Claire Foy admits playing real-life people gives her more freedom as an actress: ‘I thrive on the pressure’

Claire Foy has said that she finds more freedom in playing real people rather than fictitious creations and thrives on the pressure.

The British actress, 34, most famously played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and is currently on the big screen as Janet Armstrong in Damien Chazelle’s First Man.

Despite the responsibility of bringing a real person to life on the big screen, Foy said that she prefers it as she struggles with a “blank page."

“I’ve done it a lot, I’ve played a lot of real people and I love it,” Foy told the Standard.

“To know how far you can stray and what the boundaries are, what you need to get right, what you need to observe and where you can be free, I find a lot of freedom in it.”

She added: “I sometimes find that if I just have a blank page I’m a bit like, ‘what’ so I love doing it. I thrive on that pressure really.”

Foy, who plays the wife of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, opposite Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling, said that director Chazelle was keen for them to do as much research as possible.

“Damien gave us lots of research material to look at and lots of documentaries to watch, which I found fascinating anyway,” she said.

“It was just a period in time and a group of people who I knew nothing about.”

While the focus of the film might be on Neil and his mission to the moon, Foy wanted to give a voice to the women in his life.

“Damien knew how important she was to him and it was just more about finally giving a voice to these women who, at the time, nobody took into account - Nasa or the media or anyone,” she said.

“And just to show that they were living their lives, just as much as these men were going to the moon, they were at home doing incredible, incredible work.”

First Man is out now in UK cinemas.