Is there anyplace for verse in a world obsessed with flat screens and Wii?
Abbie Cornish: Definitely, whether that changes in shape or form—with emails or texts replacing writing letters—there’s still room for poetry. I also love hip-hop and rap, and that’s really a contemporary form. Brawne is essentially a 19th-century fashionista. You have been seen at parties for houses like Calvin Klein—is it a prerequisite these days for an actress to love fashion? I don’t think it’s a prerequisite, but it helps to enjoy fashion when part of our job is to dress up. I really love Toni Maticevski, who designed my dress for Cannes. There’s something very sensitive and feminine and wearable about his clothes. He has an old-school, classic feel, which I love, but at the same time, he’s very much on the edge. Traditionally, a muse is all about inspiring someone else. But Fanny is the centerpiece of this story. There’s something almost artistically naughty about that. From the moment I read the script, I always knew Jane [Campion] was seeing Keats through Fanny’s eyes. In a wa
