BBC Interview – Sally Hawkins on her new film Made in Dagenham
This is a fairly old video clip from 21st September 2010 featuring Sally Hawkins on the BBC Breakfast programme being interviewed by Sian Williams, where she talks about Made in Dagenham.
You can click on the picture above to watch the clip (with lots of focus on the lovely Sally in the time of 2:42) but we have also transcribed the interview, which you can find below:
Sally: Most of the men, in principle, supported the women and supported their fight and their plight, until the dinner wasn’t on the table, because the women were at the pickets all week. Umm… and like you see in the film, again with the case of Eddie and Rita, the shirts weren’t being ironed or washed, and until it had an effect on them personally, um… but in principle, the men – most of the men were behind the women, and you see them coming together in the end.
Sian: Rita was’t a real character, but she’s an amalgram really.
Sally: Yes, that’s right.
Sian: You spoke to some of the women behind that strike…
Sally: I did, I did.
Sian: … and what did they say to you?
Sally: They were quite good about it. It was just something I wanted to do for me really. Just thought it was quite important if I was going to be representing these women and speaking with their voice; I wanted to meet a few of them and umm… I met three of them who were gracious enough and most generous enough to have a cup of tea with me in Dagenham.
And they still live in Dagenham and um… still have their lives there, and what struck me about these women, which is what comes off from the transcripts I read, and also from them themselves, and hopefully what we’ve captured in the film was how down to earth they were, very passionate – still incredibly passionate – and so funny, as well. And they’re all friends and they all look out for each other, and they’re all just very normal working women – a lot of them retired now, grandmas and mums.
Sian: Are they aware of the impact they have had on Equal Pay legislation, not just in this country actually, but throughout the world, because then other countries took it up.
Sally: I think they are actually – they’re pretty smart cookies. *laughs* I think they knew what they were doing, I mean they didn’t…the result- incredible result - and what it sort of … was instrumental in setting about. And god knows where we’d be today without people like this.
What I love about them is you have these incredible women behind the scenes, making history, and there are so many people we’re not aware of actually, doing their bit, and that’s what you hope is inspirational about the film.
It was – when I read the script – it sort of makes you think ‘Well, actually, we’ve all got a responsibility to speak up for what we believe to be right’, and you hope that it inspires a new generation of both men and women alike, really.
