Carey Mulligan

Carey Mulligan: biography

Carey Mulligan is famous for her roles in screen-adaptations of the novels written by Scott Fitzgerald and Jane Austen and also for her character in the picture "Shame". In her native country - Great Britain she is also known as a talented theater actress. Daisy's character in "The Great Gatsby" brought actress world fame.

Childhood and young years

London is a native city of the actress. However, she spent her first years in Westminster where Mulligan’s parents were living in the 80-s. Her father is of Irish descent but grew up in Liverpool. Her mother is from Wales. In 1988 Stephen Mulligan got a position of the hotel manager in Hannover, and therefore the family was living in Germany for some time. Here Carey and her elder brother got a secondary education.

There were neither actors nor directors among relatives of a future actress. However, in her early age, Carey had already been interested in theater. The brother of the actress took part in school plays. The girl was present at the rehearsal of the performance "King and I" and didn't leave teachers in peace, begging them to give her at least some smallest part in the play. The school director took pity on her and let Carey join the extras.

Later Carey regularly attended theatrical rehearsals. And then she was present at the rehearsals not as an observer or an inconspicuous extra. Mulligan participated in performances and musicals, carrying out a role of the director’s assistant. Of course, the girl didn't become an irreplaceable theatrical expert. Carey was interested in such work and when she turned 16 she didn't imagine herself out of the stage.

Once Mulligan saw Kenneth Branagh at the play of "Henry V". There was a movie released in late 80-s in which the actor played a role of the royalty person. But Branagh in the role of Henry V stepped on the theatrical stage both before and after the premiere of the historical drama. The actor's performance impressed Carey deeply. And when the girl told her parents about her plans and didn’t meet understanding she addressed Branagh for advice.

The girl didn’t dare to talk to the famous actor. She sent him a letter. The letter contained the following words:

"I have told my parents that I want to become an actress and I feel that this is my true calling, but they are categorically against it".

Probably, Branagh had no free time to answer this letter. The actor's sister responded to this letter.

"If you are sure that you have sufficient force to become an actress, you have to become her" –this was the answer.

In such a way either Kenneth Branagh or his sister influenced the decision of the future actress.

It’s noteworthy that Carey’s brother Owen forgot about the theater in a short time. He encouraged his sister to choose a theatrical career, and he himself became a military. Owen graduated from the university, then he was on military service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Meanwhile, their parents tried to make up with their daughter’s choice. Stephen Mulligan and his spouse dreamed that their daughter would graduate from the university and would get a respectable reliable profession. Misunderstanding of her relatives complicated Carey’s path, which was rather thorny itself.

Cary corresponded not only with Branagh but also with Julian Fellowes. For the first time, they met in 2002. Fellowes gave a lecture about cinema at school from which Cary had graduated. A 17-year-old girl addressed him for advice and asked from what she should start her acting career. He tried to dissuade the naive, enthusiastic aspiring actress from beginning an acting career. Also, he advised her "to marry a lawyer". Mulligan didn't take his advice and sent Fellowes a letter.

"I am convinced that acting is my calling" – Carey wrote.

Confidence in the words of the young lady touched Fellowes. Carey was invited to the event held for the aspiring actors. That evening Mulligan got acquainted with the assistant of the director Joe Wright. He had invited her to take part in an audition which she successfully passed, having received a role in the picture "Pride and Prejudice".

Movies

A pretty delicate Mulligan successfully presents the characters of heroines from classical literature. Carey is 170 cm high and weighs 54 kilos.On the screen, the actress seems even more fragile than she is. However, sometimes egoism and indifference can be found behind the visible vulnerability. The heroine of Mulligan in "The Great Gatsby" proves that fact.

Sometimes Carey is compared to her American colleague – Michelle Williams. But they resemble each other only in their similar hairstyle and clothing style. Besides, Mulligan regularly changes her hair color. Williams is a constant blondie. There’s a reason to consider her one of the best performers of the character of Marilyn Monroe. Mulligan played her first role in the well-known picture by the book of Austin. Carey represented the most beautiful and carefree daughter of Benneth's.

The same year, when Carey appeared on the screen as the character of Kitty, the shootings of the movie by the book of Charles Dickens - "Bleak House" began. Mulligan was considered for the leading role of the major character’s cousin. The picture "Bleak house" was recognized by critics and BAFTA award is the best proof of it. Carey started getting offers from different directors. By the year 2010, the Mulligan’s filmography included 19 movies and television roles.

Carey acts not only in the costumed movies though she acquired a reputation as the actress who creates images of the old times. In 2007 she took part in the series "Walking the Dead". The same year she appeared in the fantastic picture "Doctor Who".

Creative acting biography of Mulligan is very saturated. Only in 2007, the actress played six roles in different movies. One of this roles was performed by Carey in the picture narrating about Rudyard Kipling. In the biographical picture "My Boy Jack" Carey played the role of the writer’s daughter. The same year she appeared as Austen’s character Ms. Thorpe in the picture "Northanger Abbey".

Four years later after the film debut, Carey Mulligan played in the movie which could have brought her Academic Awards. In the picture "An Education" there are shown the events of the 60-s of the last century. Peter Sarsgaard became Mulligan’s partner on the movie set. The movie was nominated for Academic Awards in three different categories.

The actress played supporting roles in the movies "Brothers", "The best" and a sequel to the drama "Wall Street". However, Mulligan had an opportunity to work with the famous masters of the movie industry. In the drama "Shame" actress played a sister of Michael Fassbender’s character. They filmed in the movie during 25 days.

It took three hours to shoot the scene in which the major character – an erotomanic and a successful seducer is listening to his sister’s singing. Fassbender’s even didn’t have to act in this scene because it was really the first time during shootings when he heard Mulligan’s singing.

The following successful part in Carey's filmography was a role of Gatsby’s beloved woman. It’s hard to imagine any other actress in the role of Daisy. However, Mulligan was really surprised when the director had considered her for this role. Carey has a classical British appearance. Other American actresses who, unlike Mulligan, read the novel of Fitzgerald applied for the leading female role in this movie. Carey read the novel after the director had called her and had said her a phrase - "Hi, Daisy!".

It was easy for Mulligan to work with Leonardo DiCaprio. Later Mulligan told that they felt at ease with each other after the first screen kiss. Also, it wasn’t difficult for her to present a character of a rich spoiled American living in "the Roaring Twenties".

Mulligan can play various roles. She played a role of feminine and spoiled Daisy. The same year she performed a role of the activist Maud Watts - a participant of the suffragettes’ movement. And in 2017 in the picture "Mudbound" Carey appeared on the screen in the role of the modest inhabitant of the rural areas.

Personal life

Sometimes it was said that actress had love affairs with celebrities. The more numerous her filmography became, the more extensive was the list of her fictional boyfriends. By the words of Carey, she was brought up in a strict English manner. It’s pretty hard for her to act in the naked scenes in movies. In real life, the actress isn't inclined to flings.

Carey got acquainted with Shia LaBeouf on the movie set of "Wall-Street: Money Never Sleeps".

Within a year photos of Mulligan in the company of the actor of Jacob Moore appeared in mass media. Their relations didn’t last for long.

Soon Marcus Mumford became the boyfriend of the British actress. They have known each other since he became the leader of the band "Mumford & Sons", but till 2011 they have been friends. In 2012 they got married.

Carey Mulligan at present

In 2015 actress recorded her third album, but today she is concentrated on cinematography. In 2018 the new series featuring Carey Mulligan will begin on British television. Also, the premiere of the film by the book of Richard Ford is expected. Here Mulligan plays a leading role.

Mulligan and Mumford have two children. A younger child was born in August 2017. Parents don't post any photos of their daughter on Instagram or any other social networks. As for the younger child, journalists don’t know either a name or a sex of the child.

Filmography

• 2005 – "Pride and Prejudice"
• 2007 – "Walking the Dead"
• 2007 – "Doctor Who"
• 2007 – "Northanger Abbey"
• 2009 – "An Education"
• 2009 – "The Greatest"
• 2010 – "Wall-Street: Money Never Sleeps"
• 2011 – "Shame"
• 2013 – "The Great Gatsby"
• 2015 – "Suffragette"

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