Amy Adams has said she feels mothers are judged “very harshly” and has faced more criticism playing a mother than portraying “sociopaths”. The 52-year-old actress has taken on a variety of roles, from a fairytale princess in Enchanted to a con artist in American Hustle and a ruthless political figure in Vice.
Klara And The Sun role
In Klara And The Sun, Adams plays Chrissie, whose sick teenage daughter Josie (Mia Tharia) befriends an AI figure named Klara (Jenna Ortega), designed to combat human loneliness. The film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s bestselling novel, a cautionary tale about technology and AI ethics.
Speaking to the Press Association ahead of the film’s screening at the BFI London Film Festival, Adams reflected on the negative perceptions of her character: “What’s fascinating about this (film) is playing a mother who makes questionable choices. People project some negativity onto her, but I think that’s common for mothers. We get judged a little more harshly than some sociopaths I may have played.”
Exploring a flawed character
Adams continued: “I’m being silly – but it is true. I think mothers are judged very harshly. But what I loved about playing Chrissie is I got to explore somebody who is very deeply flawed. Getting to understand her grief and her isolation, and understanding how the relationship with Klara forces and encourages her to build a human relationship, step out of perfection, step out of control – and allow herself to be vulnerable and human.”
Her co-star Ortega also enjoyed her latest role, telling PA how “exciting” it was to “try something new”. “It was different than a lot of the scripts that I was receiving at the time. It was overall a really nice freeing project,” the Wednesday star said.
Red carpet appearances
Ortega wore a floor-length satin yellow gown with black lace details and a matching mustard lace cap over her long dark hair. She posed alongside Adams, who chose an off-the-shoulder black gown with a contrasting bunched white detail along the hem.
Florence Pugh, also in attendance at Thursday’s screening, wore a mesh floral gown with an extravagant winged detail on both shoulders. Director and producer Taika Waititi posed in a simple black tuxedo and white shirt, flanked by his wife Rita Ora in a black lace gown with a flared detail and a matching mask with horned details.
Klara And The Sun will be released in cinemas across the UK on October 23.
