With three films at the festival, Kate Mara is this year's unofficial queen of SXSW

Kate Mara volition beryllium everyplace astatine this year’s South by Southwest. After the satellite premiere of “The Astronaut” connected Friday, the satellite premiere of “The Dutchman” connected Saturday and the U.S. premiere of “Friendship” connected Monday, Mara volition marque her mode to Ireland to statesman shooting “Bucking Fasterd” for manager Werner Herzog, appearing for the archetypal clip alongside her sister, Rooney Mara.

“The Astronaut” is simply a melodramatic thriller written and directed by Jess Varley, with Mara starring arsenic Sam Walker, an astronaut who has returned from her archetypal abstraction ngo and is placed successful a peculiar NASA installation to readjust to being connected Earth. When unusual things statesman happening, it seems imaginable that thing whitethorn person followed her back. Laurence Fishburne besides appears arsenic a subject operative who is besides Sam’s adoptive father.

In “Friendship,” a drama of awkwardly escalating behaviour written and directed by Andrew DeYoung, Mara’s quality has survived crab and is attempting to reengage with her life. Her hubby (Tim Robinson), meanwhile, is much acrophobic with obsessively pursuing a caller relationship with a antheral down the thoroughfare (Paul Rudd) than the information that his woman is abruptly spending a batch of clip with her ex-boyfriend, a strapping fireman.

In the bold adaptation of Amiri Baraka’s landmark 1964 play “The Dutchman,” directed and co-written by Andre Gaines, Mara plays Lula, a seductive, assertive pistillate who inserts herself into the beingness of Clay (André Holland), a Black businessman who does not request the occupation she brings.

Mara, 42, got connected a Zoom telephone earlier this week from her location successful Los Angeles to bespeak connected this peculiarly engaged infinitesimal of her career.

Kate Mara successful “The Astronaut.”

(Dave Garbett / Rocket Power LLC)

What does it mean to you that these 3 projects are each lining up to play the festival astatine the aforesaid time?

Kate Mara: It’s beauteous wild. It does marque sense, though, conscionable timing-wise, due to the fact that I filmed each of these movies back-to-back past year. It was a truly chaotic year. My youngest kids and I were conscionable benignant of similar a small traveling household circus. We filmed “The Dutchman” successful New York, and past from determination we went to Ireland to movie “The Astronaut.” Literally, I deliberation I had a time successful betwixt oregon something. And past from Ireland, we had a small interruption successful betwixt that and filming “Friendship” successful New York again. So it was a precise choky model of each 3 films. But I had 2 of my kids with me, and my husband, Jamie [Bell], conscionable benignant of came to sojourn america with our eldest son, Jack. And truthful it was a chaotic clip to beryllium a genitor and besides an actor, having to spell from 1 quality to the next. But it’s breathtaking that they’re each present each of a abrupt being played astatine the aforesaid festival. It feels precise surreal.

Taking these roles together, particularly “Friendship” and “The Dutchman,” in 1 of them you’re this put-upon woman and the different 1 you’re this whirlwind, demonic vixen. Do you pridefulness yourself connected that benignant of versatility?

Mara: I crave going each implicit the representation with the characters that I play. So that’s wherefore I was unfastened to doing each of these movies back-to-back, due to the fact that I was truthful excited astir going from the quality of Lola successful “The Dutchman,” which is astir apt the astir challenging relation I’ve ever played successful my vocation and took the astir enactment to play her, and past to play my quality successful “The Astronaut.” They couldn’t person been much different. There are things, small tricks that decidedly assistance shed 1 quality and determination connected to the next. Like the 2nd I wrapped “The Dutchman,” I chopped each my hairsbreadth disconnected for the adjacent film.

But backmost to your question, I conscionable crave being uncomfortable. In my work, I truly similar to agelong myself. So for “Friendship,” for example, that’s the archetypal existent drama that I’ve ever been in. So that to maine was precise intimidating. And it was truthful antithetic than the thriller I had conscionable made and the drama-thriller that I had made earlier that. So that’s wherefore I jumped astatine the accidental there.

André Holland and Kate Mara successful “The Dutchman.”

(Frank DeMarco / Andre Gaines)

Do you consciousness similar you request to subordinate to your characters? Playing a quality similar the one successful “The Dutchman,” conscionable from my consciousness of you, that’s not the mode you would behave successful those societal situations. How bash you get yourself to that place?

Mara: No, I don’t needfully deliberation you person to subordinate to them. But the ones that I don’t spot myself successful are the ones that I privation to play the most. The ones that are surviving successful the shadows and that are confusing and hard to pin down. Those are the ones that I’m astir fascinated by. The ones that benignant of marque you frightened to dive into and marque you go, “Oh, God, that’s going to beryllium specified an uncomfortable time connected set.” I find the much you speech astir the publication with radical that you truly respect and spot — and it doesn’t person to beryllium radical that are moving connected the film, conscionable different radical that either truly recognize the worldly oregon immoderate — past I consciousness that that brings the astir bid with: OK, this is what the travel looks similar and this is possibly why.

“Friendship” is not a joke-oriented comedy. It’s precise analyzable and layered. Knowing this is the archetypal drama you’ve done, however did you find the experience?

Mara: Well, our manager Andrew, helium truly wanted it to consciousness similar we were filming much similar a drama. Everything was going to beryllium taken successful a existent superior way. Which makes it truthful overmuch funnier erstwhile you ticker it, We’re not making jokes the full time. It’s conscionable existent situations with existent people. That turns retired to beryllium hysterical. But I was precise tense going into it conscionable due to the fact that I wasn’t definite what the situation connected acceptable would beryllium and due to the fact that radical aren’t utilized to seeing maine successful things similar this. And truthful I conscionable wanted to marque definite that I knew what lane I was in, really. But Andy was ever precise wide astir the movie helium wanted to make, and it was each besides precise overmuch connected the page, precise wide erstwhile speechmaking it that it was meant to travel disconnected a definite way.

It was truly conscionable astir maine and Tim having the close chemistry and/or deficiency thereof. And past with each other, which I recovered casual due to the fact that Tim is truthful brilliant. We truly got on and I respect him truthful overmuch arsenic an histrion and writer, and truthful it really was precise casual erstwhile I got to set. It felt precise freeing, and I was conscionable truthful jealous that radical who are successful comedies get to acquisition that benignant of joyousness each day. When it works, it’s truthful wide that it’s working. It’s truly amusive to beryllium a portion of thing that, erstwhile you’re doing the scene, the camera guy, his shoulders are shaking due to the fact that helium is trying not to laugh. It’s that benignant of infectious joy.

Kate Mara and Jack Dylan Grazer successful “Friendship.”

(Andy Rydzewski / A24)

Is determination a large quality for you betwixt supporting roles and pb roles? Or is that thing you don’t adjacent truly process?

Mara: I decidedly see it due to the fact that it’s conscionable truthful overmuch much time. Being a parent, evidently it’s overmuch much time-consuming erstwhile you are — I deliberation I’m successful each country of “The Astronaut” and I truly don’t person precise galore scenes with my co-stars. So that is decidedly challenging, due to the fact that it’s longer days connected acceptable and much clip distant from the family. But past besides I conjecture the metallic lining was determination wasn’t a batch of dialogue. I had to prep for specified a agelong clip for “The Dutchman” due to the fact that there’s truthful overmuch dialog and astir of it is from the play and truthful it’s specific. So I had to prep for a agelong clip conscionable to memorize those lines earlier I got to set. But “The Astronaut,” she truly speaks precise small and it’s much astir feeling.

So successful that sense, it was little enactment starring up to it, but past you had to find everything successful the moments. A batch of times I deliberation to myself, well, if I’m going to beryllium successful each country of this movie, immoderate I bash next, if I’m doing it close away, it has to beryllium a smaller relation due to the fact that you person little to springiness almost. And it is truly amusive to beryllium capable to beryllium backmost and ticker idiosyncratic similar Tim Robinson conscionable benignant of instrumentality the reins.

It seems similar you’re truly flourishing. How bash you consciousness astir wherever you are close now?

Mara: I don’t truly deliberation astir it successful that mode yet. I hadn’t worked successful a year, chiefly due to the fact that I conscionable had a baby. And truthful I wanted that time. But immoderate years, there’s truthful galore opportunities, and past different years determination mightiness beryllium opportunities that you conscionable don’t deliberation are absorbing capable oregon beingness oregon circumstances support you from working. Really, each I’ve known my full beingness is being an actor. It’s my job. And truthful it’s not similar I’m trying to get somewhere.

I’m truthful blessed and grateful that I get to bash this for a living. I inactive consciousness truthful overmuch joyousness astir it. Actually erstwhile I was moving connected “The Astronaut,” Laurence Fishburne plays my dada and helium and I truly bonded a batch successful betwixt takes astir that, astir being a kid actor. I mean, helium virtually has been working, I think, since helium was 9. And I’ve been moving since I was 14, but truly acting since I was 9. So we could truly subordinate to that and subordinate to inactive being connected acceptable and going like, wow, this is truly what we get to bash for a living. What an astonishing happening that we inactive consciousness truthful overmuch passionateness for it. And not everybody does. I bash consciousness truly grateful that I inactive person that tendency and that excitement astir it. And truthful erstwhile you conscionable idiosyncratic other who’s had adjacent much acquisition than you, who does besides consciousness that mode and it’s truthful clear. It was precise inspiring and it gave maine a batch of hope. I anticipation that I’ll consciousness this mode successful 10 years. I can’t ideate that I won’t. I’m conscionable grateful that I support getting the opportunities that are absorbing capable for maine to bash the work.

You and your sister Rooney are going to beryllium successful a movie unneurotic for the archetypal time, not conscionable playing sisters, but playing twins. I tin lone ideate that the 2 of you person been approached astir a batch of projects implicit the years. What is it astir this 1 that made the 2 of you yet accidental yes?

Mara: Well, the easiest reply is Werner Herzog. We some adore him arsenic a quality now, but we didn’t cognize him earlier helium made america the offer. But we knew him arsenic a filmmaker. And hands down, he’s 1 of the astir fascinating filmmakers. I conscionable person admired him for truthful agelong that we both, earlier speechmaking it, got very, precise excited astir the accidental and dove into the publication close away. And past it conscionable truthful happens that it’s 1 of the much unsocial things I’ve ever read. No astonishment there, due to the fact that helium wrote it. And to beryllium capable to beryllium successful a movie with each other, it’s a dream. We’ve wanted to bash it for a agelong clip and we’ve decidedly been sent things that we possibly person considered but it’s ne'er been obvious. It’s ever benignant of been a question. And with this, it felt similar an evident yes.

And it’s 1 of the top titles of each time. It’s called “Bucking Fasterd.” I mean, who doesn’t privation to beryllium successful a movie called “Bucking Fasterd”?