Q & Andy: Alison Owen

Now in her fifties, Alison Owen began her film career in the music industry at Limelight Records. In 1990, she produced her first film, a documentary called Puja Puja. Since then, she has helped make over 20 films—including Elizabeth (1998), Brick Lane (2007), Jane Eyre (2011), and Saving Mr. Banks (2013)—won an Emmy and a BAFTA, and been nominated for an Academy Award.

Suffragette, Owen’s most recent film starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne-Marie Duff is currently screening at the Savannah Film Festival presented by SCAD. Her next film, Justin Chadwick‘s highly anticipated period drama Tulip Fever, will come out next year.

Aside from her career, Owens, who grew up in Portsmouth, England, is also the mother of actor Alfie Allen and singer Lily Allen. 

ANDY WARHOL: What did you eat for breakfast?

ALISON OWEN: I had an omlet with feta cheese, spinach, and jalapeno peppers.

WARHOL: What was your first job?

OWEN: My first job was a bingo caller.

WARHOL: How did you end up in Hollywood?

OWEN: It was a direct line from bingo-calling! No, by making British movies that then led me to making Hollywood movies. I came to British films by riding the music video boom of the early ’80s.

WARHOL: Who was the nicest person you worked for?

OWEN: Steve Barron [director of Rat]. He treated everybody the same, which was nicely.

WARHOL: Is there anything you regret not doing?

OWEN: I think I regret not forming my own company earlier.

WARHOL: What’s your favorite movie?

OWEN: Thelma and Louise.

WARHOL: When do you get nervous?

OWEN: When I have to make a speech.

WARHOL: What do you think about love?

OWEN: It makes the world go round.

WARHOL: What are you reading?

OWEN: Jackie Collins’s Lady Boss.

WARHOL: Do you feel frustrated with the way things are now between men and women?

OWEN: Yes.

WARHOL: What do you think about American kids?

OWEN: I think they have a wonderful spirit but should look beyond their own borders more.

WARHOL: Do you get depressed if you don’t work?

OWEN: Yes.

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