Carey Mulligan gushes over Maestro co-star and director Bradley Cooper and details begging Emerald Fennell to swap her 'small cameo' for the role of Poor Dear Pamela in Saltburn

Carey Mulligan sat down with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 on Thursday morning to discuss her roles in the recently Oscar-nominated biopic Maestro and the Golden Globe-nominated erotic thriller Saltburn.

The BAFTA-winning actress, 38, spoke about being directed by and star opposite Bradley Cooper in last year’s hit biopic Maestro, before detailing how she nabbed the role as Poor Dear Pamela in Saltburn.

Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on the relationship between American homosexual composer Leonard Bernstein, played by Bradley, and Carey’s character – his actress wife Felicia Montealegre.

Carey told Lauren: ‘I was so surprised at how much it helped to have my director acting with me. He could basically inform the way I did something by the way he played his part…

‘It would sort of elicit a response in me because he would do it a certain way as opposed to giving me a verbal cue to do something differently.’

Carey Mulligan, 38, sat down with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 on Thursday morning to discuss her roles in the recently Oscar-nominated biopic Maestro and the Golden Globe-nominated erotic thriller Saltburn

The BAFTA-winning actress, 38, spoke about what it was like to be directed by and star opposite Bradley Cooper in last year’s hit biopic Maestro (pictured)

Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on the relationship between American homosexual composer Leonard Bernstein, played by Bradley, and Carey’s character – his actress wife Felicia Montealegre.

Carey pictured here playing Poor Dear Pamela in Emerald Fennell’s hit Saltburn, a role she pleaded for

The BAFTA-winning actress spoke about what it was like to be directed by and star opposite Bradley Cooper in Maestro

Maestro is a 2023 American biographical romantic drama film that centers on American homosexual composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre, an actress

Maestro was Carey and Bradley’s first project together, although they had known each other for years. Carey spoke about how Bradley’s passion helped her let go of any embarrassment and fully embrace the character of Felicia.

She said: ‘He really just went for it and just didn’t care and did whatever he needed to do to make his performance feel as possible…

‘I was like, “Do you know what? If I was a painter, I wouldn’t be embarrassed about what I needed to do to make a great painting canvas. I’d make a mess and not worry about it.” So, I did on this and I’m really pleased that I did.’

To get into the character of Felicia, Carey took a trip to Chile to visit Felicia’s extended family – but stayed longer than she planned to.

She said: ‘It was amazing. I mean, I loved it. I’d never been to South America so I just felt like I needed to see where she’d come from and what she was leaving….

‘I think she was extraordinarily ambitious as an actor and as an artist and really brave to leave her hometown. I got Covid there, so I was there for two weeks on my own…

‘When you’re there, you do feel like you’re on the other side of the world and that was now, 2022.’

Carey also spoke to Lauren about her work on Saltburn, where she played minor character Poor Dear Pamela. She said: ‘Every time Emerald [Fennell] creates something it’s like no one else could have ever thought of this…

Carey told Lauren: ‘I was so surprised at how much it helped to have my director acting with me. He could basically inform the way I did something by the way he played his part’

Carey spoke about how Bradley’s passion helped her let go of any embarrassment and fully embrace the character of Felicia

‘She directed Promising Young Woman which was one of my favourite jobs ever. I just love how she thinks and I love what she creates and the characters and she creates and she was so specific about Poor Dear Pamela. It was never Pamela…

‘It was written in the script as Poor Dear Pamela, and that’s why, because she asked me to play a different part, like a smaller cameo, and I said, ‘Em, could I please play Pamela? Just so I can have Poor Dear Pamela in my CV forever.’

Saltburn reunited Carey with long-time friend Rosamund Pike – something she admitted was a delight following their long-time work together.

She said: ‘She’s a genius; she’s hysterical. I was so excited, because Ros and I have known each other since I was 18. I did my first job with Ros: we played sisters in Pride And Prejudice then we did An Education together…

‘So, this was our third time working together and I just love her. She’s the most incredible actress – she can literally do anything.

Carey’s next project is sci-fi drama Spaceman which comes out in March.

She said: ‘It’s Adam Sandler, me and a large spider. I mean, watch the trailer, that pretty much says it all. It’s directed by Yohan Renck who is an incredible director who directed Chernobyl…

‘We shot it in Prague and it’s a very mad, arty, beautiful, Adam in his Uncut Gems, Punch-Drunk Love mode.’

Carey also spoke to Lauren about her work on Saltburn, where she played minor character Poor Dear Pamela, and her upcoming film Spaceman

She said: ‘Every time Emerald [Fennell] creates something it’s like no one else could have ever thought of this. She directed Promising Young Woman which was one of my favourite jobs ever. I just love how she thinks’

Carey, who is married to Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, also spoke about how music helps her through life.

She shared: ‘I think it is a huge part. It’s always been a big part of my work, even when I haven’t had music on screen, or I haven’t sung.

‘I’ve always had music in my ears, particularly when I’m doing theatre, I’ll listen to music in the wings before I go on stage.

‘The last play I did was a quite serious monologue – the first bit was meant to be funny but it was quite serious, the rest of it. Called Girls And Boys.

‘And in the wings for that – because that was just me on stage for 90 minutes and I was beyond nervous, it was the scariest thing I’ve ever done – I used to listen to Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time. Such a banger…

‘I’d stand in the wings and I’d just dance to Cher like really loud because then I wouldn’t be able to hear the audience. I wouldn’t be able to have any sense that I was about to walk out in front of people.

‘And then just as the lights went out, for me to go out and stand on stage, I’d just literally drop my headphones on the floor – the lovely stage manager would pick them up – and then I would walk out and do it…

She finished: ‘And it was like I had to just block out reality until I was on stage.’

Carey has been married to Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons since 2012 (pictured earlier this month)

She praised Saltburn director Emerald Fennell (pictured), with whom she previously worked on Promising Young Woman in 2020