Morton deliberately did not talk to anyone who went through a situation similar to what Olivia did prior to taking on the part. "I decided against that for the simple reason that Olivia, although obviously written, was also a creation from inside my heart," explained Morton at the film's LA press day. "I think that if I'd have met somebody that that had happened to, I would have found it very hard to separate her emotion from Olivia's. I may have then been in danger of picking up on something this woman did or how she felt, and in turn bringing it into the character. Sometimes that fine. Sometimes there are parts that you really need to do that. But because of the way I was shooting in sequence, I thought, 'I don't want to know anything, I just want to be here and see how I feel when I'm told.'"
"I think that was brave of Oren and brave of all of us, but I think we pulled it off. I also think that there's the idea of research for someone, but you also have to take responsibility for developing a character yourself. It's very easy to go meet someone and base your character on them, whether it's a real person or finding someone in the street or looking at someone in a film. But I think for us creatively, it felt better this way."
The Messenger was shot in and around a military base, which adds to the authenticity of the film. However, Morton says being out on location didn't really affect her performance. "I've done films on movie sets and I believe where I am. You have to project almost like a madness, you could be anywhere and shoot that scene, I could've done that as a play without any props or anything and it would've come from the same place," offered Morton. "As an actor, I just support how the filmmaker wants to make the film, and if things are important that it's very truthful, that we're in the right place, I'll support that. If someone's saying, 'Listen, we need to build these sets because I want to move walls because I've got ideas of how I'm going to light it,' I'm comfortable with that. Without sounding lazy, I want to do my job the best I can."
Morton has nothing but praise for her co-star Ben Foster, an intense actor who thrives on tackling damaged characters. "Working with Ben was a great experience and one that I'd love to have again. I think he's a remarkable actor and somebody who has a huge amount of decency and respect for his colleagues and crew. He makes the set a great place to be and his focus is brilliant, it's dedication, so that was refreshing because it wasn't about ego."
Morton added, "The scene [with Ben] in the kitchen was great. I could've shot it all day. It was fantastic. I'm having a great time. It's tough, the things that I'm feeling, but I love it. I love acting. It's like a muscle, it's like singing or something, when you hit the right note and you want to do it again and your voice is warmed up and you go, 'You want to go again? Yeah, great, we'll go again!' And you get to the point where you go, 'I hope we don't go again, I'm quite tired now. There's only so much crying I can do,' because then the performance starts changing, you know? You're just feeling different things."
And speaking of feeling different things, Morton hopes audiences will watch and discuss The Messenger. "I've such faith in people and humanity as well that to me, being a mother and a woman, it's the kind of film that I promise you will appeal to women as well. It's a relevant film to do with femininity and loss and love, so I think actually, we tickle those boxes really. What it is is the subject matter that people find tricky - that's all. All the other things are there."
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The Messenger was directed by Oren Moverman and is rated R for language and some sexual content/nudity.
