Set against the backdrop of violent
political unrest in 19th century France, Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel, is an
epic story of broken dreams and unrequited love. And although there have been
more than 30 film and television productions based on Hugo’s novel, there has
never been a film of Les Misérables,
the musical until now.
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| Photo courtesy of Solar Entertainment Corp. |
Ms Seyfried plays the grown up Cosette
who, as a child, was adopted by Jean Valjean, played by Hugh Jackman, a former
prisoner who has re-built his life with a different identity.
Q and A
follows:
You’ve made a musical before, Mamma
Mia!. How does it compare to working on Les Mis?
I have to say Mamma Mia! was a piece of cake compared to this. It was hard, but
we pre-recorded all the music and I didn’t have to sound perfect, and it wasn’t
classical in the way that Les Mis is
classical. And classical is so much harder. I was singing pop music in Mamma Mia! and pop music is a dream
compared to this. However, when you get it right, that classical sound, it
feels different and it feels wonderful. I loved singing opera when I was young
and this reminds me of that.
Did you work with a voice coach to
prepare for Les Mis?
Yes, Claire Underwood. And she is one
of the reasons that I got this movie. She has been so supportive and just a
dream to work with. I’ve also been working with Liz Caplan who is based in New
York. She listened to me sing all of the time and I’m sure it was frustrating
for her at times but she never lets on, she was always so encouraging, saying
things like, ‘you are amazing!’ She has this scientific knowledge and is so in
tune with the body and how it works, she’s like a scientist. Actually, she’s
more like a magician and I don’t know where I would have been without her. She
really helped me so much.
How many times have you seen Les Mis?
Twice. The second time was when we
were rehearsing and I went to see the London show. But I could see it over and
over again because it’s one of those shows that you become addicted to. You get
something different from it each time – there are different nuances, different
feelings. And that’s why we had to sing this live because it’s not like an Abba
song, something that could be pre-recorded, with this it’s all about being in
the moment and giving it a different feel with each take. Les Mis is such a great musical for actors.
What was your reaction when you heard
that you would be singing every take live?
I thought, ‘God, this is going to be
so hard..’ But I knew why Tom wanted to do it that way because the performance
on the day comes through, the vulnerability of your voice comes through and
that’s all part of it. Obviously you don’t want the vocals to be flat or sharp
but we have so much freedom with it and it’s all about acting, too, rather than
just miming to a pre-record.
You loved the role of Eponine when you
were a child. But you’re playing Cosette…
Yes, I auditioned for Cosette. I can’t
sing Eponine, I wish I could but I can’t. And for my audition I worked on Rue Plumet and A Heart Full of Love and I won’t lie because I felt that first tape
was weak. I think they said that I was having trouble in that register and I
was. And I respected the way that they cast this film – they are very serious
about it and so they should be. They saw everybody and that’s the fairest way
to do it. And I was like, ‘OK, I’ll try harder..’ And I kept working. And I
love a fight (laughs). I really do. And being in this is my absolute dream and
I can’t imagine anything else that I want to do more than this. And I think all
of us feel the same way – all of us are Les
Mis nerds! (laughs). So I kept doing my lessons and working really hard.
And later I met Tom in Los Angeles and Tom explained to me that it was about
the acting, the soul and the flavour of the piece and he saw something in me
that he believed in, thankfully.
How did you find out that you had the
role?
I was at home and I missed a call from
Tom. It was near Christmas and I was like, ‘why is Tom Hooper calling me?
What’s going on?’ And I called him back and he said, ‘my Christmas present to
you is that you’ve got the job..’ I was absolutely thrilled, as you can
imagine. It really was the best Christmas present ever. And I don’t take it
lightly. It’s an honour to be in this film.
Tell me about Cosette…
Cosette is the adopted daughter of
Jean Valjean, played by the lovely Hugh Jackman, our hero. He plucked her from
this terrible, terrible situation. Cosette is an orphan and her mother, Fantine
died when she was tiny. Valjean knew Fantine and he finds her in this awful
situation and he adopts her and brings her up as his own child. I play Cosette
when she is older and Valjean is still very protective of her. She doesn’t
really have any friends but they have an amazing relationship and it’s quite a
complicated dynamic because she’s a bit like his mother, his sister, his wife
and his child but it works, they love each other. But she’s had this kind of
secluded life and then she’s out one day coming back from church and that’s
when her journey really starts because she meets Marius, played by Eddie
Redmayne, and she falls in love. It’s the beginnings of romantic love and it’s
confusing because she’s never felt like that before. In our story, Cosette
really represents hope and innocence and she’s the source of light in Les Misérables. It’s wonderful to play
that but it also feels like a huge responsibility.
You mentioned Hugh as Jean Valjean.
What’s it been like to work with him?
I think, with his wonderful outlook
and attitude, he is the most gracious person I’ve ever met. And he’s funny and
he’s normal and he knows his stuff. He really is the nicest person I have ever
met. He’s a great Aussie bloke and a lovely human being. I’d like Hugh Jackman
for president, please (laughs). Oh, and did I say he’s the most talented actor?
Because I should have. He is so right for this role and he has the most
incredible voice.
You have a lot of scenes with Eddie
Redmayne…
I’d always known Eddie was good
because I’ve seen his films but what I didn’t know is what an incredible voice
he has. He is just great. He’s got the chops. And he is so right as Marius
because there’s an innocence about him. And it’s a lot of fun doing scenes with
Eddie and singing together. And I must say, Sam (Barks) has got the most
incredible voice. She had to really fight to get the role of Eponine, which she
played in the London stage show. And they were so right to give her the part in
the film. She has the most amazing voice. As does Annie. Oh my God, her voice
just makes me melt. It’s like butter.
And Anne does play your mother of
course. That’s a little odd…
(laughs) It’s weird because Anne is only two
or three years older than me. But of course, we are in different parts of the
film. I’m Fantine’s grown up daughter. But it’s definitely interesting that
Anne Hathaway is playing my mother! (laughs).
Tom Hooper hasn’t directed a musical
before. Were you surprised when you heard that he was directing Les Misérables?
Yes I was. But when I had my first
audition with him I was like, ‘I get what he’s doing..’ He’s so aware of the
music but the acting is the key element and he doesn’t lose sight of that. This
is an epic film and he absolutely knows what he wants and he is in control of
it for every second. He’s the most amazing director.
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