For an actor whose face is recognised from countless films, Andrea Riseborough retains a remarkable ability to blend into the background. The Newcastle-born star, known for her chameleonic performances in Birdman, Mandy, and the Oscar-nominated To Leslie, prefers it that way. In a new interview, she reveals the psychological weight of her craft and her continued surprise at her shock 2023 Academy Award nomination.
The Art of Disappearing
Speaking from her temporary London flat, surrounded by sparse white walls, Riseborough explains her philosophy. "If you're going to represent people in real life, you should retain what might be considered a real life," she says, her words carefully measured. "You can move through the world in quiet observation." This commitment to authenticity defines her career, from playing a Broadway diva to Nicolas Cage's spectral love interest, all while maintaining an elusive quality that makes her simultaneously familiar and unknowable.
Giving Voice to the Marginalised
Her latest project, the suburban thriller Dragonfly, continues this tradition. Riseborough plays Colleen, a benefits claimant with a murky past who forms an intense friendship with her elderly neighbour, played by Brenda Blethyn. The film explores themes often overlooked in mainstream cinema. "A huge portion of our society gets marginalised through absolutely no fault of their own," Riseborough states. "You can't choose where you're born, and you can't choose where you end your life."
She found immediate kinship with Blethyn, both having working-class roots and training that eliminated ego from their process. "Working with her was like coming home," Riseborough reflects. "Psychologically, what I do is no picnic. Or, if it is, it's one where they're serving prickly pears with the skin still on."
The 'Bamboozling' Oscar Experience
The conversation turns to her unexpected 2023 Oscar nomination for To Leslie, a grassroots campaign supported by A-listers including Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston. Rather than discomfort, Riseborough expresses gratitude for the peer recognition. "What was and remains completely bamboozling is that the film was responded to in the way that it was," she admits. "That film became very meaningful to many, many people, and that was the real jaw-dropper for me of that entire experience."
She describes the actor's process as "like throwing something out into a canyon", not always expecting the powerful echo her performance in the little-seen indie ultimately received. The nomination felt less like a personal victory and more like a celebration of the film's impact on audiences who saw themselves in its portrayal of poverty and redemption.
Dragonfly is in cinemas now.
