Claire Foy covers the latest issue of The Hollywood Reporter, and this is the first time I’ve realized how funny and sassy she is. She’s not out here, cracking jokes, but she’s delightfully neurotic and quietly savage in that particular British way. THR interviewed Foy for First Man and The Girl in the Spider’s Web, a one-two punch which will probably make her a household name with people who haven’t watched The Crown yet. The interview took place in Washington, DC, around one of the big premieres for First Man. As I noted at the time, it was a weird moment to for a film premiere in Washington because it came in the middle of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, when every woman felt on edge, and most women wanted to rage-punch the first doughy misogynist they set eyes on. Claire Foy was no different – the Kavanaugh situation is riddled throughout this piece, and Foy talks about how she wishes she could violently assault one particular d-bag.

When she sees an 18-wheeler with the sign “Black Smoke Matters.” “I want to key his truck,” Foy says of the pro-pollution rig, then smiles. We’re so used to seeing her as the Queen swallowing her anger, it’s refreshing to see her get to enjoy it. She spots the phallic Washington Monument across the Mall. “All powerful! D.C. is where the giant penis of America lives … in more ways than one.”

The protester holding up a sign saying “#MeTooFraud.” Foy stares at the man. “I just want to rip it up,” she mutters about his poster. Then the 5-foot-3 actress walks up to him and says, in a tone the Queen might use to ask a visiting dignitary what colony he’s from, “Why have you got a media badge on?” “What’s that?” the man asks, clearly not a fan of The Crown. “Why have you got media accreditation?” Foy repeats. “Because I’m from the media,” #MeTooFraud says with the affect of patience, as if explaining Apollo 11?s lunar orbit to a child. “What media?” Foy persists, tilting her head to the 3 o’clock position. “KGED 1680,” he responds, turning his iPhone camera toward her. “It’s a radio station out in California.” “You’re a journalist?” Foy asks, cocking her head over to 9 o’clock. “I love this country,” he says in what might be the most patronizing tone in the history of the patriarchy. “I’m not a journalist. I’m an editorialist. I’m an opinions journalist.” “Oh, right,” Foy says, like that makes sense, and turns to me to explain: “He’s got his opinion.”

On emotion: “I always felt like the odd one out. Just so emotional. Someone tells me a story and I’m, like, crying. People — men especially — are like, ‘Emotion is manipulative.’ Like, why does it have to be a bad thing? I’m really tired of people being like, ‘Women are too emotional.’” She brings up Serena Williams, who lost the U.S. Open final after being penalized a point for allegedly being signaled by her coach, and then a game when she protested the first punishment. “Serena Williams is allowed to get emotional. It matters to her. Maybe we need more emotion. Maybe we need more people fighting for what they believe in.”

She doesn’t want to go to the Trump White House: “Is that the White House?” she asks, surprisingly surprised for someone on a walking tour of Washington government buildings. “I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to go there because he’s in there.” Foy reconsiders: “Actually, isn’t he doing his weird rally somewhere?”

[From THR]

She’s so damn polite. She even politely confronted a douchenozzle carrying a #MeTooFraud poster and she didn’t even violently attack him or his poster. There’s been so much talk about women’s anger these days, or “female rage” or “female seething.” These are good conversations to have, and Claire is right – why is it that emotion is only considered “manipulative” or off-side when it comes from a woman? Brett Kavanaugh is an emotional, rage-filled sexual assailant and liar. But that emotion – performative emotion, mostly – got him a SCOTUS seat. I hope Claire went back to that poster guy after the THR journo left. I hope Claire ripped up his poster and set fire to the pieces.

Claire Foy: “Serena Williams is allowed to get emotional. It matters to her. Maybe we need more emotion. Maybe we need more people fighting for what they believe in” https://t.co/Ll4axA3cwv pic.twitter.com/dB2ZEtyKY7

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 17, 2018

Cover and photo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.