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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