Nicola Coughlan Says “The Magic Faraway Tree” Set Was a Deliberate Middle Finger to AI

Nicola Coughlan, who stars as the fairy Silky in The Magic Faraway Tree, gave an exclusive Where Is The Buzz interview before the film’s release. The actress, who is well known for her roles in Bridgerton and Derry Girls, discussed the handmade filming process, her long-term ambitions, and her experience working alongside Rebecca Ferguson.

The Magic Faraway Tree, helmed by Ben Gregor and adapted from the popular books by Enid Blyton, revolves around a family that relocates to the countryside and discovers a magic tree that transports them into fantastical lands. The film will be distributed in the United States by Vertical and will premiere on August 21.

I asked Coughlan whether the handmade aspect of the movie, which Coughlan says serves as a reaction against the age where content can be created instantly using artificial intelligence, is something she seeks in her projects in the future, or was just an unexpected stroke of luck in this particular case.

“Oh, massively,” Coughlan said. “I mean it makes a massive difference as an actor. You know, people go, oh, for the kids it must have been great to have an actual tree set. I was like, it was great for the grown-ups because you come in and you know the costumes have been handmade by someone. Every piece of the set has been handmade, hand-painted. So you’re walking in, and you’re not just looking at a blue screen imagining everything happening. It’s there. You can touch it. You can play with it. You can move things around, like the candy and the, you know, the Land of Goodies, that was real. So we ate a lot of it, and we felt really sick, but it was real.”

This pragmatic approach is reflected in the production notes of the movie. The producer Pippa Harris has stated that opting for real sets and costumes rather than blue screen made it possible for the heads of departments to utilize their increasingly scarce skill set.

Turning to Coughlan’s career ambitions, I asked the actor to name three things on her “dream binder,” a running wish list of goals she has kept throughout her career and has already begun checking off.

“Oh, I mean, I’ve got to meet, I have like, there’s like the three pinnacles of comedy for me, or Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig and Amy Poehler, and I’ve got to meet two of the three,” Coughlan said. “So Amy Poehler, you’re next on my list. That sounds very threatening. I’m not, I’m not going to, I’m not threatening you, Amy. I just, I think you’re cool, and I want to meet you.”

I also floated an idea for Coughlan’s future, telling her I would love to see her headline “a really like a fairy movie with just strictly you one day,” to which Coughlan replied, “Oh, I would love it.”

I then asked Coughlan about working alongside Rebecca Ferguson, who plays the film’s antagonist, Dame Snap, and whose scenes were shot separately during a two-week stint in Malta. Coughlan had high praise for her co-star.

“Oh, so epic,” Coughlan said. “I mean, we were very lucky, and at the end of the movie we shot two weeks in Malta, and Rebecca was there the whole time, and she’s just the coolest ever. I mean, she’s such a movie star, but she’s incredibly down to earth. She, you know, talked to every single crew member, just was just chilling with everybody. She would, you know, there’s a big thing, you know, the different coverage factors. So, if the camera’s on you, she’s behind the camera, she’s giving 100%. She’s such a pro. We all sort of fell in love with her. Um, so, yeah, we got to spend two weeks there, and just, she’s the coolest, yeah.”

“The Magic Faraway Tree” also stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders and Rebecca Ferguson. The film opens wide in U.S. theaters Friday, August 21st.