‘She’s actively rude’: Rose Byrne on playing a mother cracking up in her taboo-busting new film

Australian actress Rose Byrne and director Mary-Helena Clark discussed the challenging production of their new film, 'If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,' following Byrne's recent Golden Globe win for her raw portrayal of a mother pushed to her breaking point. The film, which functions as a psychological horror, explores the grueling internal life of Linda, a woman caring for a terminally ill child whose presence is felt but never fully seen on screen. The project faced significant hurdles during its development phase as potential financial backers expressed fear and hesitation regarding the script’s unflinching and often 'taboo' depiction of maternal resentment and the urge to abandon one's caregiver duties. Byrne’s character, Linda, diverges sharply from traditional cinematic archetips of the saintly, self-sacrificing mother. Instead, she is depicted as 'actively rude' and emotionally volatile, reflecting the psychological fragmentation that occurs when the burden of care becomes all-consuming. The director intentionally framed the narrative through the lens of horror to emphasize the claustrophobia of domestic tragedy, omitting the visual presence of the child and the specific medical diagnosis to keep the focus entirely on the mother’s deteriorating mental state. The film has sparked a wider conversation about the social expectations placed on women in crisis and the scarcity of stories that allow for maternal imperfection. Byrne and Clark revealed that many industry figures found the script 'too dark' or 'unlikable,' yet the actress was drawn to the role precisely because of its refusal to sugarcoat the complexities of grief and exhaustion. The critical success of the film, culminating in major awards recognition, suggests a growing appetite for cinema that tackles the visceral realities of the human condition without the safety net of sentimental tropes.