Emily (Mortimer), Michael and Me

Thank you, Michael Schulman, for including Fleur Elise in your wonderful Talk of the Town piece about Emily Mortimer and her new series, The Pursuit of Love.

One of the highlights of my Spring (dare I say my year?) was leading a floral design class with actor, writer and director Emily Mortimer and The New Yorker writer Michael Schulman. I didn’t know Emily’s work. A publicist had called 2 days before the workshop (it is good to work for oneself and have flexibility AND have a backyard in BROOKLYN!) so I didn’t have time to watch the many series and films she has starred in. I started the book The Pursuit of Love, which she has turned into a series, but didn’t get far into it in a day. Honestly, I was far more nervous about Michael coming to my class than Emily’s participation. To me, she was simply a local celebrity.

Emily is lovely. We talked about her kids, schools in Brooklyn, the usual mom stuff. Michael is funny and serious at the same time. I suggested that making a flower arrangement is about creating a drama and the container is the stage. It was very satisfying for me to be able to share that analogy with students who deeply understood what that means.

Emily and Michael made entirely different arrangements. His was quite architectural. Emily chose one of my favorite containers - an old Tunisian water pitcher I found at a Maine Flea Market! Her design was very full and textured. A bit like an English garden. My most memorable moment when we were discussing one of the oddest flowers in the bunch, which I had sourced at the 28th Street Flower Market. It was a pink celosia. I usually call it the brain. Not an especially kind depiction but with all its folds, that’s what it looks that way to me. My view changed entirely when Emily said, “it’s like a petticoat.” And I am ever grateful for her Instagram post “Do yourself a favor - arrange some flowers with Elise in her backyard.”

After watching The Newsroom in its entirety, I realized I had been in the presence of a truly great actor. And I was relieved that I hadn’t known that when we started. I’d have been REALLY nervous. I’m now an Emily Mortimer fan and encourage you to watch her series THE PURSUIT OF LOVE, now streaming on Amazon Prime.