Diane Keaton was eager to portray an "older woman, who’s a mess" in ‘Hampstead’.
The 71-year-old actress has been cast as the widow, Emily, who finds love with a homeless man who has lived on London’s Hampstead Heath for many years in the upcoming drama film, and the moment she was told about the character she was instantly "excited" to play her.
Speaking about her latest venture, which sees her appear in the film alongside Brendan Gleeson, James Norton and Hugh Skinner, the ‘The Father of the Bride’ star said: "This character of an older woman, who’s a mess, that excited me. She doesn’t own up to her mistakes but she’s friendly and charming. Then there’s this amazing moment when she looks through her binoculars and sees this man, and her life changes forever."
And the California-born star has revealed she made some costume changes to her character during filming, and decided to wear a hat in the production to distinguish her from other women in the film and to help her look like "an outsider".
She explained: "I had to put in the one hat for her. I thought she shouldn’t look like the other women in the film. She had to be an outsider.
"I think London is the most interesting city in the world for fashion. Londoners are not afraid of extremes."
Although Keaton spent a lot of time shooting in the green fields of the popular site, she has revealed she had never heard of the area before the project.
When asked if she was familiar with the setting, she told TimeOut magazine: "Not at all. I thought it was really pretty, but to me it’s not London. It had that kind of wild aspect, but it’s not this."
Diane Keaton was ‘excited’ by Hampstead casting
