For Alexandra Byrne, designing the clothes for “Mary Queen of Scots” came somewhat naturally. After all, she created the costumes for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and won an Oscar for her work. The Elizabethan period has become something of an area of expertise for Byrne, and it ultimately helped her dress two of the most famous Queens in English and Scottish history, Saoirse Ronan’s Mary Stuart and Margot Robbie’s Queen Elizabeth I.
Byrne’s career is long and extensive. She designed the costumes for Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet,” for which she nabbed her first Oscar nomination. She also received nods for costuming “Elizabeth” and “Finding Neverland.” Her other credits include “The Phantom of the Opera” and several Marvel movies, such as “Thor,” “The Avengers,” and “Doctor Strange.”
Women And Hollywood talked to Byrne about her creative costume choices, why she chose to use denim in “Mary Queen of Scots,” and what it’s like to dress two very different lead characters in a period piece.
W&H: What is it like being a female costume designer in film today?
AB: I would say invigorating because a lot of questions are being asked and things are constantly being reappraised. Having worked on this film with a crew that was predominantly men, I feel like I have an even stronger voice.
W&H: What was it like to work on another period piece, specifically one with so many gender politics at play?
AB: Once you start working on a project, it’s really about the script and the story. You go into this tunnel of delivering the story and how you can help tell it. You are so on the task that it doesn’t matter whether it’s a superhero film or period film or contemporary film, it’s the world you’re working in.
Full interview here
