{"id":1790120,"date":"2026-02-24T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1790120"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:21:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T09:21:00","slug":"rose-byrne-on-the-ugly-side-of-motherhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1790120","title":{"rendered":"Rose Byrne on the ugly side of motherhood"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438456.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/film-tv\/article\/69717\/1\/if-i-had-legs-id-kick-you-mary-bronstein-rose-byrne-interview-film-2026\" data-article-id=\"69717\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-landscape-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img no-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"LEGS02_Photo by Logan White. Courtesy of A24\" class=\"img\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438456.jpg\" width=\"2400\"><\/span><\/span><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-24T12:21:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"24 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"24\">24,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - film-tv\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\">Film &amp; TV<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Rose Byrne on the ugly side <span class=\"nowrap\">of motherhood<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>We speak to the Oscar-nominated actor about her role as a burnt out mother in Mary Bronstein&#8217;s new comedy drama, If I Had Legs I\u2019d <span class=\"nowrap\">Kick You<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-24T12:21:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"24 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"24\">24,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-24T12:21:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"24 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"24\">24,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/NickChen\">Nick Chen<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>It\u2019s so easy to hate other people\u2019s children. They\u2019re loud in libraries, they walk slowly on the street, and you\u2019re pressured to give up your seat for them on public transport. <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, a propulsive, agonising drama written by Mary Bronstein, asks a question many of us have always wondered: why is it taboo to hate your own child? After all, an hour spent in a restaurant with a noisy kid on a nearby table is torture enough. So what if that was you on that table, that was your life, and there was no escape?<\/p>\n<p>In <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, Rose Byrne stars as Linda, an exhausted woman in Montauk who\u2019s had enough of motherhood. Her crying child, never seen on screen, has a mysterious, unsolvable illness that involves being fed with a tube, constant crying, and a machine that beeps incessantly. Linda\u2019s husband, also an off-screen presence, is absent through work. While Linda loves her daughter, she occasionally fantasises about an alternate life where she had an abortion. At a low point, Linda accuses the sick girl of being a witch.<\/p>\n<p>Byrne, a 46-year-old Australian actor, has two children herself, and laughs when I tell her I assume every parent finds their offspring annoying. \u201cHaving a child is such a mirror to your own limitations,\u201d she says with an upbeat tone. \u201cIt isn\u2019t until you become a parent that you know, \u2018I have no tolerance for this.\u2019 They\u2019re just being a child. You have to learn. There\u2019s no handbook for it. You\u2019re thrust into the most challenging role of your life.\u201d But the societal handbook dictates that you have to love your child regardless? \u201cThe film reflects that expectation around mothers. If you\u2019re having a hard time, and have feelings of disappointment, there\u2019s a lot of shame around those feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"5DnyCFcSBNk\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5DnyCFcSBNk\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>It\u2019s the morning after Byrne did a post-screening Q&amp;A during the London Film Festival. A former London resident, Byrne informs me that she sold her house a while ago (\u201cI loved living in Hackney\u201d) and spent the night in a nearby hotel. I point out that Linda is driven crazy by living in a motel. Is Byrne, an actor who travels for work, an expert in that specific type of loneliness? \u201cYou\u2019re the first person to ask about that. And absolutely! Now I have a young family, when I do get to be myself in a hotel, it\u2019s kind of nice. But I used to hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In comedy movies, excessive close-ups usually indicate a lack of usable footage. However, in <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, the harsh zooms on Linda\u2019s face are a deliberate method of disorientation. From the get-go, the camera focuses on Byrne\u2019s manic eyes and sense of desperation, even pointing up her nostrils. In later scenes, the lens obsesses over her quivering lips, and the way her character scrunches her face whenever she\u2019s on the brink of a breakdown \u2013 which happens to be nearly every scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a technical exercise,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cMary didn\u2019t use any zoom lenses. So the camera was here, and it was 35mm. I could hear it going <em>tick tick tick<\/em>.\u201d She mimes how close the camera would be to her face. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s about being still and not breathing, like when she\u2019s so close it\u2019s on my eyelashes.\u201d Before those scenes, did she check a mirror? \u201cNo! The character is so disassociated with how she looks. She\u2019s given up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It may seem hard to remember, but Byrne was once known primarily as a dramatic performer. Now a household comedy superstar for <em>Bridesmaids<\/em>, <em>Platonic<\/em>, and <em>Bad Neighbours<\/em>, the 46-year-old Australian actor started out in weird indies (<em>The Goddess of 1967<\/em>) and found a breakthrough in the deadly serious TV show <em>Damages<\/em>. In a 2015 podcast with Marc Maron, Byrne is met with scepticism when she declares her ambition to delve further into funny material.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>The film reflects that expectation around mothers. If you\u2019re having a hard time, and have feelings of disappointment, there\u2019s a lot of shame around those feelings<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>With <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em> \u2013 the title has no comma, and Bronstein vows to never explain its meaning \u2013 Byrne has once again redefined her career with an Oscar-nominated performance that\u2019s both dramatic and comedic. After the roof of Linda\u2019s flat collapses, it\u2019s apparent that everything will go wrong for her. The film, then, isn\u2019t a feel-good romp \u2013 Mary Bronstein is married to Ronald Bronstein, the co-writer of <em>Uncut Gems<\/em> and <em>Marty Supreme<\/em>, and Josh Safdie is a producer \u2013 and Byrne conveys Linda\u2019s ongoing suffering, both in frantic dialogue and exasperated mannerisms. Yet the film is frequently hilarious, even if the laughter is provoked from the unfunniness of Linda\u2019s life. As a punchline, Linda is a therapist herself.<\/p>\n<p>A further testament to Byrne\u2019s acting prowess is her chemistry with atypical co-stars. There\u2019s a child who\u2019s strictly off-screen, a husband (Christian Slater) who\u2019s only on the phone, A$AP Rocky as a nosey worker in her run-down motel, and Conan O\u2019Brien as her therapist. During their sessions, O\u2019Brien\u2019s character is so deadpan and uncaring as a listener that it\u2019s simultaneously tragic and uproarious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConan was a talk show host for 28 years, and he sat there listening to people talking about themselves,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cAnd in our movie, he\u2019s not listening to this girl! He\u2019s so burned out that he\u2019s actively not helping.\u201d Jazz is referred to as the notes you don\u2019t play. Is there something similar with Byrne and O\u2019Brien knowing what comedy beats to avoid? She mulls it over. \u201cI think comedy is harder, because it\u2019s more subjective, whereas we can all collectively agree on what is sad.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc6bb81a-3e84-4275-ae7a-b3fa00c8c5e2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438452.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.51\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\" class=\"img\" height=\"1988\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438452.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy A24<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Likewise, Byrne acknowledges that A$AP Rocky brought a different energy to set. \u201cThat character has to be so effortlessly cool and charming. The movie is so tense, but it\u2019s a relief when he comes because he\u2019s so relaxed in his body. You can\u2019t teach that. I loved our scenes, because it\u2019s like: what does he want?\u201d The rapper plays James, a playful, patient stranger whose chemistry with Linda has echoes of Byrne and Seth Rogen\u2019s duo in <em>Platonic<\/em>. \u201c[Linda and James] are not friends, but they\u2019re not <em>not<\/em> flirting. It\u2019s weird. She\u2019s so dismissive of him. He\u2019s intrigued and bored and like, \u2018What\u2019s this bitch doing? Why is she so mean to me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Byrne is still marvelling at the feedback to a film that had its world premiere in February 2025. The previous night, at the Q&amp;A, a young woman in the audience told Byrne and Bronstein she wanted to one day become a mother. \u201cShe said, \u2018I thought this movie would scare me, but it gave me the confidence to do it, because it\u2019s talking about what the reality is.\u2019 Mary was like, \u2018Wow, we never get that response.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In interviews, Bronstein has insisted that the film is about doom, not stress. \u201cI understand both,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cThe tension of the film is so singular and extraordinary. But I love the existential doom around Linda.\u201d When I ponder if the film could have been about struggling in Hackney, Byrne responds, \u201cThe film is universal. Are you struggling in London? The movie is about struggle, too. Mary pitched it like: \u2018Imagine the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened to you in your life, and then imagine the worst thing that\u2019s happened to you today. It\u2019s sort of in between.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You <em>is out in UK cinemas now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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hero\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/259-138-1402-933\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436548.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">100 Nights of Hero: The story behind Julia Jackman\u2019s lo-fi queer fantasy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>It\u2019s so easy to hate other people\u2019s children. They\u2019re loud in libraries, they walk slowly on the street, and you\u2019re pressured to give up your seat for them on public transport. <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, a propulsive, agonising drama written by Mary Bronstein, asks a question many of us have always wondered: why is it taboo to hate your own child? After all, an hour spent in a restaurant with a noisy kid on a nearby table is torture enough. So what if that was you on that table, that was your life, and there was no escape?<\/p>\n<p>In <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, Rose Byrne stars as Linda, an exhausted woman in Montauk who\u2019s had enough of motherhood. Her crying child, never seen on screen, has a mysterious, unsolvable illness that involves being fed with a tube, constant crying, and a machine that beeps incessantly. Linda\u2019s husband, also an off-screen presence, is absent through work. While Linda loves her daughter, she occasionally fantasises about an alternate life where she had an abortion. At a low point, Linda accuses the sick girl of being a witch.<\/p>\n<p>Byrne, a 46-year-old Australian actor, has two children herself, and laughs when I tell her I assume every parent finds their offspring annoying. \u201cHaving a child is such a mirror to your own limitations,\u201d she says with an upbeat tone. \u201cIt isn\u2019t until you become a parent that you know, \u2018I have no tolerance for this.\u2019 They\u2019re just being a child. You have to learn. There\u2019s no handbook for it. You\u2019re thrust into the most challenging role of your life.\u201d But the societal handbook dictates that you have to love your child regardless? \u201cThe film reflects that expectation around mothers. If you\u2019re having a hard time, and have feelings of disappointment, there\u2019s a lot of shame around those feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src-youtube video-container embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"media-youtube\" data-id=\"5DnyCFcSBNk\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen frameborder height=\"422\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5DnyCFcSBNk\" webkitallowfullscreen width=\"750\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>It\u2019s the morning after Byrne did a post-screening Q&amp;A during the London Film Festival. A former London resident, Byrne informs me that she sold her house a while ago (\u201cI loved living in Hackney\u201d) and spent the night in a nearby hotel. I point out that Linda is driven crazy by living in a motel. Is Byrne, an actor who travels for work, an expert in that specific type of loneliness? \u201cYou\u2019re the first person to ask about that. And absolutely! Now I have a young family, when I do get to be myself in a hotel, it\u2019s kind of nice. But I used to hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In comedy movies, excessive close-ups usually indicate a lack of usable footage. However, in <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em>, the harsh zooms on Linda\u2019s face are a deliberate method of disorientation. From the get-go, the camera focuses on Byrne\u2019s manic eyes and sense of desperation, even pointing up her nostrils. In later scenes, the lens obsesses over her quivering lips, and the way her character scrunches her face whenever she\u2019s on the brink of a breakdown \u2013 which happens to be nearly every scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a technical exercise,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cMary didn\u2019t use any zoom lenses. So the camera was here, and it was 35mm. I could hear it going <em>tick tick tick<\/em>.\u201d She mimes how close the camera would be to her face. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s about being still and not breathing, like when she\u2019s so close it\u2019s on my eyelashes.\u201d Before those scenes, did she check a mirror? \u201cNo! The character is so disassociated with how she looks. She\u2019s given up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It may seem hard to remember, but Byrne was once known primarily as a dramatic performer. Now a household comedy superstar for <em>Bridesmaids<\/em>, <em>Platonic<\/em>, and <em>Bad Neighbours<\/em>, the 46-year-old Australian actor started out in weird indies (<em>The Goddess of 1967<\/em>) and found a breakthrough in the deadly serious TV show <em>Damages<\/em>. In a 2015 podcast with Marc Maron, Byrne is met with scepticism when she declares her ambition to delve further into funny material.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>The film reflects that expectation around mothers. If you\u2019re having a hard time, and have feelings of disappointment, there\u2019s a lot of shame around those feelings<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>With <em>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You<\/em> \u2013 the title has no comma, and Bronstein vows to never explain its meaning \u2013 Byrne has once again redefined her career with an Oscar-nominated performance that\u2019s both dramatic and comedic. After the roof of Linda\u2019s flat collapses, it\u2019s apparent that everything will go wrong for her. The film, then, isn\u2019t a feel-good romp \u2013 Mary Bronstein is married to Ronald Bronstein, the co-writer of <em>Uncut Gems<\/em> and <em>Marty Supreme<\/em>, and Josh Safdie is a producer \u2013 and Byrne conveys Linda\u2019s ongoing suffering, both in frantic dialogue and exasperated mannerisms. Yet the film is frequently hilarious, even if the laughter is provoked from the unfunniness of Linda\u2019s life. As a punchline, Linda is a therapist herself.<\/p>\n<p>A further testament to Byrne\u2019s acting prowess is her chemistry with atypical co-stars. There\u2019s a child who\u2019s strictly off-screen, a husband (Christian Slater) who\u2019s only on the phone, A$AP Rocky as a nosey worker in her run-down motel, and Conan O\u2019Brien as her therapist. During their sessions, O\u2019Brien\u2019s character is so deadpan and uncaring as a listener that it\u2019s simultaneously tragic and uproarious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConan was a talk show host for 28 years, and he sat there listening to people talking about themselves,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cAnd in our movie, he\u2019s not listening to this girl! He\u2019s so burned out that he\u2019s actively not helping.\u201d Jazz is referred to as the notes you don\u2019t play. Is there something similar with Byrne and O\u2019Brien knowing what comedy beats to avoid? She mulls it over. \u201cI think comedy is harder, because it\u2019s more subjective, whereas we can all collectively agree on what is sad.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc6bb81a-3e84-4275-ae7a-b3fa00c8c5e2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438452.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.51\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You\" class=\"img\" height=\"1988\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438452.jpg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy A24<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>Likewise, Byrne acknowledges that A$AP Rocky brought a different energy to set. \u201cThat character has to be so effortlessly cool and charming. The movie is so tense, but it\u2019s a relief when he comes because he\u2019s so relaxed in his body. You can\u2019t teach that. I loved our scenes, because it\u2019s like: what does he want?\u201d The rapper plays James, a playful, patient stranger whose chemistry with Linda has echoes of Byrne and Seth Rogen\u2019s duo in <em>Platonic<\/em>. \u201c[Linda and James] are not friends, but they\u2019re not <em>not<\/em> flirting. It\u2019s weird. She\u2019s so dismissive of him. He\u2019s intrigued and bored and like, \u2018What\u2019s this bitch doing? Why is she so mean to me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Byrne is still marvelling at the feedback to a film that had its world premiere in February 2025. The previous night, at the Q&amp;A, a young woman in the audience told Byrne and Bronstein she wanted to one day become a mother. \u201cShe said, \u2018I thought this movie would scare me, but it gave me the confidence to do it, because it\u2019s talking about what the reality is.\u2019 Mary was like, \u2018Wow, we never get that response.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In interviews, Bronstein has insisted that the film is about doom, not stress. \u201cI understand both,\u201d says Byrne. \u201cThe tension of the film is so singular and extraordinary. But I love the existential doom around Linda.\u201d When I ponder if the film could have been about struggling in Hackney, Byrne responds, \u201cThe film is universal. Are you struggling in London? The movie is about struggle, too. Mary pitched it like: \u2018Imagine the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened to you in your life, and then imagine the worst thing that\u2019s happened to you today. It\u2019s sort of in between.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You <em>is out in UK cinemas now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/article\/69717\/1\/if-i-had-legs-id-kick-you-mary-bronstein-rose-byrne-interview-film-2026&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/8\/1438456.jpg&#8221;] February\u00a0 24,\u00a0 2026 Film &amp; TV \/ Feature Film &amp; TV \/ Feature Rose Byrne on the ugly side of motherhood We speak to the Oscar-nominated actor about her role as a burnt out mother in Mary Bronstein&#8217;s new comedy drama, If I Had Legs I\u2019d Kick You February\u00a0 24,\u00a0 2026 February\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1790120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1790120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790120\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1790120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1790120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1790120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}