I haven’t written about Carey Mulligan since 2013. How in the world did that happen? Carey is arguably one of the greatest actresses of her generation. I have every hope/belief that she will follow in the footsteps of actresses like Emma Thompson (an early mentor for Carey), Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep (one of Carey’s recent costars). Carey flies undercover for the most part – we really don’t know anything about her marriage to Marcus Mumford, they don’t walk red carpets together and her personal life is largely one big question mark.
Carey is currently starring in Skylight, the David Hare play she starred in with much acclaim in London last year. They brought it to Broadway this year and once again, the play (and Carey in particular) was received with accolades. I’m guessing that everyone involved with pick up Tony Award nominations later this month.
During a week off, Carey flew to London for the big premiere of her new film, the film adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd. Carey plays the lead, Bathsheba Everdeen, and Michael Sheen, Matthias Schoenaerts and Tom Sturridge are all trying to woe her, with mixed results (I’m including the trailer below).
While I think Carey looks beautiful in that special Audrey Hepburn-esque way she has, I’m not really crazy about her Dior Haute Couture dress. I think the idea of it was on-target – go for something with a simple cut that sparkled – but the execution makes this a failure. It doesn’t fit her properly, it makes her look pregnant, and the lace detail at the hem is tacky and cheap-looking. Carey posed happily with costar Matthias Schoenaerts, who is… a hottie. Damn.
Here’s the trailer. I’ll admit it: this looks like the kind of tearjerker-romance that I would watch many, many times.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I love her. It was a big surprise for me to find out how many haters does she have – she just seems so nice, but I simply adore her voice, her acting, her looks, even though she isn’t considered a great beauty, everything.
I wish the dress was more tailored around the waist and boob area but I relly like the lenght, the lace at the bottom and her shoes.
I second that, love Carey so much. and I think she is a great beauty, certainly one of the most beautiful actress around.
@Norman Bates’ Mother: Carey Mulligan has haters?!…really?. I’m not trying to be bitchy, I really am shocked…I have never noticed any hate for Mulligan.
She really does. I looked her up on imdb a couple of years ago, expecting universal acclaim and I never came back because every thread seemed to be about how ugly, untalented and undeserving she was. I find her voice among the most beautiful ones out there and I like to watch her interviews on youtube for that reason, but the haters are strong in the comments as well. The gist of it is that she seemingly isn’t hot enough and people are offended that she keeps getting hired in good movies instead of some great hottie and ruins the visual aspect of said movies for them. That’s probably why I feel the need to express how much I love her under every thread.
Yeah she gets a stupid amount of hate for someone who lays low, doesn’t say a ton of stupid sh*t, and is basically just a working actor, not a *celebrity*.
I love her.
I love her, she’s one of my top 5 favorite actors.
And that trailer reminds me how long it’s been since we had a good period love story! Can’t wait to see it!
I love her as well. So talented and unassuming and she has the best smile! I would actually go to the theater to see this, it looks great!
I love her too. Her performance in An Education just blew me away and I have been a fan ever since. She seems to have a lot of depth and soul in there.
I love this dress, it’s fun and she is lovely.
The dress is hideous and unflattering. The hair is a mess. My eyes are in pain.
She’s adorable but the dress is bad. Maybe she is pregnant?
That’s what I was thinking. She looks pregnant to me.
She certain does look preggo. Her boobs and belly look bigger…If she is and was trying to hide it she should have gone with a different dress….if she isn’t preggo….she looks terrible in this dress, head to toe!
Agreed. She’s pregnant. That’s not loose hanging fabric, there’s a belly under there. She’s cupping it in one picture.
Yes I thought maybe pregnant too, but was ashamed to think it. 3,2,1 until Lainey has a temper tantrum about how there is a baby bump watch! Sad because having a child is wonderful and if there’s speculation it’s only because of excitement for her, not to fat shame in disguise.
She definitely looks pregnant to me.
Yep, same thought here. In which case, congrats to her and her hubby!
Bump Watch is literally staring at women’s stomachs and commenting that they’re looking heavier. It’s a way of saying that someone looks like they’ve gained weight. If she’s pregnant it’ll be obvious soon enough. If she’s not, you’ve basically just said she looks fat.
I don’t normally jump on this bandwagon, but yeah, if you look at her photo over the last month or so, she seems noticeably pregnant. Her face is also much fuller than it usually is.
She’s so pretty, and that dress makes her look shapeless and thick–which she’s not! (Unless she IS actually pregnant.)
The movie looks fantastic, though. I was obsessed with that book in high school. (Yeah, I was weird. I loved Tess of the d’Urbervilles too.)
I was going to say that. Maybe she actually is pregnant.
Oh I just love Thomas Hardy and was obsessed with Tess too in high school.
Another Hardy fan here! Loved Jude the Obscure–such a haunting, tragic story!
It is very hard to look properly and pretty in this aluminium foil. Dior has so many terrible and unflattering gowns these days and even Marion Cotillard can’t save these couture desasters. Carey Mulligan is such a sweet and delightful young lady but maybe she’s pregnant, why not?
Doesn’t she own a mirror? That terrible dress is shapeless and makes her look thick.
I’ll a big fan of hers – she’s a tremendous actress, and I suspect that she may be Oscar-bound this year. That dress doesn’t work, but she looks as if she’s having fun.
The gown is super unflattering. However she is lovely!
She’s pregnant or her dress is very very unflattering?
Yes, it’s one of those.
I immediately thought: ” she is pregnant”
My sister and I sat front row at the play she’s in a couple of weeks ago, and we both agreed that she MUST be pregnant.
Why do they all do that pee dance pose? Now that is maddening. I especially don’t understand it here where her dress is so long and wide it doesn’t matter if her legs are crossed. You can’t see them!
She looks always so lifeless
I totally agree. She’s like Shia LaBoeuf: dead inside and blank. I can’t watch either one of them on film. Blaaaaaaahhhh…
I love her.
To me she is like Cate Blanchett- she can look luminous and exquisitely beautiful, and sometimes quite plain. Regardless there is an innate quality about her that makes her compelling.
I love her too. And *compelling* is the perfect word to describe her.
I will watch any movie she is in.
She looks and sounds (she sang one of the theme songs) amazing in the costume dramas – she’s really so much better in those classic remakes than US films. Her presence etc.
The dress is horribly shaped and she should have paired it with a cute little dressy short fluffy cardigan and some jewellery (bracelet and necklace and earrings). But I like the material. She should have gone with silver pumps and had her hair fussed over a bit more.
I love Matthias Schoenaerts and have him earmarked as a future husband. That is all.
Movie looks like a good one to curl up with a glass of wine and root for the blonde guy. Embarrassing note – I always thought it was “maddening” crowd.
GNAT – I always thought the same thing. No shame. We are in this together.
Lol. Thanks!
I loved the first film version of Far From The Madding Crowd (one of my fave books too) with the luminous Julie Christie, Peter Finch, Alan Bates and Terrance Stamp – watched it endlessly. I wanted to be Bathsheba Everdine when I was a teenager 🙂 Looking forward to seeing this version, Carey Mulligan is such a good actress.
Loved the book and original movie as well. One of my favorite films of all time. All those great actors at their peak in the ’60s led by the gorgeous and talented It Girl Julie Christie. (sigh) This one looks good though. Carey is very talented and low-key. Can’t wait to see it.
Why must all the boys be squinty these days? Let me see your eyeballs!
That guy sort of looks like a Budget Franco doesn’t he?
Or maybe Franco is a Budget Matthias Schoenaerts?
He squints because he’s got amazing blue eyes that are really sensitive to light.
Please don’t even mention James Franco in the same breath as Matthias. You need to check out his LV ads to see how hot Matthias is. Modest and not even a little bit arrogant (unlike Franco, who thinks he is driving a revolution in the art world and an intellectual superstar) despite winning a cesar and being recognised as one of the top ten actors in the world by his colleagues (Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace and Marion Cotillard). This man is soooooo hot and talented (and my future husband).
I’m getting James Franco and William Baldwin’s love child.
Agree with Rory about not comparing Matthias to Franco.
He was so good in Rust and Bones with Marion Cotillard. I think I am gonna have to go see this movie only because he is in it. I did not know he had won a Cesar. Cool.
So love her as an actress but I just don’t feel that dress. There is just something off about it. Otherwise I think she is stunning.
How did I not know they were readapting Far from the Madding Crowd? One of my favourite books ever. It is a tear jerker, mainly because it is painfully painfully real. But… does anyone else think Carey is a bit to fragile to play Bathsheba?
Yes. I pictured a taller more “handsome ” type to play Bathsheba. But I am thrilled they are making a movie if this oft overlooked novel. My absolute favorite writer is Hardy , and my absolute favorite book is Far From the Madding Crowd.
I was just coming here to say that. Granted, I’ve not read the book in years, but based on what I remember, I’d say she’s woefully miscast.
Great fabric and the trim is very nice – but the cut of the dress is off – too sacky and heavy looking – like it’s dragging her down. Too bad – could have been a fabulous dress.
That dress is a disaster top to bottom, completely unflattering
and as for Carey I LIKE her acting and her skin but i have the same Ariana Grande Issue with her, CANT she looks like she is about to cry any second
She seems to suffer from Rene Zellwegger syndrome – always looks pinched and uncomfortable on red carpets.
I think she is great in some things and so so in others.I saw her Skylight performance live. It was good but certainly not outstanding in terms of what I have seen recently.
Matthias Schoenaerts. No idea who he is, but damn is he hot in that trailer.
Although I like prints for a welcome change, this is just ill fitted on her..and the bottom trim looks like a leftover lingerie lace afterthought..the fabric has the interest, why overdo it?
I hope she’ll have a great career and lots of meaty roles, she’s talented young lady and she will have to face the sexism and couch casting that gives bimbos and bombshells with little talent all the roles. It won’t be easy, go girl!
Bad dress! Makes her body look completely tubular & the bottom lace makes it even worse.
“All trying to “woe” her” is one of the best Freudian slips I have read in quite a while!
The 1998 film version of the book is one of my very favorite movies (sorry – hated the ’67 version). I loved the casting of Gabriel and Bathsheba so much in the 1998 version that I am pretty skeptical of Mulligan in the role. I’m not even trying to be a hater; she just seems miscast. She’s a lovely actress, and I’m sure she will astonish us all. But…
Matthias Schoenaerts on the other hand? I’m SO excited to see him in the role of Oak. Aaaah! Counting down the days!
Love Carey and want to see her in mor films, such a great talent, presence and beauty. As for the dress – I stongly dislike it, to put it mildly.
Carey reminds me actress Emily Watson, for some reason, something about her face is the same.