The Big Picture

Eve Hewson discusses her growth as an actor and the fear she still feels before starting a new project, despite gaining confidence over time. Hewson was drawn to the character of Flora in Flora and Son, which allowed her to explore singing despite her initial fear, and emphasized the importance of growth and self-expression over perfection. The relationship between Flora and her son in the film was a highlight for Hewson, who formed a close bond with her co-star and enjoyed the dynamic between their characters.

[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Flora and Son.]

From writer/director John Carney (Sing Street, Once), the Apple TV+ original movie Flora and Son tells the story of Flora (Eve Hewson), a single mother with a son (Orén Kinlan) who has a knack for getting himself into trouble. In an attempt to help him find some direction, she brings home a guitar she found in a dumpster, but his disinterest in the instrument prompts her to pick it up and. After stumbling upon online guitar lessons given by a musician (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) in Los Angeles, their connection helps her realize what a great way it is to express herself, which inspires her to want to step onstage.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Hewson talked about how her love of this character helped her confront her fear of singing for this film, growing up in a musical household but instead becoming an actor, how much she’s grown since making the TV series The Knick nearly 10 years ago, why she connects with Carney’s approach to storytelling, the mother-son dynamic, having to eat spaghetti for take after take, the logistics of the online relationship, and what she ultimately loved about singing. She also talked about Season 2 of her Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters.

Flora and Son A single mom at war with her son is trying to find a hobby for him. One day, she rescues a guitar from a dumpster. Release Date September 29, 2023 Director John Carney Cast Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oren Kinlan, Jack Reynor Rating R Runtime 97 minutes Main Genre Drama
Collider: We first spoke almost 10 years ago for The Knick.

EVE HEWSON: Oh, my gosh.

Image via Apple TV+

I loved that show and I loved your character and your work in that show. You’ve done quite a variety of roles since then. How different do you feel, as an actor, now? Are you more confident in yourself and your abilities the more projects you do, or are you someone who never quite has full confidence on a project?

HEWSON: That’s a good question. On The Knick, I was a baby. That was maybe my third job, which was great because it was a big learning experience. I got to do two seasons and really get comfortable with the character. The more you try different things, the more you grow, the more you gain confidence, the less fear you have. But then, whenever I start a job, I always get terrified. I’m always like, “Why did they give me this part? I don’t know if I can do it.” I go through that psychological fear, and then I go for it and I feel really, really proud of myself after.

What Made Her Want to Confront Her Fear of Singing?
How did someone who is terrified of singing find yourself in a position where you even said yes to doing this movie? If you had refused to do it for other projects before, what made this something that actually got you to say yes?

HEWSON: It was the character, honestly. That script made me just light up. I really loved it. It was a ride to read it. I fell in love with Flora and I knew Flora. I knew she was a character that was in me, that was waiting to come out. I felt like I could embarrass myself, but I could also just go for it. I don’t think I could have lived with myself, had I let this part go.

I’m sure it helped that she’s learning, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.

HEWSON: Exactly, and that was a big key thing that John [Carney] kept saying to me. He was like, “This isn’t about a singer. This is about someone who’s learning to express themselves and find themselves.” So, that was what I had to remember, going into it.

Image via Apple TV+

Will She Sing Again in a Future Project?
Did singing in this make you feel any better about doing it again, or do you feel like this was a one-time thing?

HEWSON: It’s funny because my singing teacher, Eric Vetro, is like, “You know, you’re gonna sing again.” I’m like, “No. No, I’m not.” And he’s like, “I think you are.” I don’t know. It was a really fun challenge and something I never expected would happen. Maybe if it was the right thing. I’m not sure.

Singing wasn’t the career path you chose, but did you grow up with a deeper appreciation for music, being surrounded by it? Did you just think about it differently?

HEWSON: I played the piano, I played the drums, I played the guitar, I played the viola, at one point, I played the bass, at one point. There was a lot of music going on in my childhood, so I feel musical. I just let that go when I became an actor. I moved to New York and I didn’t get my hands on any drums in New York. I stopped playing the piano and just became a thespian.

John Carney definitely has his own musical pedigree, with Sing Street, Once and now this. What do you think it is that makes his work special, and what is it about the stories he tells that makes you connect with it?

HEWSON: His work is so intimate and I like that he focuses in on a character or relationship. What I loved about Flora and Son was that it felt like it was a character study, and I don’t know if we get that a lot now with movies. We always have to have a book attached to it, or it’s a superhero thing. They’re all great and everything, but I miss the days of going to see an actor that you love play a character that you know nothing about, and he definitely feels that way, as well. When he writes, he’s really thinking about character and he’s really thinking about being intimate and making the story small, but then it also has such a universal effect. That’s his sweet spot.

Image via Apple TV+

Bonding with Her Movie Son
The relationship we see the most of in this is the one between mother and son. This is a mother who doesn’t know how to be a mother with a son who doesn’t know what he wants to be and doesn’t really know how to communicate with his mother. But even with all that, you still get a sense that they love each other. What did you most enjoy about digging into that dynamic? What was it like to find that relationship with your movie son?

HEWSON: It was amazing. Orén [Kinlan] is the most fantastic kid in the world and he was so excited to do this job. It was really great because he was so open, and then I was so open. We just really bonded. We got along. Playing that part and having to be cruel to him broke my heart because he’s such a good kid. It almost felt like we were teammates, doing it together. I would say to him, “I really don’t mean what I’m about to say to you.” I had to punch him, at one point, in his arm and they had to put a little stunt pad on him. I kept doing it and was like, “I’m so sorry.” And he was like, “No, it’s okay. You can punch me harder, if you want.” The whole dynamic of the relationship is my favorite part of the movie.

You’ve talked about your affinity for eating in scenes. The thing I’m curious about, when you have to eat for however many takes, do you get to choose what you’ll be eating? Did you choose spaghetti as the meal? Do you get any say in how it tastes?

HEWSON: You never know. That’s why you’ve gotta be friends with the props department. If they don’t like you, they can poison you, so I always like to get close to them. That spaghetti in Flora and Son was Marks & Spencer spaghetti, and he was like, “I only have three packets. Stop eating it.” Sometimes it can be pretty gross and cold and disgusting.

How did the relationship over the laptop work, between Flora and her guitar teacher Jeff? It’s such an unusual relationship for a film. Did you actually get to work off of someone when you guys were talking through the laptop?

HEWSON: He was basically on another side of the set and he was live on Zoom, like we are right now. We had a little earpiece and we could hear each other, and we had to do the scenes on Zoom. That’s basically how it worked. It was a little bit complicated, trying to do that, but it worked because it built that romance and that tension of wanting to reach through the screen and touch that person. All of that worked in our favor.

What Was Her Favorite Singing Moment?
Did you ultimately have a favorite singing moment? Were you able to have some fun with that big performance number at the end?

HEWSON: Yeah, I loved it. Once I got into the singing part and writing the songs, I had the best time. I loved doing the rooftop scene. But “High Life,” at the end, was my favorite to shoot because we were in a pub and we were all together. Also, just the dynamic that’s going on in the song, between Flora and Max, where they’re fighting with each other a little bit and loving each other. There’s all that tension there, that you’ve seen throughout the film. So, getting to shout and rave, and then watch him do his rap, we had a really good time.

I loved that moment between mother and son, when she realizes that he’s writing his own songs and then they share a moment where they’re working together. That’s one of the most memorable scenes and such a fun moment between them.

HEWSON: Yeah, we had such fun doing that, as well.

Was it challenging to figure out how to make that feel so spontaneous?

HEWSON: No, the good thing about John is that he’s a spontaneous person and he’s really fun. That song “Dublin 07” is hilarious and getting to do it and pull it off and say all these ridiculous things, we just had a ball that day. I remember the crew was dying laughing. They really thought it was very funny. I was like, “Is it that funny?” And they were like, “Oh, yeah.”

Image via Apple TV+

Shooting Season 2 of Bad Sisters
Your work in Bad Sisters is tremendous. That show deserves all the acclaim it’s gotten and everyone who watched it dying for Season 2. It’s such an interesting show because the first season really tied up the plotlines quite well and had a satisfying conclusion. Were you surprised that there would be a Season 2, or had you always been aware that? Had there always been talk of possibly another season, if the interest was there?

HEWSON: When we were shooting Season 1, the producers kept saying to us, “We would like a Season 2 because this group of sisters and the chemistry that you guys have is really special.” We were like, “Oh, okay.” We hadn’t seen the show yet. We hadn’t seen it finished. And then, when I saw the first few episodes I was like, “Oh, I get what they mean about wanting to watch the Garvey girls just do stuff.” I just didn’t know if they would carry on, but what they’ve ended up coming up with and how they’ve continued the story is beyond what I could have imagined. It’s really amazing. (Co-creator) Sharon [Horgan] just crushed it. I think people will be really, really happy with Season 2.

What do you hope to be shooting next?

HEWSON: I’m shooting Bad Sisters right now. We’re Irish, so we’re in a different union when we work in Ireland and we were able to start in September.

Flora and Son is available to stream at Apple TV+.

Stream at Apple TV+.