Something Bigger Than Myself: Billie Piper on Rare Beasts | Interviews

How did David Thewlis join the cast?

I had worked with David Thewlis on “Eternal Beauty,” the Craig Roberts film, and I said to him I was doing a film. He asked me to send him the script. I thought I’ll send him the script and he’ll never read it, or he’ll come back to me when we’re in production and it’ll have already been cast. But he read it so quickly, and he said he was in so quickly. I feel quite emotional talking about that even now. That’s why I had to stop being such a nihilist, because actually I do think that the stars align for these moments. Although sometimes they don’t and it works out differently. 

I loved the scene where all the women were talking so candidly about having sex after childbirth. I don’t think I’ve ever seen something like that in a film before. How do you feel about representing things that maybe haven’t been shown in films before?

It’s my guilty pleasure. I absolutely love bringing to life things that people aren’t supposed to be talking about, even though we all talk about it. All of my girlfriends have talked about their sex lives after having kids and the things that happen to us, the trauma of it. It’s crazy that you don’t see more of that. It’s crazy that we think about a woman has had a baby that they aren’t going to want to be having sex with some guy eight months later. It’s healthy to be exposing these moments. 

What do the phrases “likable” or “unlikable” mean to you when discussing women, in life or in films?

This idea of likable and unlikable women, because it’s weighted at women more, it’s like these women aren’t unlikeable, this is just what women are like. These are the things that women talk about. Unless you’re sort of prudish or whatever, which is fine. It’s this idea that they would be unlikable because one of them is having sex with a married man eight months after having a kid with some other guy who left, or they’re all getting hammered and there’s kids in their lives … I feel like these are normal things. It’s not watching a woman be bad, it’s just we haven’t seen this enough in film or in drama, so we immediately chock them up to villains. I sound judgmental, but if you don’t like these sorts of women, well, it’s your life I guess. I think a lot of people actually feel quite warm towards these types of characters, the women especially. Like, if you watch “The Sopranos,” Tony Soprano is a murderous, infidelitous f**ker, and yet you kind of want to be with him. He’s applauded and everyone loves him. Tony’s the guy, you know? It’s funny, isn’t it, it’s just harder for people to marry as an idea when we watch women behaving like that.

Do you have any advice for women looking to become filmmakers?

Don’t put pressure on yourself. Experience a lot of life. I think that really helps inform the work. I think sometimes people who have made doing the work the focus, I think some of the work is compromised because there’s not enough life behind it. Don’t rush. Try and find, however hard it is, your authentic voice. That’s what we need. We need it more and more.