how much that would change the dynamic. I really missed female company and realised just how important it is while going through such an intense period of shooting. Saying that, it did make the character very important and I felt a freedom in finding the female voice in this film.
When I work, the experience of shooting is as important as the finished piece, as that is where the time is put in. We shot over two and a half months, which is actually quite short considering how long the film is, so we had some long days but Olivier, the director, was wonderful. We would generally have 3 cameras shooting at a time and sweeping up the shots as we went.
In my downtime I would go on safaris which was pretty cool and I think I did about 4 or 5 in total. It's such a magical experience and a great way to switch off from the intensity of shooting and get some perspective on life. But as far as South Africa goes, I loved it so much and can't wait to go back.
How did you get your first break in acting?
I got my break at 15 years old, which is crazy because that’s, like, 19 years ago. I guess I never really saw it being a full-time job until it suddenly was. I was cast for a film through my school and went on to shoot Anita and Me in Nottingham over the summer of 2001. What's crazy is that one of the things I remember most about that shoot is the 9/11 terror attacks. I remember being on set and watching it unfold in the back of the gaffer truck on location. I guess the world changed a lot for everyone from that point on.
Growing up, was acting something you always wanted to pursue?
It wasn't at all. I really didn't know what I wanted to be and I guess that, in many ways, I still don't. The best bit of advice I've ever been given is that we are all blagging it, and I think I still feel like I am. I have so many interests that kind of got pushed to the side over the years, but through lockdown I've had the chance to spend time connecting with them and to ultimately find what makes me happy. Spending time with yourself is priceless and it's so rare to get to do that without thinking, “I should be doing XYZ”.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
I think my parents are pretty influential in my life. They have both had wonderful careers as teachers and are now retired and happy. I think happiness is the biggest goal in life and they seem pretty sorted. All of the outside noise distracts from the fundamentals, I think. Again, at this time, what is really important is becoming clearer and clearer.
What have been the biggest challenges you have had to overcome to get to where you are at the moment?
My biggest challenge is myself - persisting when I didn't want to, finding confidence where there is none, letting go, and so on. I guess it's just life and growing up, but life is hard and the world is a strange place at the moment, so we are faced with new challenges all the time.
I think the next challenge will be getting back to work. Things are starting to move again now, but I think that after having had some time off, watching some great TV and film, and recalibrating, I'm ready to go back and I feel like a whole new person. I'm excited to get back at it.
What is your proudest role to date?
I think it would be the role of Françoise-Athénaïs, Marquise de Montespan, in Versailles. I held the whole experience so close to my heart and met some AMAZING people and did some good work; it was really a dream job. I have done a lot of TV, but this was three series and it was a real opportunity to immerse myself in a character. I remember talking with Alex Vlahos at the very beginning, before we started shooting, and we were saying that we were super-pessimistic that it wouldn't even get past one season… and there we were four years later.
I'd like my next job to be another TV show because there's so much great stuff being made at the moment and developing a character over 10 one-hour episodes instead of a 2-hour film is so interesting.
You have played a wide variety of roles; what genre do you like best and what do you think you are best suited to?
I seem to get cast in a lot of period pieces, but I've done a classic lockdown move and bleached my hair, so I'll be interested to see what roles come in now it's ending.
I like shooting period pieces, although it is quite restricting, physically. That being said, I love architecture and the locations are always out of this world.
What can we look forward to seeing from you in the latter half of 2020 or even in 2021?
I’m not sure. Things have completely shut down at the moment and, although it’s trying to start up again, I think it's unclear when the industry will really start moving. I'm heading to Paris tomorrow though to shoot something exciting… but that's not a film and I can't talk about it, so you will have to wait and see.
Can we talk about fashion? Can you please tell me where your interests stand in fashion? Do you shop a lot? What kind of brands do you like?
I love fashion and I studied it at university and then was immersed in it through my model career. My style has changed a lot over the years, even recently. I moved back from Paris and got back into the London style again. I guess I adapt to wherever I am. Living in Paris for nearly four years, I got to work with some of the big houses out there, which was a dream come true and I would find myself sitting front row at a Chanel Couture show thinking, like, “How the F*** did I get here?” It still seems surreal to this day.
Going forward, what do you want to achieve?
I never really set myself too many career goals because so much of what we do is out of our hands. I think just turning up and doing my best is enough at the moment. I have a lot of personal goals which are ongoing and, in many ways, are so much more important and they do feedback into my work. The world has a funny way of working so I like to just hand myself over and see what happens.