Mia Wasikowska Video Interview On ‘Jane Eyre,’ Michael Fassbender

Mia Wasikowska, the Australian actress best known for her star-making role in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, stars as the iconic titular character in Jane Eyre with Michael Fassbender. Wasikowska believes that her greatest challenge in taking on the role was to make it her own so the audience could connect with such a well-known character. “She’s a character that has lived for many generations, so when you think about how old the story is, it’s a real testament to her character; people still connect with her now,” Wasikowska told uInterview. “With Jane, people already have an idea of who she is – they really know her character. So there’s an obligation to hopefully deliver so that people will connect and believe you as her.”

Wasikowska prepared for the character by reading the book so she could immerse herself in the role and the language. “I did a lot of research, and I read the books again and went through and underlined things I thought were important to remember,” she said. “I looked at a lot of visual references as well. I like to really understand who they are. And I made sure I was comfortable with the language, because it’s not a language we really use anymore – very poetic and lush.”

Wasikowska’s chemistry with Fassbender was immediately apparent, which made her acting in the film an easier process. “I think that we got on so well from the beginning, and when you get on with someone where you have to have that same kind of relationship in the movie — half your work is done. So it really helped,” she said. “And we also had a similar way of working, and we were able to counter the intensity of the material and the drama of the material with a lot of fun; we were able to use that and channel it into the scene.”