Sarah Gadon embraces ambiguity of Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace
Canadian actress stars in lead role as a teenage Northern Irish domestic worker and immigrant in Canada in 1843, who is sentenced to life in prison for her involvement in the murder of her employer and his housekeeper
Sarah Gadon is not your typical young Hollywood star. For starters, she lives in Toronto. She has made her name by starring in the idiosyncratic films of David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises). During the interview, she expounds not only on her latest juice cleanse, but also on subjects such as the importance of textiles to a culture and “emblems of female vanity” throughout art history.
Which may be why the 30-year-old is poised to become the latest it girl – make that it woman – of TV’s current feminist streaming wave, joining a club that includes Elisabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale, Betty Gilpin and Alison Brie of GLOW and Krysten Ritter of Jessica Jones.
From Friday on Netflix, she can be seen as the enigmatic title character in Alias Grace, adapted from the novel by Margaret Atwood. The six-part limited series is led by a team of impressive women, including director Mary Harron (American Psycho) and writer-producer Sarah Polley (Away From Her). Atwood was also involved as a supervising producer.
At the centre of it all is Gadon, who gives a mesmerising performance as Grace Marks, a housemaid and Irish immigrant fending off near-constant abuse in colonial-era Canada. First seen contemplating her own reflection in the mirror, Grace is a mystery to everyone around her – including, possibly, herself.
“When I watch the show, it’s a real exploration of female subjectivity that gets me really excited,” says the actress. “That’s the power of women making images, opening up this discourse and this dialogue about how women are seen.”
