The dark romantic drama My Cousin Rachel, written and directed by Roger Michell and adapted from the 1951 novel by Daphne du Maurier, tells the story of a young Englishman named Philip (Sam Claflin) who wants to meet his mysterious and beautiful cousin Rachel (Rachel Weisz) because he believes that she murdered his guardian. Even though he has plotted revenge against her, his feelings quickly become complicated as he finds himself not only falling in love with her, but becoming truly obsessed.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Holliday Grainger talked about loving the open-ended nature of this story, why the character interested her, the vibe on set, and that the quality of a script is important to her, when looking for her next project. She also talked about what drew her to the Strike TV series, from the J.K. Rowling novels about Cormoran Strike, and her episode of the Amazon series, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams.
Collider: Why did you want to play this character, and what did you most enjoy about exploring who she was?
HOLLIDAY GRAINGER: Mainly, I loved the story and that it was so open-ended. I also wanted to work with Roger Michell because I really admire his work. I’ve had some friends who said he was a joy to work with, and he is. He really creates a world that he fully believes in, therefore, as an actor, you can enter into that world knowing that nothing is left un-thought of and it gives you the confidence to play. And I think Louise interested me because she had this friendship with Philip, from such a young age. They’re childhood friends, but Louise has grown up faster than him and she wants a deeper relationship, and he’s maybe not able to give her that yet. And then, Rachel comes along and Philip’s world is turned upside down, and therefore, Louise’s is, too. I loved her because she has this patience and self-restrained that doesn’t allow her to show her jealous. She’s allowing herself to be there for Philip, even though you want her to tell him that he’s being an idiot. I really respect that, in her. That was interesting to play.
