Abbie Cornish Is A “Psychopath” We Adore, But Won’t Box Sam Rockwell

Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, and Tom Waits. That's a whole lotta testosterone to deal with, but Aussie actress Abbie Cornish was able to go toe-to-toe with all of them when filming the ensemble movie Seven Psychopaths. Cornish, who won over critics with her moving depiction of Fanny Brawne in '09's Bright Star and her breathtaking role alongside Heath Ledger as the title character in Candy, doesn't have a whole lot of screen time in Psychopaths, but she plays, well, a gal to remember. As Colin Farrell's spirited but slightly frayed girlfriend, Cornish is one of the few female characters in the film, but she's just as tough and cheeky as her costars (which is saying a lot, since Walken and Harrelson are the kings of tough and cheeky).

So, when we caught up with her at the Seven Psychopaths premiere hosted by The Cinema Society (along with Hugo Boss and Appleton Estate), we were psyched to see Cornish bring a major dose of glam to the carpet with a body-hugging, watercolor-splashed Roland Mouret dress. Not only did she look aglow, but the starlet eagerly chatted with us about the film — and her favorite dress she has ever worn on a carpet. (Hint: It demonstrates some major homeland pride.)

Did you know Colin (Farrell) from before? Did you do things together to get to know each other before you had to play his girlfriend?
"Yeah, we all hung out, but these guys are such easy, personable people that it happened so fast. Since (director Martin McDonagh) had worked with Colin a lot, their relationship was great. It was easy to slip into that."

Was it crazy having all this talent? Did you ever go, "I must pinch myself with all these amazing actors all around"?
"Oh yeah, I still do! Even though I'm friends with these guys, I still really admire them and really admire their talent."

We know you're wearing Roland Mouret. Why did you choose that for tonight? What do you like about it?
"I'm a big fan of Roland's but I just love this dress. If you feel the material, it's really alive and it's really easy to wear. I know it's super fancy, but you could wear flats with it and just be really comfy. Like I could've worn flats tonight and been happy. It's like a painting, you know? I like the shape, too." 

There's so much right now going on with Australian fashion; do you ever follow any of your country's designers?
"Yeah, one of my buddies is Toni Matičevski, and he's designed a lot of things for me. We started off working when I would call him and say, 'Do you mind dressing me for this?' and we would hang out, and he would design something. Then, we became really close friends. So, that relationship developed even more. He designed one of my most favorite dresses ever, which was the dress that I wore to the Cannes Film Festival for Bright Star. I still own that dress. I have it; he let me keep it, and it's in a box like this big…a massive box. It just sits in and when you bring it out, it's got this whole life to it. Beautiful dress." 

Which one of your castmates would you least want to go one-on-one with? Who is the most butt-kickingest?
"Sammy Rockwell, because he's a boxer. He goes hard. We've boxed together — not in the ring. He took me to where he trains and he boxed with the trainer and then I did. So, I got to watch him for a little while, and he's a killer."