The offer to star in The Ballad of Wallis Island came amidst Carey Mulligan’s pregnancy with her third baby.
“Marcus [Mumford, my husband] told me I needed to do the film before I even read the script because he was such a big fan,” Mulligan, 39, told The Times of London in an interview published on Friday, May 23. “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to read it first.’ But he just said, ‘Be in the film.’”
The Ballad of Wallis Island is based on Tom Basden and Tim Key’s 2007 short film of the same name, which was nominated for a BAFTA that same year. Since then, Mumford, 38, became a devoted listener of the Key’s Poetry Programme radio show on BBC Radio 4.
Mulligan had announced in January 2023 that she and the Mumford & Sons frontman were expecting their third child. (They also share daughter Evelyn, now 9, and son Wilfred, now 7.)
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While Mulligan was initially aware that joining Wallis Island meant that she’d be shooting the project newly postpartum, she couldn’t bear to turn down director Richard Curtis’ offer.
“I wanted to be in something fun,” Mulligan told The Times. “I wanted to be a part of something that would give people joy. I am aware that I’ve done lots of quite sad films. I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll be in something lovely, I’m not going to make anyone cry.’”
Mulligan and the crew shot Wallis Island in August 2023 in just 18 days on location in Wales.
“[It was] the shortest shoot I’ve ever done,” Mulligan recalled, noting her youngest child was 10 weeks old at the time. “My mum came [to help and] my family came. We saw lots of aunts and uncles. It’s a massive advert for Wales. It looks so beautiful.”
Mulligan also had Mumford’s support during production.
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“He loved them all and was around for a bit of the rehearsals. He was a cheerleader in the background,” Mulligan gushed, also noting that she was a bit nervous about singing with Basden, 45, Key, 48, at a May screening, unlike her spouse on the set. “I did it, but it was excruciating. I can do it fine on set and in character, but that just pushed me completely over the edge.”
Mulligan revealed in October 2023 that she had given birth earlier that year, telling Vogue that life as a mom of three was “very normal.” (Mulligan and Mumford have not publicly shared their little one’s name or sex.)
The Pride and Prejudice actress and Mumford, who have been married since 2012, often keep details about their family private. While speaking with The Times, Mulligan did tease that she planned to have “a lovely summer off” with her kids in the forthcoming months.
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