Farmiga on directing with a bump

27 June 2011

Vera Farmiga has confessed juggling motherhood, pregnancy and her directorial debut proved a "crazy" challenge.

The Oscar-nominated actress, who starred opposite George Clooney in Up In The Air, moved behind the camera for new film Higher Ground, which screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

And the 37-year-old, who was five months pregnant with daughter Gytta by the time filming finished, admitted the process was exhausting.

"It got crazy," she said. "It all sort of bubbled to the surface late at night, in the two hours sleep I had before I had to wake up again, I'd just be sniffing my toddler's neck from not seeing him all day."

The actress plays the lead role in the film, with her younger sister Taissa taking up the challenge of playing her character as a teenager.

"I had the choice of actors, I had an extremely talented cast and I had fun every minute on set," Vera said.

But the rigours of directing, starring and her pregnancy took a toll.

She explained: "When you're pregnant unfortunately you need to sleep so I think that was a frustration, otherwise it was a blast."