About Iris
Two of the most acclaimed actress of our time, Judi Dench and Kate Winslet, bring to the screen one of the most extraordinary women of hers, celebrated author, Iris Murdoch. From her days as a brilliant scholar at Oxford, where she thrilled the world around her with her libertine spirit, through her career as a philosopher and novelist, Iris was truly ahead of her time. And through it all, one man stood beside her every step of the way -John Bayley, her unlikely soul mate, who through good times and bad, would love her all her life.

Kate Winslet (Young Iris Murdoch)
"John Bayley has written three very good books on his life with Iris that pay a lot of attention to the later periods in her life and their relationship throughout. I read those books and I did a lot of research from people who were involved with her and with this project. Everybody was very helpful."
"I'm always extremely conscious of getting as close to reality as possible for the people who knew her and loved her. In the case of Iris Murdoch, nailing the part was extremely difficult. Her dialogue is so highly intelligent and complex that the night before filming Hugh and I would ask each other if we were having trouble memorizing our lines. Iris and John Bayley were on an intellectual plane that no one else could really reach."

"Iris and John were sort of like big children in a way which is so wonderful. It's quite difficult to portray how jovial and fun they were, while also allowing the undercurrents of their incredible intellects to bleed in and out of the story. Especially considering that I could never be as bright as Iris Murdoch."

"I've watched the documentaries that were made on Iris Murdoch again and again. During filming I tried to watch them everyday because her style of speech supposedly didn't change much throughout her life. Her speech was quite posh. Sometimes she spoke very fact and sometimes she spoke slowly but it was always well measured and assured."

"I feel really lucky to have played this part because Iris was such an interesting character. She was widely known to have been rampantly bisexual, and a fiercely intelligent philosopher who believed in truth, honesty, and being real. She would pick up on some flippant comment in your speech and then she'd be relentless in analyzing it down to nothing. It is a role in which I very much had to be on the ball. The one thing that people have said about her across the board is that she just had the most incredibly free spirit. A real liver of life."

"John and Iris gave each other a great deal of strength. In many ways theirs is a true, true love story. I think she just found him very amusing, and challenging, and exciting, and fun to be with. Sort of kindred spirits you could say."

"The movie does feel like a love story. But I was very aware at all times of the history of the story, and the fact that these things really did happen. I think we all tried to be very respectful and mindful of that history because we wanted very much to do these characters justice. I think its one of the best love stories I've ever read."

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