During the Zurich Film Festival, British actress Claire Foy reflected on her career and shared insights about her surprising passion for the movie Titanic, specifically her repeated viewings due to Leonardo DiCaprio. Foy, attending the event to receive the Golden Eye Award, also presented her latest film, H Is for Hawk, which had recently screened at Telluride.
Exploring Grief and Connection in H Is for Hawk
In H Is for Hawk, Foy portrays Helen, a woman grappling with the sudden loss of her father, played by Brendan Gleeson. To manage her grief, Helen adopts a hawk named Mabel, a story adapted from Helen MacDonald’s memoir and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe. The film has been described by Variety’s Peter Debruge as
“an unconventional yet moving grief drama.”
Discussing her emotional response to the role, Foy said,
“I had a strong, visceral reaction when I read it.”
To embody Helen authentically, she learned falconry and spent significant time with birds, building trust and patience throughout the process:
“The training is basically to allow the bird to trust you and get used to you. You just have to be patient and kind, and compassionate. It’s like a house spider – you are terrified of it but it’s more terrified of you. In the book, there’s so much humanity in the way Helen talks about it. That was the key to it. As soon as I knew it was vulnerable, I wasn’t afraid of it.”
She also noted,
“They all had different personalities and I loved all of them.”
Early Career Moments and Memorable Experiences
Foy’s rise in the acting world began with attention drawn from projects like Little Dorrit and Upstairs Downstairs, but she described her role in Wolf Hall as “a job of a lifetime.” She recalled nervously meeting author Hilary Mantel on set, joking,
“I met Hilary Mantel and asked her what she had for lunch. I just thought: ‘Say something, say something.’ I think she went: ‘Oh dear.’”
Looking back on her younger years, Foy revealed an unexpected link to Titanic, stating,
“I didn’t think I could ‘make it’. But as a child, I got used to being ignored and then not wanting to be ignored. I was very loud. As a teenager, I went the opposite direction – I avoided anything that involved anyone looking at me. But I loved theater and saw ‘Titanic’ 12 times or something obscene like that. Mostly because of Leonardo DiCaprio.”
This confession sheds light on the actress’s long-standing admiration for DiCaprio, which influenced her intense engagement with the film.
Working with Renowned Figures and Landing Iconic Roles
Foy also reminisced about her experience filming the 2011 movie Season of the Witch alongside Nicolas Cage. Commenting on the production scale, she said,
“With Nicolas Cage! I was in Budapest with him, thinking: ‘What on earth?!’ People were getting helicopters and private jets, and that doesn’t exist anymore. To work with an absolute living legend… It was extraordinary.”
Her breakthrough to global recognition came with Netflix’s The Crown, where she played Queen Elizabeth II and earned two Emmy Awards. Despite her success, Foy approached the role with skepticism:
“I was convinced it was going to be a bit silly. Me, pretending to be the queen.”
She described the character in depth:
“She was much more unguarded [as a younger woman]. I could see her as a person, not as a figurehead.”
Regarding her portrayal and the real monarch, Foy pointed out,
“That’s the point of the institution: you don’t engage in that. Also, it’s not like ‘H Is for Hawk’ when Helen was on board from the beginning. They didn’t want this to be made. I wasn’t expecting to hear from her.”
She also accepted the risk of typecasting humorously, acknowledging,
“There are not that many queens.”
Upcoming Projects and Reflections on Recognition
Looking ahead, Foy is involved in the adaptation of Enid Blyton’s popular children’s book, Magic Faraway Tree, alongside Andrew Garfield. Reflecting on the Zurich Film Festival where she previously appeared with Breathe, she quipped,
“I was at Zurich before, with ‘Breathe,’ but it was Andrew Garfield who won the Golden Eye.”
Receiving lifetime achievement awards prompted some humility. Foy admitted,
“With [lifetime achievement] awards, you always think you don’t really deserve that. It’s other people who get these things.”
However, at this stage in her career, she has come to embrace such honors as well deserved.
