Todd Haynes' big screen adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, The Price of Salt, features stellar work from headliners Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Mara plays Therese Belivet, a young woman who isn't particularly satisfied with her job at a Manhattan department store. However, one day, Carol (Blanchett) walks in and there's an instant connection between the two of them that quickly escalates into a whirlwind romance. Even though it's very much Carol and Therese's story, Sarah Paulson's character, Abby, is an important part of it. She's Carol's best friend and once struck up a romantic relationship with her as well, but now she's the only one that knows of Carol and Therese's connection who goes out of her way to support it.

While promoting the movie in New York City, I got the chance to talk to Paulson about auditioning for the movie, the pros and cons of taping an audition, learning to drive a stick shift and the experience of having one of her key scenes cut from the final film. Check out what she said about that and much more in the video interview below. Carol hits select theaters on November 20th and also stars Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

 


Here’s the official synopsis for Carol:

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light. Carol is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy with moving performances from Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

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