Rose Byrne Felt Like Tom Cruise Getting Physical For ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’

Rose Byrne Felt Like Tom Cruise Getting Physical For ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’

[Applause] Oh my god, I love you so much in everything you do. I feel like you picked the most relatable characters like for some of us, but wait, you live you live here in New York, right? We do. We live in New York and I grew up in Sydney. I’m from Australia. Yeah. So, pretty different. Yes. Yeah. Very different. Um I mean both major cities. Both major city. I am a city girl. Like I grew up in the inner city in Sydney, but I’ve been here nearly 20 years, so been a long time. Yeah. I think maybe that’s the I actually didn’t think I’d like raising my kids in the city, but I do. I thought it would be like weird and chaotic and hard, but it’s so easy. It’s fantastic, right? You can walk everywhere. We walk our kids to school. Like, we have a very And I used to be able to walk to school. Like, it’s amazing, [Applause] there are little, it’s like your own little tiny villages everywhere. It’s true. You find your neighbors, you find your communities, and that’s what I love. Yeah. All right. Well, speaking of family, um you play a mom who is really struggling in this new movie, which a lot of people relate. They’re going to relate a lot to even that scene you just saw, and you’re like, “Oh, cool. We’re going to have this conversation for the hundth time. It’s super fun and triggering for some, but this is based on a true story, which I found hilarious that someone was like, I’m going to put this out there.” She’s extraordinary. um the the writer director Mary Bronstein, she’s very open about it. This is inspired by something that happened to her and her daughter and then very much abstracted out into this extraordinary movie that’s a little bit hard to define by genre. There’s a lot of horror in the movie. There’s a lot of drama, some comedy, too, a lot of a lot of a lot of funny bits as well. So, it’s a really it’s a kind of an extraordinary ride the movie. It’s a real experience and very relatable if you’re even if you’re not a parent. I’ve had so many people who aren’t parents but who are caregivers. Yeah. or who or they even just had like a this moment you know that’s doesn’t I look gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous this moment though really does say everything where does the title come from you know Mary Bronstein speaks to that better than I can but it I mean it’s a bit of that expression you know you don’t have a leg to stand on and it’s like if I had legs I’ you know there’s a lot of rage in this film a lot of female rage a lot of maternal rage but also a lot of us do feel like that every there’s the weight is on you the weight is on you balancing so much. Yes. And the film is a tight rope. Very much a tight rope. It just premiered last night at the New York Film Festival and oh my god, the audience was just extraordinary. Like laughing and what is that? That must be the coolest thing. Like I mean I know what it’s like from a performer’s perspective, but not like how you do it. And it that just must be really cool to hear everyone laughing at the parts they’re supposed to laugh at, crying at the parts, you know, relating. Like that must be really cool, the energy of that. And we’ve premiered, we’ve premiered at Sundance, we’ve been to Berlin, we’ve been to Melbourne, we’ve been everywhere. And uh New York, there’s no like New York, man. And the audience is so sophisticated and they just understand. I love your energy too. Great energy. I love in the film, one of my favorite parts is the perspective. Like you don’t see Well, I don’t want to ruin it. I don’t want to spoil it, but you don’t you you really focus in on the mom. Yeah. You don’t see the child. It’s very It’s not a spoiler. Okay. No, no, no. kind of in the first 10 minutes. It’s the the visual language of the film is very arresting and you don’t see the child, but it’s a it’s a it’s for a specific reason and um I think it’s becomes clear as it goes along. Yeah, I know. Interesting though because it’s the vantage point that matters, which I thought was really clever, of course. And when you and the character can’t see her daughter, the character can’t see her. She’s in such stress and such sort of self-absorption, too. She can’t see her. And like anyone with the beating, you know, if you have a child on screen, your empathy goes to the child, of course, as it should. And this movie is very radical. It’s asking you to not taking that choice away. So, it’s very it’s a real, you know, it’s a very kind of a real expression. And it’s like a fresh idea. I love that. It’s never been done. Yeah. I think that’s really cool because you don’t always get that all the time. It’s pretty rad. Yeah. How did making the movie affect your relationship with your kids? Did you kind of re Did you just think you were the most amazing mom after this? I’m a perfect mom. I’m a perfect mother. It’s mother easy. It only comes up for me. These are easy. It’s um No, of course. You know, you reflect on your relationships, but I was so obsessed with the character. I was like, why is she beh who is this person? Because everyone responds differently to a crisis, right? And she’s in a crisis and why what is this person? Why is she responding like this? You line up 10 people, they’re going to respond differently to this situation. And that was my obsession was like, who is this person? Why is she acting like what what has led her to this moment? So, that was kind of Mary Bron. Yeah. You got to spend time with Mary too and to understand. Yes, we did. We had a great It was like preparing for a play. We had five or six weeks where we just chatted at her kitchen table pouring over the script, you know, for five days a week. And without that, I would have been pretty untethered because it was, you know, it’s very much from her perspective. And I just, you know, I didn’t want to, you know, mess it up. For sure not mess it up. But at the same time, you’re probably like, “Okay, so you seem kind of unhinged here.” Um, yeah. Yeah. Awkward conversation. The trap with this is that it’s one note. No, it’s just a, you know, a woman having a screaming and everything scene and it’s not nuanced or or not true in life. So, it’s like how do we make sure that this is, you know, tracking that and um it was such an opportunity as a, you know, for for an actress or an actor. It was just I felt so lucky to have that. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it looked like this film was challenging physically because the one part when you run too like all the way I don’t want to run into the beat, whatever, but like a lot of running. Lot of running. Yeah. I was doing my best Tom Cruz. Yeah. I did all my own stunts. Come on, just run. He’s run the best. No, but then does it kind of feel I don’t feel like as an adult we do that ever really like run at full speed like running from not like chasing you are running from. Yes. Yeah. You’re like escaping. She’s like got the Yeah, it was a lot of that. Yeah. We filmed a big, you know, sequence on the beach and, you know, I’m Australian though, so I have a great respect for the ocean and I’m very aware, you know, we are very taught to know about rips and, you know, the water was very warm that night, which was really lucky. So, so that really helped. But, um, but I think I think being an Aussie helped me in that sense of just having that great respect. Yeah. I got to ask cuz I love my my first place to visit like um in this industry whenever I was started to tour, the first place I went was Australia and I was like, you know why I loved it? It feels like a giant Texas. Everyone’s so nice and chill and like helpful and I fell in love with it like right off the bat. I’m so pleased. How do you feel like it shaped you growing up there? I mean, it shapes everything, right? You’re just a product of your environment at the end of the day and it was like such a um there is a great curiosity in Australians. There’s beautiful. It’s beautiful. I mean, we grew up I we grew up on the o like I grew up very going to a little beach house. So, I I love the ocean. Um it’s great. It’s beautiful nature, incredible food. Um, and it’s tiny. You know, there’s only 25 million people and 80% are on the coast, but it’s the size of Canada. It’s huge Australia and everyone’s on the coast and middle is empty basically. So, it’s uh that flight to Perth is like Yeah. It’s like, and if you’re in Perth, it’s closer to it’s closer to get to Bali than it is to Sydney. I know. Radical. Yeah. It’s like all the way on the other side. So, it’s a really It is a I’m still discovering stuff about the country, obviously, but uh I I cherish that my childhood was there. You have family there. Do you still get to go back? We do. We go back a lot. We were just there over the our summer here, winter there. And I try absolutely every year I try to get back at least once or twice if I can. It’s just a long way. But now it’s my emotional home. So yeah, it is a long way. You’re that airplane ride. You’re like, “Okay, what books or what? You like a plan? It’s like a bullet point.” It’s a total plan. And I’ve done it. I’ve done it so many times. And you know, Me too. Yeah. It’s like it’s a it’s a it’s a hole. But then you get there and it’s extraordinary. Oh my gosh, this place and the air is clear and it’s so blue and bright and it’s Yeah, it’s beautiful. Well, speaking of extraordinary, you also love to do something that I love to do. Your family y’all took an RV road trip. We did an RV road trip first time. Um and you know, we survived. We did very hard to drive. Hard to drive. Oh, it’s harder than you think, especially if it’s windy. Yes. It’s like And like the suspension was a little, you know, it was just like it’s a heavy I don’t know how many people have done it, but I was like, “Wow.” But very fun. very fun sleeping in the back and it’s super, you know, so cute. It’s cozy. It’s different. It’s cozy. What’s the stretch you’ve done the longest of I don’t know. I did it I um I did more in my 20s. We were talking the break when I did stuff like that cuz now I have kids and I’m a little boring. Um cuz it’s a lot. We got dogs, we got animal, we got rabbit, there’s a lot going on taken care of. But um in my 20s, I mean I would go I’ve been fully across the country here. Like I’ve done that. So like bucket list. I’d love to do that. It’s just And I think what’s cool I will say about America because I think we always do visit where we aren’t from and sometimes you forget like man where I’m from is remarkable. Of course. Yeah. There’s so much beauty. Totally. This has given me like a taste for that. Like we just went from Melbourne to Sydney uh and to we took three nights or something. So, it was like a quick one, but it was beautiful. Beautiful to a beautiful close. There are those moments though, like you kind of led me to believe that you had um when you’re like, “It’s fun.” And then it’s like, “Oh my god.” Like it’s like moments where you’re like, “Is this fun?” It is fun. Yeah. And you know, Bobby did all the driving, so I was like, “Yeah.” Yeah. I had hurt my back, so I was there with the rolled up tight cuz I’m just going to sit here for a while. Oh my god. No. But we I have to have to go with someone that takes turns cuz I’m I can only take it so long and then I’m like, are we going to die? Am I going to I just get in some zones where I’m like, I’ve been driving too long. Totally. And he’s also driving on the other side of the road. Yeah. You know, all so it was like, but the kids loved it. It was so, you know, the bunk beds, you know, it was so fun. You know, we saw kangaroos on the beach and we, you know, we like Well, you got to watch out. They can actually be aggressive. Well, these were the little ones. These were like baby joies, so they were super cute and we were beating them and, you know, feeding birds. Very like Australian. I’ve done the sanctuaries. The tourist thing you do, the kangaroo sanctuary. I’ve done that. Oh, yeah. You’ve been to the sanctuary. I love them. That place is amazing. I know those guys. They do incredible work rescuing the I love it so much. Wait, we have we have some photos from your RV trip. Wait, where was this taken? Look at that. Yeah. And that body of water behind you is just so beautiful. That was in um Mill Beach in Maramarang on the south coast between um Victoria, I think. In Victoria still. Yeah. um on the way to New South Wales and yeah, it was amazing. Oh my god, their little hands when you’re next to the little kangaroo. I can’t I just want to snuggle everywhere and they’re going to like punch me but whatever. Like love me. They were everywhere. They were all They were just in all little just little ones but you know it was be they were so sweet and very Yeah. Very kind of just seeing wildlife makes you feel good. Yeah, I know. It’s like they was it was very Yeah. Really special. I’ve done that. What about What about this one? Yeah, that was in the Morningington Peninsula, uh, in Victoria. It’s a a gorgeous, um, coastal town. Uh, and the guys were up there and then they a big wave came and Bobby nearly got taken down, I think, after that. Oh my god. I was like, you had a back issue, so you probably did not climb it. I don’t even think I was there. I don’t think I You were like, you were like, this isn’t going well. Yeah. All right. I think we have one more. Wait, see it? Oh, yeah. Uh, who’s that? That’s That’s my dad. That’s my dad. That’s my dad and Robin. And we went to Olaroo, which is an extraordinary place in the Look how beautiful that land with how it cascades like how the mountains how they run like it’s beautiful. It’s what it’s it’s it it’s a big rock in the middle of um it’s a sacred uh sacred ancient site for the indigenous um uh people. It’s beautiful. It’s very very spiritual. the most incredible colors and um I just love the lines how it all like the it’s absolutely gorgeous. Yeah. Uluru it’s a it’s like a a place you got to go. It’s a bit like Ezro or something where it’s very the the energy vibrates there. It’s quite Joshua that kind of tree that sort of stuff. And me and my dad went there. Um just two of us. It was beautiful. Yeah. All right. Well, we need another break. If I had legs I’d kick you, which is the greatest title ever. Is in select cities now and nationwide October 24th. [Music] Thank you guys so much.

Rose Byrne dishes on her new film about motherhood, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” including why they made the “radical” choice to avoid showing Rose’s on-screen daughter in the film, and why the movie is relatable to all caregivers. Rose also reflects on her childhood growing up in Australia, RV trips with her family, and how her experience with the ocean helped her do an intense stunt in the film.

0:00 – Rose Byrne: From Sydney To Life In New York
0:57 – New Film “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
2:54 – The Film’s Radical Vantage Point
3:54 – How Her Character Changes Her Real-Life Motherhood
6:04 – How Australia Shaped Her
7:42 – An RV Road Trip In Australia

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