Abbie Cornish was surprised as anyone with what’s in the behind-the-scenes footage on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Jan. 26 DVD release of Bright Star, the well-received tale about the love affair between 19th century English poet John Keats and his neighbor Fanny Brawne.

The Australian-born actress, who was generating Oscar-buzz for her performance as Brawne, prior to Feb. 2 when she was left out of the nominations, still hasn’t had a chance to see the special features on the DVD.

“When I’m working, I don’t worry about that behind-the-scenes camera,” she said. “The behind-the-scenes camera is behind the scenes, so I wasn’t sure what they put on there. It’s not where my head is at when I’m making a film.”

The bonuses have a few featurettes with writer-director Jane Campion (The Piano) talking about what went into the film, and a deleted scene.

Cornish said her role as Brawne had been “brewing for a while,” as the shoot date was pushed back several times. She said she spent several weeks researching Keats, but had to develop the role of Brawne on her own.

“There’s not much historically about her. I knew the name John Keats before I read the script, but I didn’t know anything about her,” she said. “[The script] swept me off my feet. The poetry in the film was just beautiful.”

As for working with Campion, Cornish said the Academy Award-winner was “compassionate, sensitive and made you feel comfortable.”

“But you also worked really hard. She made you give more than 100%,” Cornish said.

Sadly, Bright Star didn’t get a Blu-ray Disc release, though Cornish is hoping Sony will revisit that in the future. She said she especially enjoys older films in high-def, of which actor and boyfriend Ryan Philippe apparently has a large collection.

“When you watch an older film in high-def, you can’t believe the quality,” she said. “It’s like watching it for the very first time.”

Source: Home Media Magazine