“I did a lot before [being cast] because I knew how important it would be for playing somebody real, or attempting to - to show the team [the role] was something I would be fascinated to do. I read a couple of biographies and I watched everything I could find [about princess Margaret].” ImportantRealShowsWould BeRolesTeamCoupleCastsFascinatedPrincessBiographiesAttempting Author:Vanessa Kirby
“Some of the biographies [of princess Margaret] were really sensationalist, News of the World sorts, but they were great because they also gave first and secondhand accounts of her at home. The butlers come forward and give little moments, some of which you discard and some which ring somehow true and you use.” WorldGivingFirstsLittlesMomentsUseHomeNewsAccountsRingsPrincessBiographiesButlersLittle Moments Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I watched tons of archive footage of princess Margaret and listened to the music she loved; that was really immersive and brilliant.” BrilliantPrincessArchives Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I watched her do speeches, but the only footage we could find of [princess] Margaret was archive footage, which was of her public presentation of herself.” SpeechPrincessPresentationArchives Author:Vanessa Kirby
“It was always said you couldn't have two sisters less alike. In a way [princess] Elizabeth was always internalizing everything and [princess] Margaret was always externalizing everything, so that became the basis. The storyline becomes about these two sisters: they're fighting for their position or trying to establish their identity in the world alongside each other and in relation to this establishment which only those two were a part of.” WorldWayTryingSaidTwoFightingIdentityPositionBasesRelationEstablishmentPrincessStorylineTwo SistersInternalizing Author:Vanessa Kirby
“Marking the differences between them was really important. It just became second nature. When we were choosing pajamas or something, instantly you'd be able to spot: those are [princess] Margaret, those are [princess] Elizabeth. It became this sort of language, really, of the two sisters.” TwoImportantAbleLanguageDifferencesSpotsPrincessPajamasTwo Sisters Author:Vanessa Kirby
“Everybody has an image of [princess Margaret], to a certain extent. But I felt it would have been harder if we were playing them as they are now. In a way, I don't know how much of a living memory we as a collective have of them in the '50s, when Margaret was 21 and this sort of Elizabeth Taylor. You don't think of your grandparents as being teenagers. You just can't - your brain just can't go there!” IfsThinkingKnowsWayHas BeensCertainFeltMemoriesBrainKnow HowHarderTeenagerCollectivesPrincessGrandparentThink Of YouBeing A Teenager Author:Vanessa Kirby
“That's exactly how I felt. So getting to suddenly know this young [princess] Margaret, who had this extraordinary life - it was sad and tragic and difficult and sort of astonishing and getting to know her young self was amazing because it completely defied all my expectations.” KnowsSelfYoungFeltDifficultExpectationsExtraordinaryTragicPrincessAstonishingOrdinary LifeExtraordinary Life Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I would argue [princess] Margaret is the tragic figure of the century.” CenturyFiguresArguingTragicPrincess Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I knew she was a party girl. The book I liked most on her was called [princess] Margaret: A Life of Contrasts and getting to know her, it was how conflicted her position and her internal life - or self - was. She is so fiercely royal and so fiercely "sister of the queen" or "daughter of the king" because that is her identity and it's all she's ever known. And at the same time she is struggling to push the boundaries and to break away from it, to be different or to modernize the monarchy, to turn it on its head.” KnowsBookDifferentSelfTurnsGirlPartyKnownBreakStruggleIdentityPositionKingsDaughterBoundariesQueensInternalsPrincessContrastRoyalMonarchyParty Girl Author:Vanessa Kirby
“That external struggle mirrors the struggle of this life force of energy that [princess Margaret] was.” EnergyForceStruggleMirrorsThis LifePrincess Author:Vanessa Kirby
“[Princess Margaret] was loud, an extrovert, an exhibitionist, loved fashion, loved color, loved music, loved drama, loved the theater, wanted to be a ballerina or actress, was always the little one putting on the school plays, and [princess] Elizabeth reluctantly did it and got stage fright.” LittlesPlayWantedSchoolStageFashionColorDramaTheaterActressesLoudPrincessFrightBallerinaExtrovertsStage FrightSchool PlaysExhibitionist Author:Vanessa Kirby
“[Princess Margaret] was always trying to radicalize things.” TryingPrincessAlways Trying Author:Vanessa Kirby
“At the same time, [princess Margaret] had a fragility and an insecurity in who she was and her position, because her sister had always got the education ever since David [Edward VIII] abdicated.” PositionInsecurityPrincessFragility Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I started to really enjoy the fact that [princess] Margaret was an exhibitionist. Even on a day-to-day basis, Margaret's costumes were always so much more dramatic and bold than Elizabeth's were.” FactsEnjoyBasesDramaticPrincessDay To DayCostumesExhibitionist Author:Vanessa Kirby
“I really enjoyed stepping into that side of [princess Margaret] and being silly and naughty and fun.” FunSidesSillyEnjoyedPrincessNaughtyBeing Silly Author:Vanessa Kirby
