Rose Leslie for ‘The Observer Magazine’
Filed in Gallery Interviews Photoshoots

Rose Leslie for ‘The Observer Magazine’

Rose is the cover star of The Observer Magazine‘s May 22 issue and she looks (once again) absolutely gorgeous ! Be sure to check the whole photoshoot in the gallery and her interview just below.

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Photoshoots > 2022 | The Observer Magazine [+ 6]
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Magazine Scans > May 2022 | The Observer Magazine [+ 4]

Rose Leslie and her baby son have Covid. “Day three. It is fairly grim,” she says. You’d never guess: she’s perky and bright in a stripy T-shirt, endlessly patient and accommodating when our Zoom collapses, greeting my every trite observation with enthusiasm (“You’re so right, Emma”). It’s hard not to feel she has “trouper” stamped through her like a stick of seaside rock.

I wonder if that preternaturally cheery thoughtfulness is part of the reason Leslie accumulates plum roles in prestige TV franchises like Brownie badges. After winning a Scottish Bafta straight out of drama school for her portrayal of a naive Hebridean student in the dark comedy, New Town, she was cast in Downton Abbey as ambitious housemaid-with-notions, Gwen Dawson. In Game of Thrones – of which, inevitably, more later – she’s insolent, mocking, rabbit-skin-clad Ygritte, the wildling who captivates Jon Snow, played by Harington, her future real-life husband. She holds her own in the glitzy, ambitious legal drama The Good Fight, opposite the likes of Christine Baranski and a gleefully OTT Michael Sheen. Most recently, she played Suranne Jones’s quietly gritty colleague and love interest in 2021’s bonkers but enjoyable BBC submarine thriller, Vigil.

Now – this is what has forced her from her sickbed – she’s the titular Time Traveler’s Wife, Clare, in HBO’s new six-parter, adapted by Steven Moffat from Audrey Niffenegger’s bestseller. Theo James plays Henry, the time traveller, who revisits his life – and Clare – with chaotic consequences. Leslie is an emotionally intelligent, steadying presence, with enough backbone to be interesting, but I’m not sure it’s the most fun role of her life: as her character says, “I wait and I worry.”

I can see why she took it on, though. After all those ensemble shows, The Time Traveler’s Wife is indubitably a step up. Its success or failure turns on the two leads: does that create an extra anxiety? “There was a moment – it wasn’t at the beginning of the shoot – but it kind of dawned on both of us that if people don’t like what either of us are doing, then we’re kind of screwed,” she says. “There was that added element of pressure, but it was one I decided not to read too much into. Noticing that it was there, but also realising it wasn’t going to be serving me at all.”

I like that observation: it would have been easy to say “Ooh, yes, I wasn’t sure I was worthy.” But Leslie is 35, 12 years into her career, and had a baby just before filming started. She was eight months pregnant during the audition process, which meant “I felt like I was in a win-win situation, which is an extraordinary position to be in. I’ve never really felt that before walking into any audition. On the one hand I felt, what a fantastic character to play on top of the fact that with our new little family, what an adventure to head out to New York for six months! Then, bizarrely, on the flip side, I almost felt that I’d gain bonus time with our boy had I not managed to get the part. I was kind of relieved of a little bit of the pressure and nervousness that does get you through an audition, but can have a tendency to tip me over the edge.”

Continue reading Rose Leslie for ‘The Observer Magazine’
Rose Leslie on BBC One’s ‘The One Show’
Filed in Candids Gallery Interviews TV Appearances

Rose Leslie on BBC One’s ‘The One Show’

Rose was a guest on last Friday’s episode of BBC One’s ‘The One Show’ where she talk about ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’, her son, not being on social media and being of a fan of ‘Love Island’. You can watch her whole interview below ! Pictures of Rose and presenter Alex Jones outside the studios have also been added to the gallery.

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Candids > May 2022 | At ‘The One Show’ Studios in London [+ 15]
Rose Leslie for ‘WWD’ (May 2022)
Filed in Gallery Interviews Photoshoots

Rose Leslie for ‘WWD’ (May 2022)

The Time Traveler’s Wife’ finally premieres TODAY (May 15) on HBO and HBO Max !

While we wait for the first episode, a new photoshoot and interview of Rose for ‘WWD’ (Women’s Wear Daily) have been released online :

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Photoshoots > 2022 | WWW [+ 3]

Rose Leslie has a lot more appreciation for the commitment ginger hair-craving women make to achieve red locks. Naturally a redhead herself, Leslie has never had to dye her hair and in fact was beginning to tire of being sought out for exclusively redheaded parts. But for her latest role, as Clare in HBO’s latest adaptation of “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” her hair was deemed not red enough for the character so there she was, sitting in the hairdresser’s chair for hours on end.

Having never sat down in the hair salon in the chair to have my hair dyed before, I was oblivious to the amount of hours that it then takes to keep the color in, and the commitment in the chair, and the work that goes into it from everybody applying this color and mixing,” Leslie says.

She was instructed to take freezing cold showers to prevent the color from fading, which she stuck to diligently — the less time in the hair chair, the more time with her 15-month-old son.

I did the cold showers and I rather love them now,” she says. “It gives that wonderful tingling sensation. It’s unpleasant, but then you push through and then you’re a bit, ‘oh s–t, weirdly I’ve achieved something.’”

Continue reading Rose Leslie for ‘WWD’ (May 2022)
Rose Leslie for InStyle Australia (May 2022)
Filed in Gallery Interviews Photoshoots

Rose Leslie for InStyle Australia (May 2022)

New cover for Rose to promote ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’, this time for InStyle Australia ! The gorgeous pictures of the shoot have been added to the gallery, and don’t miss her interview below.

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Photoshoots > 2022 | InStyle Australia [+ 6]

On a crisp spring day, flanked by fields of luscious greenery in a small village in Suffolk, you’re likely to find Rose Leslie walking her 15-month-old son. “If it was left to me, I’d be taking my boy out for a walk three times a day,” she laughs, telling InStyle about her small pleasures. If it’s just the two of them, she’ll put in a podcast – often Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place, or How To Fail by Elizabeth Day, but she’s also recently been loving My Therapist Ghosted Me with Joanne McNally and Vogue Williams. “I’m kind of chuckling away if it’s just me and my boy, but obviously if it’s the whole fam, then we’re chatting.”

Leslie and husband Kit Harington bought their second home in the English countryside four and a half years ago, and haven’t looked back. Living on the outskirts of a little village, they’ve “slowly but surely” gotten to know the local community, with Leslie attending mother’s groups and the young family participating in the nightly clap for the NHS that took place during the COVID-19 lockdown. “It was a real camaraderie and a real kind of bonding experience in the village,” she remembers. Life in Suffolk, two hours away from the bustle of London – and the attention that comes with being known as Jon Snow and Ygritte from Game of Thrones (the couple met on set 11 years ago) – is simple. “It’s lovely when we come home, and return here,” Leslie shares fondly of their retreat. “There’s less anxiety here.”

When I speak to Leslie, it’s Saturday morning and she’s sitting in a room in their house, the walls painted a warm lemon. She seems at ease, dressed casually in a white t-shirt, hair down, sipping from a large teacup of coffee. “I love it. I feel very much at peace in the countryside,” she says.

Continue reading Rose Leslie for InStyle Australia (May 2022)
Rose Leslie for Harper’s Bazaar UK (June 2022)
Filed in Gallery Interviews Photoshoots

Rose Leslie for Harper’s Bazaar UK (June 2022)

Our Rose is the cover star of Harper’s Bazaar UK’s June 2022 issue in which she discusses ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ ahead of its launch next month. The photos taken by Alexi Lubomirski are absolutely gorgeous ! You can find them all in the gallery and don’t miss Rose’s interview below. The issue will be on newsstands on May 4; scans will be added to the gallery as soon as available.

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Photoshoots > 2022 | Harper’s Bazaar UK [+ 7]

Rose Leslie is doing that British thing of apologising when it’s not her fault.
We’d arrived at different cafés with the same name, and when we eventually find each other, she bursts into a flurry of ‘sorries’. It goes to confirm what I’ve always suspected: she’s preternaturally nice.
Sitting in a busy north-London café, casual in a viridian jumper over a Breton top with a denim skirt and white trainers, she also looks surprisingly normal. It’s only when I spot heads turning that I remember just how famous she is.

Unforgettable in Game of Thrones as the fierce, warrior wild-woman Ygritte (who captured her now-husband Kit Harington’s heart on screen and off), she has subsequently held her own in Hollywood blockbusters against the likes of Vin Diesel and starred in three seasons of the prime-time, Emmy Award-winning drama The Good Fight, as well as in Kenneth Branagh’s sumptuous adaptation of Death on the Nile this year.

Until recently, hers was a high-octane existence: though based in New York, she was constantly shuttling across the Atlantic. « North London is a different world, » she says of her trendy neighbourhood, today framed with clouds of cherry blossom and violet magnolia. « You feel you can breathe in this space – although I have never stepped into so many churches in my entire life!« 

Continue reading Rose Leslie for Harper’s Bazaar UK (June 2022)
‘Death On The Nile’ Interview for ‘TV Magazine’
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‘Death On The Nile’ Interview for ‘TV Magazine’

A new interview of Rose has been released online ahead of the release of ‘Death of The Nile’. It likely took place a while ago when the movie was still set for a 2020 or 2021 release. Considering the pandemic and controversies surrounding the cast, barely any promotional content has been released since then outside of teasers and trailers. I took care of translating the interview from french to english so I apologize in advance for any potential mistake I might have made !

TV MAGAZINE. – What attracted you to Death On The Nile ?

Rose LESLIE. – I love doing accents! It helps me when the character has an accent. And I was even more seduced with Louise Bourget, who speaks with a French one. This woman gets carried away by the parties, those receptions where champagne flows, the glamour and the fabulous, almost decadent lifestyle of her employer, to the point of forgetting her condition. Before being harshly reminded, like a child being punished for having too much fun. Linnet stopped Louise from marrying the man she loved in order to keep her in her service. It created a lot of distress and built a grudge that could eventually lead to murder… It’s quite exciting to talk about and to portray. But the key point was the opportunity to work with Kenneth Branagh, I was convinced that he would do a fantastic job, he is an absolute icon of British theatre and cinema as well.

How did you prepare for this role?

I thought it was important to have the most authentic French accent possible. My older sister has been living in Nice for three years. It was a great excuse to visit her! I spent my time listening to the accents when we were shopping, or going to the supermarket, or dropping my nephew off at the nursery… I had read the book when I was young because I was always a big fan of Agatha Christie and crime novels in general. I tried to find some memories of it, but in order not to be too confused, I chose to focus on the script. That was my guideline.

What does Branagh bring to Agatha Christie?

He understands it. He brings new answers within the drama, combines the fascination we all have with the macabre and a sense of fun, a pleasure for the eyes – especially with the sublime costumes -, and an incredible work to recreate the era.

What kind of director is he?

His dedication is remarkable, and so is his efficiency. He leads us, turns around and, oh, he’s Hercule Poirot, without any apparent effort! He always stays calm, pleasant ; he carries us. On set, he makes sure to create a nice atmosphere, it was really a very joyful experience.

What does it mean for you to have been part of Game Of Thrones?

That means my marriage to Kit Harington! (laughs). I’m very happy to have been part of the adventure. After leaving the show, I realized the opportunities that this series gave me career-wise. It has been a great springboard and I am very grateful for it. I also kept Ygritte’s bow, it’s very special to me, it’s really a lovely memory.

Do you have a lot of conversations with your husband about your job?

Yes, it’s wonderful for me to be married to an actor because we talk a lot about our work, we both love our job deeply and it’s a strength to be able to bring ideas to each other, to understand each other, to support each other.

How did you experience the different periods of confinement? Did you manage to turn it into something artistically creative?

We were lucky with the restrictions imposed. It was just the two of us and we raised a little dog, it kept us very busy, it was a great distraction. At the creative level, hmm… We read a lot, walked, but no, in the end, we mostly trained this little dog! I discovered the importance of slowing down, how beneficial it is to take your time, to enjoy small things, to observe nature. . . I also realized that it takes a lot of adrenaline to live in London.

source : TV Magazine (lefigaro.fr)
Rose Leslie on bonding over motherhood and murder (‘Radio Times Magazine’ Interview)
Filed in Interviews Television Vigil

Rose Leslie on bonding over motherhood and murder (‘Radio Times Magazine’ Interview)

Unly 5 days left until Rose is back on our screens in BBC drama « Vigil » ! Rose sadly isn’t able to promote the show with the rest of the cast as she’s still in New York filming HBO’s « The Time Traveler’s Wife », but a short interview of her is featured in the latest issue of Radio Times Magazine (scans available in the gallery here). A new still and promotional picture featuring Rose as DS Kirsten Longacre and Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva have also been released, enjoy !

What appealed to you about Vigil?
« The fact that it was a BBC drama. Sunday-night dramas were a staple of our household, and they were a big part of my teenage years, so that was a massive pull. The other big factor was Suranne Jones. »

She told me you two became great friends…
« When I came back to filming in August last year, I was six months pregnant — and she gave me such wonderful tips, so we very much bonded over motherhood. I’ve got all the time in the world for Suranne. »

Do you enjoy watching murder mysteries and police dramas?
« I love procedurals and my favourite television programme is Luther. Now being part of one is very, very cool. I think Vigil is going to be a gripping television series that people can get behind. »

You’re associated with a lot of long-running dramas such as Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones. Is there a difference in how you approach a series like Vigil that has only six episodes?
« In my head there is an end point, and there’s a satisfaction in playing a character where you have a finite amount of time to play her and to make sure that all of the tics that she has are established on screen and embed who she is as a person. It’s wonderful to have a shorter lifespan for a character. I find it more satisfactory. »

How much did the fact you grew up in Scotland help in nailing the accent, too?
« I think it gave me a head start. I definitely had a Scottish accent when I was younger. My family and I moved to France when I was about ten, but I kind of tapped into what I remember from all those years ago. »

Was there a particular moment during filming Vigil that stands out?
« We were in a quarry in the middle of nowhere in the beautiful Scottish landscape. The vastness was out there in front of you, and I was feeling very queasy because I was about eight months pregnant. And just before I had to film my scene, I had to run behind a bush to be sick. So I kept apologising to the hair and make-up people whenever they came anywhere near me because of my breath! »

source : Radio Times Magazine
Rose Leslie for 1883 Magazine (RISQUÉ Issue)
Filed in Gallery Interviews Photoshoots

Rose Leslie for 1883 Magazine (RISQUÉ Issue)

Back in September, behind the scenes video of Rose posing for 1883 Magazine were released on social media and I ordered the issue in early November to share the full feature (photoshoot + interview) with you. A lot of content has been released since : a short film, a behind-the-scenes video, and 5 gorgeous pictures of Rose photographed by Eliška SKY Kyselková. I sadly haven’t received the issue yet but since it is already on stands in the UK, lovely people have sent photos of the magazine to me and I’m now able to share Rose’s full interview with you !

Real scans of the issue will be added in the gallery to replace the photos as soon as I can hold it in my hands, but meanwhile, I hope you’ll enjoy : )

Note : at the time of the interview, Death on the Nile was still planned to be released on December 18, 2020. It has since been announced that it will finally be released in theatres on September 17, 2021.

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You can read Rose’s full interview just below :

1883 MAGAZINE — Best known for her curve bow carrying, screen-stealing turn as Ygritte, spearwife of the free folk in fantasy phenomenon, Game of Thrones, Scots-born Rose Leslie will next find herself in an altogether different ensemble cast, as Louise Bourget in the big-screen adaptation of Agatha Christie in « Death on the Nile ». Whilst detective novels and the « whodunnit » genre may be amongst Leslie’s favorite literature, flexing her French accent muscle and the chance to work alongside director Kenneth Branagh gave the much-loved classic new appeal. We caught up with Leslie to marvel at how far she’s traveled since her Honeymoon days, why she considers audiences never will tire of Agatha Christie, and how she loves nothing more than playing the outcast. 

You happen to be in director Leigh Janiak’s debut, teen horror film Honeymoon back in 2014 and I’ve actually had the pleasure of speaking with her… Although essentially a slasher film, the character and narrative elements were so strong that the horror just worked around it. In a way, there is that to these Agatha Christie adaptations… What attracted you to the role of Louise Bourget in Death on the Nile ?

Ah yes, Leigh, of course. She’s a superb writer/director. In a way, Honeymoon was a « whodunnit ». It was a joy; we were out in North Carolina filming for that. With Death on the Nile, my character Louise Bourget, is obviously French and when I was about ten years [old], my family decided to uproot from Scotland to France. So, I went to a bilingual school for about three years – and I think it was the allure of playing someone with a French accent. I love accents; it is something I am always drawn to. But obviously, also knowing that Kenneth Branagh was at the helm and hearing of his outstanding dedication on Murder on the Orient Express and knowing he totally gets this Agatha Christie world was so appealing. 

You’re a very good accent person…. Didn’t you play an American in Morgan ? 

Yes, you are right, Morgan ! 

You’ve worked across so many genres, but mainly on strong, long-form TV series, most notably on Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Luther and The Good Fight. Tell me about the challenges of going back to a film set for Death on the Nile ? In particular, one which revolves around such a strong ensemble cast ?

That was a pull. It’s so enjoyable to be part of an ensemble which has been the case in those past TV projects too. I would say certainly with TV projects and film, the real difference for me is the scale. It is just larger, and we concentrate the whole five months onto this one script, whereas the pace is a lot faster in television. It’s something I enjoyed going back to ; dedicating a day to two scenes rather than dedicating a day to seven. It’s definitely a different set-up.

Continue reading Rose Leslie for 1883 Magazine (RISQUÉ Issue)
Interview for “Digital Spy Magazine” (Issue 5, December 2020)
Filed in Article Death on the Nile Interviews Movies

Interview for “Digital Spy Magazine” (Issue 5, December 2020)

Even though the movie has been indefinitely delayed, interviews related to « Death on the Nile » are still being released. This time, Rose talked at length to Digital Spy Magazine (available only on Apple News +) about her character Louise Bourget, how she stayed with her sister in Nice to work on her French accent and filming on a real boat.

Accents aren’t always an actor’s best friend, but for Rose Leslie, the French accent she had to adopt for Death on the Nile was a « real draw » for her taking the part. So does this mean that she has a foolproof plan for tackling any accent going? « Well, there’s a bit of a cheat on my behalf, » Leslie tells Digital Spy with a laugh, explaining that she spent three years in France when she was younger.

« I felt that something was already established there – not that I speak fluent French, but it’s definitely something that I would be able to tap into, » she continues. « Before we started shooting, I went and stayed with my older sister and her family, who live in Nice, which was obviously a wonderful excuse, and I pretended that it was for work.

« I stayed with her for several days and did the best that I could in terms of immersing myself within their world there, and listening to the accent, and trying my very best to make it as authentic and real as possible. »

While she previously starred opposite Vin Diesel in « The Last Witch Hunter », « Death on the Nile » marks Leslie’s biggest movie role to date and sees her play Louise Bourget, the devoted lady’s maid to Gal Gadot’s wealthy heiress Linnet Ridgeway.

Continue reading Interview for “Digital Spy Magazine” (Issue 5, December 2020)
Rose Leslie: « I am proud of The Good Fight »
Filed in Article Interviews Television The Good Fight

Rose Leslie: « I am proud of The Good Fight »

Interviewed at the end of September by French magazine « TV Magazine » about Death on the Nile, Rose was also asked a couple of questions about « The Good Fight » which she starred in for 3 seasons from 2017 to 2019. As the third season will premiere on French TV channel « Téva » on November 22nd, they shared what she had to say about the show.

French fans can read the original interview by clicking here ; for the others, I have tried to translate the interview as best as I could :).

Note : they mentioned that Death on the Nile will be released in theatres in early 2021. While the movie has indeed been delayed, no new release date has been announced for now.

INTERVIEW – The wilding from Game of Thrones, wife of Jon Snow – Kit Harington in real life -, is one of the heroines of The Good Fight – a spinoff series of The Good Wife – whose season 3 (2019) premieres on November 22 on Téva.

Michelle and Robert King, writers of the great legal TV show The Good Wife, created a spin-off in 2017 which is also a sequel. Without Julianna Margulies, but with the impeccable Christine Baranski – Diane Lockhart and her chic outfits in the most perfect bad taste. The Kings thus continue to shed light on the machinery of American justice and politics, while sticking to the news, in an increasingly satirical and resolutely anti-Trump spirit. In the third season of this fiction carried by strong female characters, young lawyer Maia Rindell (Rose Leslie) takes off by collaborating with an old barrister, a shrewd old fox, played by Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex, Good Omens ) … Interviewed at the end of September by TV Magazine about Death on the Nile, a new adaptation of Agatha Christie by Kenneth Brannagh, in theaters in early 2021, the British actress spoke enthusiastically about the significance of The Good Fight (at 8:55 pm on Téva), which she left at the end of this season.

TV MAGAZINE. – What seemed most important to you in The Good Fight? Feminism? The engagement against Donald Trump? The defense of the black community?

A bit of all of that, I think. The Good Fight, in the most brilliant way, tends to hold a mirror to America, its political landscape, the way it is made. The show takes real politicians into account and as a point of honor it recalls the truth with relevance. Michelle and Robert King managed to take a bold stand. I am proud to have been part of a project that had the courage to tackle current events, day after day, taking place in Congress, on Capitol Hill, with the passing of laws in progress…

Did you feel like you were carrying a message?

No, because what I liked the most, really, was the way it was presented. The writers told the truth to allow viewers to make up their own minds. The message was not « You should be a Democrat » or « You should be a Republican ». The goal was not to change people, but rather to tell them, « Here are the facts ». These were offered in the form of entertainment in the hope that it would help the public to become informed, to ask the right questions and to create a healthy debate.

Source : TV Magazine