Movies Features

Talulah Riley - The Summer House / Inception

By Anne Brodie Jul 26, 2010, 15:43 GMT

Talulah Riley heats up summer with Inception and The Summer House. © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

It’s a good time to be Talulah Riley.

Riley is a hardworking English actress best known to younger audiences as one of the loveable miscreants in the St. Trinian’s film series, Pirate Radio and TV’s Dr. Who.  The 24-year-old’s career is on a pretty intense international upswing thanks to an appearance opposite Twilight’s Robert Pattinson in the iTunes original short The Summer House and a part in a little something called Inception.

Let’s start with The Summer House.  Riley is a beautiful but reserved English girl who decides to spend the summer of 1969 in a friend’s French estate to recover from a broken heart, when out of the bushes comes Pattinson.  The Summer House packs a lot of heat into just a few minutes.

Monsters and Critics - There are just 12 minutes to get to know Jane in Summer House.  But you made her a dimensional person – how?

Talulah Riley - Daisy spent a lot of time with Rob and me discussing the back-story, so we were aware of our characters situations and the decisions they’d made to get them to the point where the audience meets them, in the film.  Action is character, as they say, so just knowing that my character was the type of girl who would have to run away to France to get over a break-up, gave me a good place to start.

M&C - How did you get to ‘know’ her?  What did you work on to determine what was she like, and what she thought, who she was?

TR - I was lucky enough to be given a copy of the book The Summer House, by the writer Ian Beck.  This really helped me with the characterization.  Prose is good for filling in the details – especially when there is very little dialogue. 

M&C – The Summer House is set in the free love era.  How free was Jane?

TR - Although the film is set in the Swinging 60’s, Jane isn’t really that into free love.  She’s more of a true romantic – idealistic, gentle, loyal, and intensely hurt by her lover’s betrayal.

M&C - Your Summer House lover, Robert Pattinson has been struck by a movie supernova.  Did you work together during or before Twilight? 

TR - I worked with Rob before Twilight.  I’m very happy for his success.  It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.  He’s a lovely actor and a lovely friend.

M&C - Is he a good kisser? Neck nuzzler?

TR - He’s a very good neck nuzzler.

Talulah Riley in Pirate Radio

M&C - You’re the Blonde in the bar in Inception, who is she?

TR - My character in Inception is actually Tom Hardy’s dream character.  Christopher Nolan is an awesome director.  I admire all his work, and feel very fortunate to have worked with him.

M&C - What’s ahead for you?

TR - I had a small role in 'Cheater’s', Ron Howard’s new comedy, and I’m set to film a UK film, 'Transmission', later this year.

M&C - Does your job make it tough being in a relationship?

TR - I moved to the US for personal reasons, so it’s very important to me to try and get work over here.  It’s difficult trying to establish a career out here, when none of my UK-based projects really carry over.  I’m trying hard, though!

M&C - The world of exhibition is changing so much.  The Summer House has just been released on iTunes.  What kind of impact will non-conventional, non-theatrical releases have on the business?

TR - I think things like iTunes are great for the business.  It means something like The Summer House, which would conventionally only have a very limited release, can be reached by a much larger audience.

CLICK HERE to read M&C's review of Inception!