Jessica Brown Findlay loves the ‘nobody’s perfect’ theme

BEST known for her role as Lady Sybil Crawley in the critically-acclaimed period drama Downton Abbey, Jessica Brown Findlay has been gravitating towards voiceover work.

Aside from Netflix’s Castlevania, where she voices Lenore, the actress is back as Fay Wishbone in Monster Family 2.

The computer-animated horrorcomedy first released in 2017. Unfortunately, critics lambasted it for everything from its animation and voice acting to its writing and humour.

But the sequel was given the green light so perhaps it will redeem itself, especially with its star-studded cast.

While Holger Tapper returns to the director’s seat, David Safier is joined by Abraham Katz on the writing side.

The storyline picks up a year from where the first film ended. After grappling with their various struggles, the Wishbone family are back to their daily routine.

Max (Ethan Rouse) is still the subject of ridicule as the smallest kid in eighth grade. Fay is in a state of flux. Meanwhile, mum Emma (Emily Watson) tries to help her children but her advice only seems to rile them more. And dad Frank (Nick Frost), who is happy in his new job, is unsettled by the pervading gloominess around him.

When the family attend the wedding of Baba Yaga (Catherine Tate), a witch, and Renfield, the hunchbacked butler, both of whom have become like surrogate grandparents to Max and Fay, things take a turn for the worse as the love birds are abducted by Mila Starr (Emily Carey), the only child of scientific genius billionaire couple Marlene and Maddox Starr.

And so the Wishbones have no choice but to turn into monsters again.

But they have their work cut out as Mila travels the world finding immortals for her parents, which include Dracula, the Yeti and the musicallyinclined King Conga giant ape.

Brown Findlay described the film as a “round the world family trip to save many creatures, and each other”.

On slipping back into the psyche of Fay, who transforms into a mummy, she said: “So when we see her again for the first time, she’s quite diminished. I think she’s worried about school, about where everyone else is getting to. She can see people are achieving things and she feels lost, like she doesn’t have a calling. And I think she wants to be seen more by her parents.”

Reflecting on her favourite scene, she offered: “It’s probably with King Conga. I love the music, the dancing. I think it’s sort of goofy. It’s fun to see Fay play around. I like it because afterwards she sort of realises (I think mum and dad also help her realise) that this is something she is great at and she’s overlooked it. And she gets excited about herself again.”

As for what she related to, she laughed: “I definitely relate to car journeys with slightly irritating younger siblings. But maybe also, just that feeling of being in search of something but not really knowing how to get there.”

While Brown Findlay had some reservations about singing, she warmed up to the idea.

“I found singing in this film at first nerve-racking. Reading through the script, I wondered if they would find someone else to do it. I think just because in my head I had a kind of block like I couldn’t do that.

“Actually, I found it really freeing and really fun. We had a singing coach who helped me get past my own sort of inhibitions and into the rhythm of the song and it was great.”

Her two favourite monsters in the film are Nessie and King Congo because “he’s got a good vibe”.

With kiddie movies, there’s always an inspiring theme. In this one, it’s that nobody’s perfect.

The actress added: “I think there is a lot of pressure and attention on things that seem perfect. We see, in the beginning, Fay being on her phone quite a lot. She’s looking at these perfect friends she has, achieving great things, or people seemingly having a go at something and it’s working the first time, and I think that sort of story is really false.

“Things take a long time to get right. And sometimes getting it perfect is not the point; it’s the journey. And sometimes if you’re striving for that, you miss all the things that are happening.

“I love that in the story Fay starts to realise that and understands that in her fight for perfection, she’s overlooked her skills and abilities.”

Lastly, the actress revealed what she loves most about doing animation.

“You are not physically seen but all your energy and your movements and

everything you chose to do physically will come through in your voice, and I just feel unlooked at, and that makes me feel very free,” she said.

“Monster Family 2” opens at cinemas nationwide on November 5.