My Sailor, My Love was one of the many films that were featured at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. It tells the story of a last love, set against the backdrop of gorgeous Irish scenery. Ahead of the movie’s premiere, I had a chance to sit down with and speak to star James Cosmo and director Klaus Härö.
With the 2022 Festival being the first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic, both expressed excitement at having their movie premiere to a live audience. They told me how special this project was to them, and why they feel this is an important story to tell. When asked about his experience on-set with co-stars Brid Brennan and Catherine Walker, Cosmo told me, “After no time at all, we felt so comfortable with each other”.
Cosmo also spoke about how natural his character came to him. He plays Howard, an elderly man frustrated and bitter, but with an incredible capacity for love. “Once we started to run those lines together…my character became very apparent to me”, Cosmo said. When asked about his inspiration for the character, Cosmo spoke about his father. “I think there’s a lot of my father in [Howard]…this affected my portrayal of him”.
Härö spoke about the experience of filming in the picturesque settings featured throughout the movie. He was told by colleagues, “You have to go to the West [of Ireland]”. When he first saw the location, Härö said, “If I don’t get to shoot the film here, I don’t want to do this film”. Cosmo chimed in by saying, “It didn’t reel like going on a set”. In many ways, the setting becomes a character of its own through the movie.
When asked if either of them have any dream collaborations for the future, Cosmo is clear: “I just want to work with Klaus again”. Härö responded in kind by saying, “As an actor, ]James] you’ve stolen my line!”. It’s clear that these two are capable of making such gorgeous art, so it seems only a matter of time before we seem them come together again.
My Sailor, My Love has its World Premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.