Culture Interviews Cinema & Tv Film festivals London Film Festival 2017

On Chesil Beach premiere: A chat with Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howley and Dominic Cooke

On Chesil Beach premiere: A chat with Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howley and Dominic Cooke

Dominic Cooke’s gripping drama premiered at the BFI London Film Festival this week. Adapted to screen from his book of the same name, by veteran British author Ian McEwan, the story centres around a young couple’s (Saoirse Ronan, Billy Howle) stifling onset of marriage. Florence, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan, is a stark contrast to her other half, Edward, played by Billy Howle. We were at the film’s premiere speaking with Ronan, Howle and Cooke. We discovered some of the actors’ inspirations in taking on their roles and what challenges the adaptation produced.

Saoirse tells us what encouraged her to work with Ian McEwan again, after 2007’s Atonement, and the challenges she was confronted with in her portrayal of Florence

We also spoke with Billy Howley and director Dominic Cooke about how they worked on this period drama, which uses heavy silences and understated performances, giving us a realistic tale of a couple’s first foray into marriage.

Selina Begum
Videos: Marta Starczynowska

On Chesil Beach is released nationwide on 19th January 2018. Read our review here.

Read more reviews and interviews from our London Film Festival 2017 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the official BFI website here.

More in Cinema & Tv

Smurfs

Umar Ali

“A photogenic young heiress who goes missing with her son is like catnip to the tabloids”: Lauren Lyle and Emer Kenny on Karen Pirie season two

Christina Yang

“It makes you laugh while you watch people get blown to pieces”: Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell on The Assassin

Christina Yang

“She’s not the coolest assassin in the world, but she’s a great character in her own right”: Keeley Hawes, Harry and Jack Williams, Freddie Highmore, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Devon Terrell on The Assassin

Christina Yang

Suranne Jones leads high-stakes political thriller Hostage, launching on Netflix this August

The editorial unit

Too Much

Antonia Georgiou

“A lot of people have said, ‘I’m going to call my mum,’ after watching it”: Paul Andrew Williams and Jason Watkins on Dragonfly at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Christina Yang

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival: Dragonfly

Christina Yang

Superman

Christopher Connor