Whit Stillman, director of the new period romantic comedy Love & Friendship, said that the film will give audiences the chance to see another aspect of leading star Kate Beckinsale in this departure from the latex-clad action characters she is known for.
The film is an adaptation of Jane Austen's lesser-known novella Lady Susan, and sees Beckinsale play the titular character, a scheming widower who is hell-bent on securing a favourable marriage for herself or her daughter.
The fast-talking part sees Beckinsale deliver witty one-liners with aplomb, and Stillman said the film is a chance for audiences to see a different side to her acting, outside of action movies and tight latex costumes.
Kate Beckinsale - well known for action movie roles
"A lot of people don't know this aspect of her career, they know her in latex and all those things", he told TEN.
"But she actually started out in this area, she was in a Jane Austen derived movie Cold Comfort Farm and she was in a British television adaptation of Emma and then she was in our film Last Days of Disco, so she really knows how to do this kind of part."
Director @WhitStillman says @LandFMovie shows audiences another side of @KateBeckinsale other than "in latex".https://t.co/Ql6QH7DRNf
— RTÉ TEN (@RTE_TEN) May 25, 2016
The acclaimed director, whose previous films include Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco, also spoke to TEN about shooting Love & Friendship in various location around Dublin and Wicklow, saying "it was such a great experience," adding that he's eager to film in Ireland as "it's the best place to shoot".
Love & Friendship is out in cinemas on May 27.
Watch TEN's full interview with Whit Stillman by clicking the link.
