Tilda Swinton began her acting her career on the stage. Her long-standing association with the director Derek Jarman began with her screen debut in "Caravaggio" in 1986. She then went on to appear in all his films until his death. More recently she has appeared in "Love is the Devil", "The War Zone", and "The Beach". Swinton talks here about starring alongside Nicolas Cage in the comedy "Adaptation.".
Was it weird watching Nic Cage playing the two brothers - and how like the real Charlie Kaufman was he?
I wasn't around when Nic was playing Donald. I was around with Charlie. It was pretty good watching him. But the real Charlie wasn't around during filming, which was rather kind of him I think. Nic's Charlie is something very particular. You can't really put them together. It's a phantasm.
Why did you do this movie?
It's pretty much the best original screenplay I've ever read, for a start. Then there's the team - they're a fantastic group of people.
What drew you to the story?
I knew Spike Jonze would do something really interesting with it. I think there's something really profound about the film. It's about authenticity and whether it's possible to make anything new. Anywhere. Wherever we are. Wherever we're working, even if we're working in McDonald's. How possible is it to actually make something authentic? And, of course, it's difficult enough in Hollywood.
We don't see you in Hollywood very often. Yet you're playing a Hollywood executive...
Yes, it's a bit of an in-joke. I've been on the other side of the table many times, trying to get people to be sympathetic to projects, and I've been the victim of that kind of intense kindness masking extreme stupidity. So I feel I know the territory. It may be unfair of me but I do feel I know it.
