Now playing in theaters is director Joe Wright’s adaptation of the classic Leo Tolstoy novel Anna Karenina. The film takes place in late 19th century Russian society and stars Keira Knightley as an adulterer who questions her happiness. In true Wright fashion, this isn’t exactly a straightforward adaptation; the director has set much of the film in a lush theater that uses over 100 interconnected sets to allow the action to move fluidly through a door and into a separate setting entirely. The film also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, and Olivia Williams. For more on Anna Karenina, here’s Matt’s review, five clips, and all our previous coverage.At the press day, I spoke to Matthew Macfadyen. We talked about how he prepared for the role, when he found out Joe Wright was changing the way he wanted to tell the story and his thoughts on the change, collaborating with Wright and his unique camera angles, and more. Hit the jump to watch.Finally,her are my video interviews with Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Johnson if you missed them.Matthew Macfadyen:
- Talks about how he found out that Joe Wright was changing the way he wanted to tell the story and his thoughts on the change
- Talks about collaborating with Joe Wright and his unique camera angles
- How did he prepare for the role
- How many takes does he like to do and how many did he typically do on Anna Karenina
