Rooney Mara: 'I hate censoring myself'

Actress Rooney Mara is frustrated she can't be 100 per cent honest in interviews.

The 30-year-old is garnering huge critical acclaim for her work on the movie Carol, alongside Cate Blanchett, but despite her ever increasing profile, Rooney is still reluctant to be herself in interviews, and often comes across as shy and guarded.

"People don't really want me to be honest," she explained to Elle. "People want me, people want girls, to be grateful, gracious, poised. Not real. I watch interviews from the 1970s, of Patti Smith or John Cassavetes, and everyone's smoking, drinking, totally misbehaving, but they're being completely authentic, and I'm so jealous because that would never happen today.

"There's always a pre-interview, so you know what jokes you have to hit, and there's nothing genuine about it. And I hate that. I hate being a phoney. I hate having to censor myself."

As much as Rooney would like to be completely authentic and real during chats with journalists or on social media, she has come to realize openness comes with a price.

"Not that I tweet, but if you tweet the wrong thing, you have, like, four different organizations on your a**, asking for an apology," she continued "Artists are deeply sensitive, vulnerable people, and when you are super candid and then you get ripped apart for it, you're not going to want to do it again."

However, Rooney wasn't afraid to admit her excitement at receiving Golden Globe and Screen Actor's Guild Award's nominations for her part in Carol. The star also won the Best Actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival but she insists she won't let all the success go to her head.

"Getting nominated means something," she said. "You will get better parts, and I really do want people to see the film. But I don't feel like it's something I'm desperate for. I would forgo it all to keep my integrity."