Setting Boundaries“ I put every ounce of myself into my work,” says Jones,“ but also it’ s important that I don’ t miss every single wedding of my best friends.”
Proenza Schouler dress. Pierre Hardy heels.
FJ: I’ m small. I’ m petite. But I’ m a bit of a fighter inside. In my work I fight for, I hope, showing women in a true way. They’ ve got brains.
GLAMOUR: That’ s true of your new string of roles. Is that deliberate?
FJ: I’ ve never taken a role where I don’ t like a person on the page. Sometimes there are changes that need to be made.
GLAMOUR: Have you suggested a change to a character?
FJ: I’ m keen [ to make sure ] that the woman isn’ t asking too many questions. Sometimes that can be an issue— she’ s always asking questions and never speaking in statements.
GLAMOUR: Women at times finish our sentences on an up—
FJ: Delivering it up, as though you’ re not sure of what you’ re saying. Exactly. So you have to think: I know the answer to this question. I don’ t need to ask. I can state. But I’ ve been very lucky. Directors I’ ve worked with have been very amenable to changes.
GLAMOUR: How else do you negotiate? Before you accepted Inferno, you said you needed certain days off so you could be present for your sister-in-law’ s delivery when her baby came.
FJ: I’ m keen to have balance, as much as possible. I put every ounce of myself into my work, but also it’ s important that I don’ t miss every single wedding of my best friends. I couldn’ t do what I do without my friends and family.
GLAMOUR: Your friend Polly Stenham, the playwright, described you as“ hellishly funny.” Who makes you laugh?
FJ: My friends, my family, my boyfriend [ British commercial director Charles Guard ].
GLAMOUR: When was the last time you really laughed at a TV show or a movie?
FJ: I both laughed and cried at Girls. I just have such, such respect for Lena [ Dunham, the creator and star of the show ]. And I got to actually be in it, which was fantastic.
GLAMOUR: Back to how you fight for yourself: Jennifer Lawrence and Patricia Arquette have advocated for equal pay. Do you feel comfortable talking about money? One report says you made twice as much as your male costars for Rogue One.
FJ: I want to be paid fairly for the work that I’ m doing. That’ s what every single woman around the world wants. We want to be paid on parity with a man in a similar position. And I think it’ s important to talk about it.… It’ s brave of those women to come forward and make a point about it. Now younger actresses will have a confidence in those discussions with their agents and be able to say,“ Can we make sure that I’ m being paid the right amount for the work that I’ m doing?”
GLAMOUR: I want to talk about another great movie you’ re in, A Monster Calls. You play a mother who is sick with cancer, but she is more than the“ mom with cancer.”
FJ: Lizzie is still a bit of a child herself. She’ s not always sweet and light. To cope with what’ s happening, she’ s quite tough.
GLAMOUR: She’ s quite physically stripped down too.
FJ: I hate it when, in films, the girl looks perfect in every shot. It’ s quite nice if there’ s a bit of dark circles underneath the eyes, if we see the reality of the situation that the person is going through. I was so obsessed with all the details. We wanted to show her illness through how her hair changes. So very quickly, the“ How do I look?” thing goes out the window. Those moments when you don’ t feel self-conscious, when you escape that, are when you produce something meaningful.
GLAMOUR: It’ s nice to hear an actress say she feels least self-conscious when she’ s not looking her most glamorous.
FJ: I do, particularly.
GLAMOUR: You’ re English. Let’ s close with a speed round of English versus American culture. Favorite British versus American beer?
FJ: I cannot stand beer. But I love wine. I was in Napa recently. Delicious wines.
GLAMOUR: What’ s a British vice, versus an American vice?
FJ: The British vice is overthinking before we speak, which is really annoying. I love the way that, in America, people are more straightforward. The American vice would be sometimes speaking too loudly. You can always hear American people on the trains!
GLAMOUR: Favorite British versus American fashion house?
FJ: I love Alexander McQueen and Erdem. And American, I love Proenza Schouler and Calvin Klein. Classic.
GLAMOUR: Classic.
FJ: [ Reaches into her pocket.] And I’ ve just realized I have the blaster [ from Jyn’ s action figure ]. This is Jyn’ s Lego blaster!
GLAMOUR: Why do you have that in your pocket?
FJ: Because somebody gave me a Lego doll of Jyn yesterday. I’ m going to keep holding on to it.
GLAMOUR: Use that as your talisman to protect yourself. FJ: Exactly. You’ re right, I will. I will. Jyn will help me now.
Karen Valby has written for The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and Fast Company.
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