Ruth Wilson sits down with The Tab

Golden Globe winner, producer, actress, and star of His Dark Materials Ruth Wilson sat down with the Tab after the premiere of her new film (True Things) at the Union on Friday. We chatted about the film’s themes, which include infatuation, female subjectivity, the ick (yep), and making the same mistakes over again.  

 I sat down to watch the premiere with fairly low expectations – the film hasn’t received the best press since its debut at the Venice International Film Festival in September – but was pleasantly surprised by the experience. True Things has a refreshingly unpolished aesthetic for a (at least semi-romantic) film, but the charisma of the two lead actors gives it a spark that keeps the audience hooked.

Ruth plays Kate, a disenchanted woman in her thirties struggling with a dead-end job and that sweeping, unspoken pressure to settle down with a man. Her world is turned over with the arrival of Blond, played by Tom Burke, a charming ex-felon who she quickly becomes infatuated with, much to the dismay of literally every other character.  

Image Credits: Tobia Nava

“The film is timeless” Ruth explained, “in the sense that it’s not about dating, not really- it’s about human interaction, the desires, wants and expectations we have of each other, and the hope that drives those things.” The film, based on the novel True Things About Me by Deborah Kay Davies, follows Kate through the early stages of infatuation as her desire for adventure and change become pinned on a man who seems to represent just that.

“Of course, the answer really isn’t Blond, it’s to get out and go travelling,” she clarifies. Does that mean that Kate is completely duped? Ruth disagrees. “No, I think there’s definitely a sense in which she’s using him to figure out who she is. Kate picks him – she has quite a lot of agency in the relationship, though at first it may seem otherwise.”  

Image Credits: Tobia Nava

So, this isn’t just another film about a woman scorned. Then again, Ruth isn’t known for taking prosaic wife-and-mother roles, and when she does they are rarely stereotypical. Her portrayal of her own grandmother in the BBC’s Mrs Wilson won critical acclaim for its plot revolving around bigamy, deceit and betrayal, and her role as the infamous Mrs Coulter in His Dark Materials involves a lot of monkey business (if you know, you know).  

Speaking of her other roles, how does Kate compare? Ruth pauses for a second to think. “My role in True Things is more me than the others,” she explains. “I’m just being observed – the film is highly subjective and revolves completely around Kate’s perspective on everything.”  

Femininity and the female perspective are absolutely central to True Things. Harry Wootliff, the BAFTA-nominated director of True Things who Ruth describes as “just incredible” employs intriguing cinematic techniques to highlight the female subjectivity of the narrative, with constantly shifting angles, images with delicately blurred edges, and camera movement that resembles dancing to highlight the hopeful yet inauthentic nature of Kate’s initial impression of Blond.  

Image Credits: Tobia Nava

Does Ruth resonate with Kate in particular? “I’ve been both partners,” she laughs, “the one who is infatuated and the object of that. I think everyone has – people can relate to both Kate and Blond a little bit.”  

“But there’s often that one moment where the mist of romance lifts all of a sudden and you find yourself going completely off them. It can be anything, like you’ll look at their earlobe a bit too closely and it’ll just be- ew!” It’s good to know that even Ruth Wilson gets the ick. Yet, without spoiling too much about the film, Ruth doesn’t see it as a particularly transformative moment. “When I think about Kate in the future, I imagine her going off and doing the same thing again with another man. It’ll take her a few times to learn.” 

True Things, starring Ruth Wilson and directed by Harry Wootliff, will be released to watch in the UK on the 1st of April.  

Feature Image Credits: Tobia Nava

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