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Exclusive: Jess McNamee reveals challenges of playing Margaret Court on screen
Australian actress Jessica McNamee has opened up about the challenges she faced portraying real-life tennis player Margaret Court in recent Hollywood flick, Battle Of The Sexes.
The 31-year-old former Packed To The Rafters star admits playing someone who has recently aired their controversial views on same sex marriage in the public arena tested her as an actress, but also gave her the opportunity to discuss her own ideas about marriage equality.
"It was definitely kind of a challenge," she told Be at the 2017 AACTA Awards in Sydney.
"There's a lot of controversy surrounding her currently so it was actually really cool to kind of get the opportunity to portray her and it was a real opportunity to discuss my ideas around marriage equality, which I’m obviously very passionate about," she continued.
"When we shot the film, Margaret hadn’t come out and said the things that she’d said recently so I was worried that I was going to portray her in kind of a negative light. But I think we went kind of easy on her in hindsight once I saw the film."
Earlier this year Margaret Court made headlines when she penned a letter to The West Australian where she stated she was boycotting Qantas because of their support of same sex marriage.
"I believe in marriage as a union between a man and a woman as stated in the bible," the letter read.
"Your statement leaves me no option but to use other airlines where possible for my extensive travelling."
A few months later she penned another letter to the publication, saying it was "disappointing" Australia has to have any poll on same sex marriage.
"We have, ever since Foundation, been a proud nation, a nation which people migrated to - to the extent that it eventually had to be restricted," she wrote.
"Australia's moral values are the envy of the world; nobody wants to leave and there are plenty in the queue wanting to get in. If we have to vote, let us vote 'no' to gay marriage for the sake of Australia, our children and our children's children."
Following this, there were widespread calls from within the tennis community and out to rename Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
Jessica delivers a standout performance as the Australian tennis star in the Hollywood film, which also stars Emma Stone as number one tennis player Billie Jean King, and Steve Carell as former number one tennis player Bobby Riggs, battling it out on the court during the iconic 1973 mixed-sex tennis match.
When speaking to Be, Jessica couldn't help but gush about her award-winning co-star Emma Stone, saying she's simply "amazing".
"She’s exactly as you’d imagine, She’s super kind and intelligent and driven and all of the wonderful things that everyone describes her as," explained Jess.
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