Sally Hawkins - Evening Standard (July 29th 2010)

I’m very glad that a major London newspaper has given this much space (it’s the middle spread!) for the interview as Sally really deserves as much air-time as possible, particularly for a film that narrates such a poignant tale, which – as I found out from the article – actually led to the Equal Pay Act of 1970.

Titled ‘From SE3 to USA‘, factually the interview didn’t really add much more to what we fans may have gleaned from previous interviews, but I think it was very thorough in introducing her again to the general public after her success as Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky with plenty of quotes by Sally including:

“It taps into something quite profound,” Hawkins agrees. Women’s equality is very much still a live issue, especially in the film industry where men still call the shots “You don’t realise how much you keep suppressed, because you’d be fighting every single day.“

You can read the interview online at The Evening Standard, or below:

The actress Sally Hawkins is talking about her new film, Made in Dagenham, which tells the story of the 1968 women’s strike at the Ford car works. “It was very woman-led production with a bunch of lovely, funny girls on set, just brilliant and bright. Sometimes it was difficult to calm them all down, to shout action over the hubbub and the laughter. It was like being in a big dorm.”

Although it’s not released until October, American critics are already hailing the film as the next Full Monty or Calendar Girls. According to US Elle film critic Karen Durbin: “Nigel Cole [the director] has pulled off something we seldom do well in the States, a political movie that’s touching and a lot of fun but doesn’t sugar-coat the facts.”

A strong female ensemble (Cole also directed 2003’s Calendar Girls), it features Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Rosamund Pike, and Miranda Richardson in a terrific cameo as Barbara Castle.

But it’s Hawkins, 34, as machinist Rita O’Grady, the impromptu leader of the walk-out, who is being Oscar-tipped. A shy, dyslexic woman from Blackheath, she might seem an unlikely contender for the Hollywood A-list. But the studios have been watching her since her effervescent performance as Poppy the primary teacher in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky won her a Golden Globe last year.

And now she gets to play Rita, a housewife and mother who is plucked from the shopfloor to front a huge campaign. “Sally is perfect casting,” says Christine Langan, creative director of BBC Films and Made in Dagenham’s executive producer. “She connects you to the experience of the ordinary woman in a really compelling way due to her natural intelligence and empathy.”

Shy girl: Sally Hawkins is not a fan of the limelight

When I meet Hawkins, she looks about 14, dressed in a dark embroidered skirt and fitted jacket. With her beautiful, translucent skin and deep-set hazel eyes, she’s dream casting for period drama. Only the very on-trend purple nail varnish adds colour.

She is renowned for avoiding the spotlight. Her role model is Judi Dench, who is passionate about the work but “disappears” in between roles. Previous interviewers have found her intensely nervous. But today she’s pouring all her energies into promoting the film because it’s such an important London story. “I’m so lucky, it’s a gift.”

In 1968, 187 women machine workers walked out of the Dagenham car plant when they were downgraded as “unskilled” and their demand for the same pay grading as the men in the factory was refused. Their fight captured the public imagination. Castle, who had just started as Secretary as State for Employment and Productivity, horrified her male-dominated Cabinet by agreeing to meet them.

The film came about when producer Stephen Woolley heard the R4 programme The Reunion, which brought the machinists back together after 40 years. He was struck by how innocent and unpoliticised they were. “All they wanted was a fair deal. It was common sense rather than any kind of axe to grind,” he says.

Made in Dagenham is full of warmth and humour. The fashion and music is spot on. “It just gives you the right amount of history without preaching,” says Hawkins.

True it’s a little broadbrush in places and the Americans will lap up this plucky image of the British working class. But it’s a humbling story — like many, I had no idea it was the strike that paved the way for the Equal Pay Act of 1970, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. You come out knowing we owe a huge debt to these women.

Rita is an amalgam of many of the original machinists, who Hawkins went to meet. “They’re incredible women, all still friends, and a lot of them still live in Dagenham. They weren’t looking to enter into a political world on a global scale, which they ended up doing. They were just normal average housewives catapulted into this world — saying what they needed to say, taking it so far and then going back home again.”

Hawkins had a more middle-class background. The daughter of the children’s book illustrators and writers Jacqui and Colin Hawkins, she grew up in Blackheath in an elegant “gingerbread house”, designed by 1950s architect Patrick Gwynne, and protected by the National Trust. Her parents’ studio was full of puppets, pirates ships and spooky monsters — to inspire their books. She went to James Allen’s Girls’ School in Dulwich.

But she understands vulnerability. As a child, she stammered and found it hard to look people in the eye. Later it was found she was dyslexic. Discovering acting changed everything. “Something clicked. English was always an academic subject, there was a barrier I found so hard to break. But as soon as I spoke the words I understood what they meant. This whole world of literature unlocked, which I’d been scared of. And I’m in love with it now. You can go anywhere, be anything for a couple of hours. Sorry, I’m spouting clichés at you…”, she tails off.

She was accepted by Rada, and when she graduated in 1998, Mike Leigh immediately saw her potential. She admits it would never have happened without the help of her “brilliantly organised” friend, the actress Maxine Peake, who sent out their joint CVs.

They met Leigh’s casting director Nina Gold, who took Hawkins to meet Leigh at his Soho office, where he spent an hour chatting about her hobbies, inspirations and dreams. “Memories of that first meeting will stay with me for the rest of my life.”

Later Leigh cast her against type as a fabulously sexy bitch in his film All or Nothing. “It was so liberating. Normally I’m the sweet little thing.” Then followed the role of a gangster’s moll in Layer Cake but it was her portrayal of Sue in Fingersmith, based on the Sarah Waters’s novel, that had the critics raving. The sex scenes were exquisitely done — just a flash of stomach, but many people still swear both actresses were topless. Sex is to do with the mind, she argues.
Leigh built the whole role of Poppy around her “energy, humour and profundity”. “Mike is great,” she says fondly, “because he’ll see you, but he’s not interested in who you are, he’s interested in what you can do.”

She’s worked with David Hare (on his version of The House of Bernarda Alba at the National) and Jez Butterworth (The Winterling). But you also sense an endearing silliness: she played Kenny Craig’s girlfriend in Little Britain (in one famous episode David Walliams vomited on her). She’s written sketches for R4’s Concrete Cow.

She protects her private life but volunteers that she and her good friend James Corden once made a pact to get married and have babies if they were still single at 35. At home she loves gardening and plants. “Being in nature is very important to me.”

Next we’ll see her in Never Let Me Go, an adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Most interesting of all, she is playing the Irish republican activist Bernadette Devlin in the lead role of The Roaring Girl.

A higher profile means everything she wears on the red carpet will be scrutinised. “I don’t really follow fashion. I like to be comfortable. I’m not a glamour puss.” For the Golden Globes, she wore New York designer Angel Sanchez. “I’d broken my collar bone at the time,” she laughs. “I was probably drugged up to my… no, don’t put that, it was all legal. But then I discovered this beautiful, highly gothic black dress.”

Does she despair of the obsession with looks? “I’m lucky that I’m not going to be viewed as that type. I’ve had interesting intelligent films to make and people haven’t undermined me in that way… yet. For myself I’d probably wear a bin liner, but dressing up is part of the job.”

Like Rita, Hawkins is finding her voice in public. “You think: why would anyone want to listen to me? But I have a responsibility to this film — to these women. My granny was a machinist. I want as many people to see it as possible. It’s history we can touch still, so I’ve just got to get on with it.” She praises Woolley and his co-producer wife Elizabeth Karlsen. “It’s a passion project, which is rare in a producer.”

We discuss how the most poignant moment in Made in Dagenham is when the men at the factory start to lose their jobs. Rita’s husband (Daniel Mays) begs her to call off the strike, reminding her he’s a loyal husband who has never hit her. “It’s about rights not privileges,” she tells him firmly. A shiver goes down your spine.

“It taps into something quite profound,” Hawkins agrees. Women’s equality is very much still a live issue, especially in the film industry where men still call the shots “You don’t realise how much you keep suppressed, because you’d be fighting every single day.”

And none of us want to be labelled the difficult girl? “Yes, that’s what’s so terrifying. You read about these cases in the City with claims getting to tribunals over equal pay, and you think: Oh, it’s taken so long’, because there’s this secrecy about pay in all industries. The glass ceiling is most definitely opaque. We may find it embarrassing to talk about money but until we do, things will stay the same.”

Made in Dagenham is released on October 1

The film, based on the sci-fi novel “Never Let Me Go” by Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro, does not have a set release date at present, but will feature Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield in the title roles, with the lovely Charlotte Rampling as ‘Miss Emily’.

Sadly, the IMDb entry for the film does not yet list a character name for Sally Hawkins, but going by the rather intriguing trailer, it seems she may be one of the newer(?) teachers at Hailsham school (see 0:22 – 1:06).

Given that the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel has been adapted by Alex Garland (some may recall his name from the screenplay of The Beach) and also the discussion surrounding the critically acclaimed novel itself, there’s no doubt that this film will give food for thought as well, especially with such a promising trailer.

Will you read the book before the film?  I’m not sure yet, but here are some links to reviews of the novel to help you make up your mind:

• Review by Peter Kemp (Times Online)
• Aggregated list of Reviews on Metacritic.com
• Reviews on Amazon.co.uk

Poster courtesy of Empire Online

Set in 1960s Britain and based on a true story, Sally becomes the figurehead in the fight for equal pay by a group of women working in the Ford production factory in Dagenham.

The film is directed by Nigel Cole (of Calendar Girls fame) and features a very fine cast list alongside Sally, including the likes of Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike,  and Bob Hoskins amongst others;  I can hardly wait for the release date of October 1st 2010!

So with thanks to David Sztypuljak of HeyUGuys, you can see a selection of the first available photos from the film:

And of course, don’t forget to watch the trailer (courtesy of Blockbuster UK) which features some lovely quirky music, great hairstyles and a dash of naughty words!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0LF-F1QNAw

Greed All About It

Set in 1986, the play – written by the wonderful Ian Hislop and Nick Newman – is ‘a sharp, satirical look at the Wapping dispute‘. The official BBC press release has this introductory blurb:

In the hard drinking, straight talking, misogynistic inner workings of a daily newspaper office on Fleet Street, it is the inkies in their overmanned, union protected print room who hold all the power.

Written by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, this satirical look at the lead up to the Wapping dispute in the Eighties sees journalists with their copy as just an interruption to the inkies’ daily routine of smoking endless cigarettes, playing cards and throwing the occasional sandwich into the machine – after all they are only there in case it breaks down.

Alice longs to be taken seriously as a proper journalist, and when Greg “from management” takes a shine to her and mentions that he is involved in setting up a new newspaper in a high tech office in Wapping, she senses an opportunity.

But Alice soon finds out that Greg has bent the truth a bit and this high-fangled Wapping office with its computer-powered printers and journalist-driven printworks is not for a new newspaper at all, but for the existing one. For her it is an opportunity, but for her father Ted, a senior inkie on the paper and a very active and vocal member of the printer’s union, it means something quite different.

Ted will not take this lying down. He hits on a direct plan of action – a strike, although it is soon clear that nothing, not even the force of a strong union, can stop the progress of technology.

The hour long drama is both funny and poignant, and is interspersed with classic Eighties music, such as “You Spin Me Around” playing in the background, and even iconic Eighties techie terms, notably the Sinclair C5.

Sally Hawkins plays her role of Alice to perfection, and is supported by a (mostly) delightful family: Eileen (Marion Bailey) as her Eastenders-loving ‘mum’; Ted (Ron Cook) as her straight talking union-man ‘dad’; Harry (Clive Russell) as her geeky Amstrad-loving brother who shows her how to use the new computers.

The Eighties was a time of massive change with the advent of new technology and the shift of power away from the unions, and Alice is somewhat caught between the old and the new. There is a wonderful moment in the middle of the play, where Alice immerses herself in her utopian world: where she can be a true journalist and have the liberty to write articles that matter to her that will be printed. The reality, however, is the broom cupboard and as we find out later, editorial management.

By the end of the play, it’s really quite difficult to like Alice’s slimy beau Greg (Richard Dillane) anymore, yet as the play fast-forwards to modern day Britain, Alice is surprisingly insightful as she recounts the events that followed the Wapping dispute.

I think it was definitely an hour well spent and as Greed All About It is sadly no longer available on the BBC iPlayer (it was originally broadcast on 14th May 2010), with thanks to Douglas103 for the source file, we have decided to make the mp3 available as a download below:

Download ‘Greed All About It’ (53 MB zip file)

p/s: Other credits include: Charles (Nigel Hastings), Andy (Freddie White), Graham (John Biggins), and the Reporter (Keely Beresford). The producer was Gary Brown.

Let us know if you enjoy listening to it too!

It was an excellent read, and as Sandra said to us in the email: the interview really does offer some “interesting ‘insights’ about Sally herself”, who comes across as very human, approachable and at times really quite adorable during the interview.

She values her privacy, and admires the way Judi Dench approaches the business of acting:  “passionate about what she does but just disappears when she’s finished doing it.”  and while Sally concedes that interviews are something that comes with her profession, she is – by her own admission – not very comfortable with them; a fact somewhat reinforced by John Preston’s faithful portrayal of even her minute movements.

These little gestures make her more endearing – if you were to ask us – and the style of the interview was a refreshing change to the usual staccato Q&A, because John Preston manages to discover more about Sally, the person, rather than her professional or actress persona.

For instance, we find out that she loves nature and lives in Richmond;  has dyslexia – although she is very matter of fact about it; has conscious baby memories from as early as 8 months – “I can remember being in my cot and getting a stocking for Christmas. And I remember looking at this duck and thinking, “They’re only giving me this because I’m a baby.”; she still writes comedy sketches with her old school friend, and there is even a hint of a relationship.

There are plenty more tidbits in the article, which is certainly one of our most favourite interviews to date, and you can read it by clicking on the link above. Alternatively, we have also posted it in our Articles archive under the title ‘Sally Hawkins interview‘.

Many thanks to Sandra for recommending the article, and hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did. Do let us know!

p/s: A wonderful surprise was that Sally-Hawkins.com actually got a mention!

Rhys Darby

According to Flicks.co.nz, this ‘charming, bitter-sweet romcom’  is about Doug (Darby), whose life falls apart when his long term girlfriend (Faye Smythe) decides to call it a day. He ends up having to look after an injured Shelduck, which leads him to meet Holly (Sally) the ’sassy animal specialist’ who teaches Doug how to nurse ‘Pierre’ back to health.

Love Birds will be directed by Paul Murphy and the international cast includes ‘Bryan Brown (Dean Spanley, Australia) as the vet Dr Buster; Emily Barclay (In My Father’s Den) as Holly’s best friend Brenda, Craig Hall (World’s Fastest India, Outrageous Fortune) and David Fane (Sione’s Wedding, Eagle vs Shark) as Doug’s work-mates.’

Sadly there is no IMDb entry yet for the film, but 3 News mentions that the film will be released by Icon Film Distribution (the company behind the Oscar-winning Precious) in 2011.

The BBC finally confirmed the final cast list in their press release on March 19th.

This 2011 BBC collaboration with Focus Films will be directed by Cary Fukunaga of Sin Nombre fame with the screenplay by Moira Buffini, and the lead role will be played by the young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska (fresh from her title role in Alice in Wonderland) and Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) will feature as Edward Rochester.

The supporting cast will include Judi Dench as Mrs Fairfax and Jamie Bell as St John.

Our favourite Sally Hawkins will starr as Mrs. Reed, a role previously played by Tara Fitzgerald in the 2006 BBC TV adaptation, and it will be very interesting to see Sally take on what is essentially the part of the villain in the book – as a cruel aunt to the heroine Jane Eyre – a bitter character in absolute contrast to e.g. Poppy in Happy-Go-Lucky.

In the latter half of the book, Sarah Reed suffers from a stroke and as Jane attempts a reconciliation with her aunt, there is potential for a lot more screentime for Sally.

Hopefully more news will be available soon, and you can keep up-to-date with the latest news via the IMDb entry for Jane Eyre. Alternatively, feel free to check back here or subscribe to our news feed!

Updated 01/04/2010: With thanks to mka and Malinda for correcting my errors!

Despite it being very short,  Coe -  standing in for Shaun Keaveny – still managed to get Sally to talk about the film, curry, whether she’ll be staying up for the Oscars and the silver bear.

You can listen to the interview by visiting the link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00r3tf4#p006s00z

Alternatively, listen to the clip below:

And as always, you can read the transcript after the cut-off by clicking on “continue reading…” below! Please do let us know if there are any errors that we should correct.

Sally Hawkins on “BBC Radio 6 Breakfast”: Transcript (Up With The Hawk)

GC: “And joining me now is actress Sally Hawkins, whose films include Mike Leigh’s ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’, the Oscar nominated ‘An Education‘ and the soon to be released ‘It’s a Wonderful Afterlife‘. How are you?”

SH: “I’m very good, I’m very good. How are you?”

GC: “Did you enjoy ‘Joy Division Oven Gloves‘ by Half Man Half Biscuit?”

SH: “I thought it was fantastic, I was umm… headbanging away.”

GC: “Glad to hear it, shall we start with ‘It’s a Wonderful Afterlife’?”

SH: “Yup.”

GC: “The director, Gurinder Chadha, references another of her films in calling it ‘Bend it Like Beckham on acid‘.”

SH: *laughs* “Did she?”

GC: “She…”

SH: *laughs* “Well yeah, that’s another take on it. It’s quite mad, I think it’s umm… I think it’s brilliant actually.

I think she’s kind of a tour de force, and umm… it’s kind of out there. Yeah, I’ll be interested to see what people think.”

GC: “Tell us about the role you play in it.”

SH: “I play quite a special role, you could say that she’s umm… she’s slightly uhh… well, she’s captain(?), my character Linda has just returned from India and sort of been spiritually awakened, and therefore able to tap into umm… uhh… the paranormal world, I suppose.

There’s lots of things going on, and umm… yeah, it sort of escalates and ends up in a Carrie-esque curry moment, at the end.”

GC: “It does reference all sorts of other movies from Frank Capra in the title to Se7en early on, various zombie movies, and…”

SH: “Yes.”

GC: “… and as you’ve mentioned, Carrie towards the end.”

SH: “Yeah, which was… brilliant. And yeah, just involved a lot of curry… real curry, as well.  Umm…”

GC: “Real curry was used in the making of this movie, is that what you’re saying?”

SH: *laughs* “Yes. By the end, we stank… alot. We were sort of swimming round in… a foot of curry, which is not so nice. But umm… yeah, good fun, good fun.”

GC: “You stank deliciously is what you wanted to say there.”

SH: “Yeah, yeah *laughs* I stank of curry for weeks actually.”

GC: “Are you going to be watching the Oscars on Sunday night, Monday morning? “An Education” in which you are (in) is up for 3 as I understand.”

SH: “I’m very glad to hear it as well. Umm… if I can stay up, yeah, I will be. I think it’s quite an event.

And you have to support Carey Mulligan, and umm… it will be interesting to sort of see the fashion there, and umm… have a laugh… or not. *laughs*

But no, you know, I think Carey has done incredibly well, and I’m so proud of her really.

And Lone Scherfig, I mean it’s wonderful for her. So just proud to be in it, even if it’s 5 seconds worth.”

GC: “You’ve picked up awards of course for umm… your role in Mike Leigh’s “Happy Go Lucky”. I was watching the acceptance speech you gave at the Berlin Film Festival, which started brilliantly with you saying – do you know what you said first of all? You said…”

SH: “Oh god…”

GC: “You said ‘Blimey, O’Riley‘.”

SH: “Did I?”

GC: “Yes, you did.”

SH: “Did I?” *laughs*

GC: “Yes, it was a good way to start an acceptance speech.”

SH: *laughs* “Mike Leigh will be proud.”

GC: *chuckles*

SH: “Well…yeah, it feels an age away, and yet it’s probably not that long ago really.  It sort of – that all happened…you know that’s when it all began and it was kind of a really special night and moment, and umm… yeah, I’m looking at the bear now.”

GC: “I was going to say, where do you keep the silver bear? Where is it?”

SH: “He’s just umm… I haven’t really got a mantel piece, I’ve got sort of a – he’s just on a sort of shelf, which is… I’ve just polished him up – he’s sparkling away and he’s gorgeous.”

GC: “Glad to hear it… and he’s smiling down on you. Listen Sally, thanks a million for joining us this morning.”

SH: “Oooh… not at all. Thanks for having me.”

GC: “And ‘It’s a Wonderful Afterlife‘ is out on the 23rd of April, and if you stay up, fingers crossed for Sunday night, Monday morning.”

SH: “Thank you, thank you.”

As tommo has so beautifully put it, we (the Sally Hawkins fans) are being terribly spoilt at the moment with the deluge of multimedia of interviews featuring Sally Hawkins! More news to come on that, but in the meantime, here’s yet another interview with a different flavour to those from before!

Sally Hawkins won the best actress award at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival for her performance as Poppy in Mike Leigh’s latest film ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’. She talks about her starring role as the chirpy upbeat London primary school teacher who refuses to put a negative spin on life, and why as an actor she is drawn to working with Mike Leigh.

The interview with Jenni Murray, chair of the weekday BBC Radio4 programme Woman’s Hour, had a more serious tone to it, where JM and SH analysed, in particular, Poppy’s character in the film. Having listened to the more light-hearted interviews where SH laughs quite a bit, this interview had a more ‘grounded’ feeling.

This is not to say there weren’t some humorous moments during the interview, because there were (and I laughed with them ) but I found this interview particularly enjoyable, as they really dissect some of the scenes from the film in a lot more detail. This maybe because they have a longer time for the interview than before (9 minutes) but another plus point is that: one can never underestimate how great it is to listen to two very soothing voices on the radio!

You can catch it the entire interview on the BBC Realplayer by visiting the link below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2008_16_wed.shtml

Alternatively, press ‘play’ below to listen to the mp3 version of the same interview. Let us know if you like it as well!

As usual we have included the transcript of the interview below the ‘cut’, so feel feel to click on ‘continue reading…’ to read the interview in full. There are a few words I didn’t quite catch, so if you happen to know what they were, please please let us know!

Sally Hawkins on “Woman’s Hour”: Transcript

JM: “Now, Mike Leigh’s latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky centres on a 30-year old primary school teacher called ‘Poppy’. When her bike is stolen, she shrugs it off with a ‘I never got to say goodbye’.

She’s kind to a bullied boy in her class, and to a down-and-out she meets on her way home.

She has a solid friendship with her flatmate, and even manages to tolerate the most miserable and inept
driving instructor imaginable.”

—Audio clip from the film—

JM: “Eddie Marsan as Scott, and Sally Hawkins as the irrepressibly cheerful Poppy.
Sally, how do you go about working with Mike Leigh. How does it all start?”

SH: “Rehearsal process, which is a luxury for any actor. You have, for this film, we had almost 6 months rehearsal period. And it’s uh, very complex. Experience where you’re building up these layers, and you’re taking inspiration from everything in the whole world, and people you meet, and or you spot in the street.”

JM: “So what do he tell you. Right at the start, what does he say : ‘Now, Sally, you’re going to play this character called ‘Polly’. What do you know about her?”

SH: “Well, I didn’t know anything. I didn’t now what she was called . You don’t have a script, you don’t have anything. The character’s name comes right at the end of the rehearsals in a way, once you know the essence of the character you’re dealing with.

All that I knew was that I was going to be involved. I didn’t know in what capacity, whether I’d end up in it.
You don’t with a Mike Leigh film. It’s based on trust really, and that’s what’s so exciting.”

JM: “But what does he tell you about the finished product. It’s a very unusual film, where nothing too horrible happens, and it is Happy-Go-Lucky. What did he say was behind his thinking on that?”

SH: “Well, umm… it’s strange thinking about it now. We didn’t really talk about the film as a concept, or what he wants to achieve as such. It was more put to me ‘do you want to do it, and would you be interested’, and of course, if Mike Leigh asks you to be in a film, you don’t turn it down.

So it was more, umm… the way he works is very organic. And you see what happens.

I know it sounds like an incredibly vague way of describing it, but it’s not structured as such – it’s not so black and white.

And Mike talking about this film: it came to him as a feeling. And similarly with Poppy, Poppy was a feeling. And that’s the only way I can describe it. I know Mike sort of approaches films in different ways,
and every film that he directs is different, of course.

But Poppy was a feeling, and I know he was interested in capturing that feeling. It was about capturing something very positive. I mean, for me, this film was about love. But it was only when I saw the end result, and in this position now, now I can be objective about it, I can see what it is about. But he never at any point said ‘this is the film I want to make’, ‘these are the ideas I want to put in it’, it’s just more following a lead. And he follows where he wants to go, and I’m sort of trottering along behind.”

JM: “Some of the funniest and also the most threatening scenes are the ones in the car, having the driving lessons. How did you, and Eddie who plays this dreadful driving instructor, *laughs* How did you develop that relationship?”

SH: “Oh. Oh god. Eddie Marsan is just amazing. I’ve wanted to work with him for ages, so I was very lucky in that way. He is a phenomenal actor. And when you’re working with an actor like that, it sort of raises your game. It’s like working with Mike; you just have to step up to the mark.

He’s incredibly intelligent, he’s very funny, and he’s a brilliant actor. So I was very excited to work with him, but you have hours of improvisation.”

JM: “So you sit in the car…”

SH: “Yeah, we sat…”

JM: “…and you drive around, where’s Mike Leigh then? Is he in the back of the car.”

SH: *laughs* “He’s in the back, he’s in the boot. No *laughs* He’s sitting in the back. At some points lying down so we wouldn’t spot him in the mirror, and that wouldn’t jarr as out of our character.It was days, weeks of improvisation with Mike with a very sore coccyx in the back, with either me or Eddie drivin around like lunatics.”

JM: “There are times when he is very very threatening and scary in the part he plays. He’s racist, he’s frightening, acually.”

SH: “Poppy isn’t.”

JM: “Absolutely. There’s also one scene where she’s very kind to a down-and-out, and the audience is sitting there thinking “You idiot!, you pot of careless, something horrible is going to happen to you.”

And it is as if a lot of anger is directed at you, playing Poppy. What’s that like for you as an actor in an on-going way, if Mike makes you do it over and over.”

SH: “Well I never… that’s an interesting point, well I never at any point felt it was directed at me. I’m playing a part, and in a way, you almost have that… you’re stepping into someone’s shoes, so you have that shell. I’m stepping in to Poppy’s skin as it were.

But then being in Poppy’s head, I never thought there was a lot of anger in a way. She has this extraordinary ability and view of life, and vision of the world. So I suppose objectively now, you can see that there was a lot of anger directed at her. But I never felt, and Poppy certainly never felt victim of that. She’s got an amazing ability to cope with life and people, whatever is thrown at her.”

JM: “She has a very close relationship with her flatmate. I did worry I have to say, about what was going to happen to Zoe the flatmate, when Poppy goes off with the nice social worker boyfriend.”

SH: *laughs* “Riiight..” *laughs*

JM: “She’s just left on her own.”

SH: “No no, absolutely not. No, I mean, to me, but to Poppy, there’s nothing more important than friends and friendship. And they have an incredibly close bond, that’s been around for years.

They met at college doing a teacher-training course together, and we went through the months of
rehearsal. You plot that, you plot all that relationship in an incredibly detailed way.

So umm.., oh no… god no. There’s nothing more important. Poppy, you know, she’s been in a relationship
as has Zoe in the past, and they have never threatened their relationship. And I think that’s very important.
For me as well, there’s nothing more important than female relationships.”

JM: “Do you think you would have found Poppy a little bit irritating if you’d known her?”

SH: “No no.” *laughs* “I love Poppy. If I found her irritating, I wouldn’t be able to play her. In any way, I think she’s extraordinary, and I think those kind of people I’m attracted to, those people who have that positive drive through life. I think in a way they’ve got life sussed. I think she’s highly intelligent. She’s umm… very grounded, practical, compassionate, sensitive…”

JM: “And happy!”

SH: “… and happy! And umm… that’s the best way to go about life. Why wallow in self-pity and negativity?
I don’t see that as an intelligent choice, and it is her choice. She’s chosen to be happy.”

~ Transcribed by Milo (27/04/2008)
With thanks to Tommo for corrections to the transcript.

The interview took place just after Sally Hawkins had won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress, and although it is quite short (about 6~7 minutes), they manage to cover a lot more than just Sally Hawkins‘ role as Poppy and the filming of Happy-Go-Lucky; including her ‘big break’ through Mike Leigh, as well as her other roles in Little Britain and the other TV adaptations, especially Fingersmith, where both NR and SH become quite indignant about the media uproar at the time.

The show is available as a podcast, so you can either listen to it online (on the website or clicking on the ‘play’ button below) or download it for your own mp3 player [23.4MB]. The interview takes place between 10:50~17:20 if you want to skip straight to the ‘important’ part!

p/s: If you would prefer to read the transcript, click on ‘Read more…’

Sally Hawkins on ‘The Kiosk’: Transcript

A few weeks back, I caught up with the British actress “Sally Hawkins” who was over in Dublin to promote her new film “Happy-Go-Lucky” directed by the inimitable Mike Leigh. Hawkins has worked with MIke Leigh before- she starred in his 2004 film “Vera Drake” – and she’s also pretty well known to audiences for her performances in BBC’s Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, the adaptations of the Sarah Waters’ novels.

In “Happy-Go-Lucky” Sally Hawkins plays ‘Poppy’, a free-spirited London teacher who is adventuring her way through life. To be honest, there’s really not much to this film in terms of story line, it is very simply focused on Poppy. But the good news is, Hawkins is simply just amazing in the role. And when I caught up with her, she had just won the very prestigious Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and she was still trying to take in the success of the film.

Here’s how the interview went:

NR: “First off, congratulations on the film, and congratulations to you on winning the Silver Bear,
which is absolutely amazing. A hugely prestigious award to come away with, and it’s really very early in your career.”

SH: “Thank you. It’s really lovely. And as you say, it’s incredibly prestigious, and I haven’t really taken it in. For Mike as well, more than anything. I know that sounds cheesy, but really for the film, I’m so pleased.”

NR: “And can you tell me actually, “Happy-Go-Lucky” tells the story of ‘Poppy’, who is this primary school teacher who wears the most amazing, flamboyant clothes…”

SH: “Aww… I’m glad you said amazing.”

NR: ‘…and who runs around the place and really is quite eccentric, but also has a very interesting intelligence at play. Can you tell me what it was like both for you to take on the role, and what the process of filming her was like? She’s a very individual character.”

SH: “She is. She’s a great character. It was beautiful to play Poppy actually, the whole experience, because she’s full of energy. I couldn’t be down or tired, stepping into her shoes. I soon forgot how tired I might have been, because she’s full of bounce.”

NR: “With Mike Leigh, did you feel like you’d worked with him before. And to a certain extent, he’d actually helped break you as an actress, and I think in 2002, you were a nothing.”

SH: “Yes, that’s right. I was a nothing.”

NR: “Was it something that when you go back to work with him again, that in a sense…”

SH: “You have a sure hand.”

NR: “You have a sure hand and your experience serves sort-of deep, and your understanding of where he wants to go.

SH: Totally, I think that’s probably why Mike builds up such a great family of fantastic actors together. Because you spend so much time together, if you have such a very intensive rehearsal period; five nearly 6 months on this film. He wants to be able to get on with his actors and the people that he employs. His actors always have their priorities the right way round. They’re not interested in…”

NR: “Starry”

SH: “No, or being… because it’s about acting.”

NR: “I couldn’t see Tom Cruise in one of his films.”

SH: “No, no neither could I.”

NR: “Although it would be hilarious.”

SH: “I would actually, I would love… I mean I would always pay to see a Mike Leigh film,
but I’d pay over the odds I think.”

NR: “Just to talk a bit about some of your other roles: People know you from so many different things. There’s the Andrew Davies adaptation; Tipping the Velvet, and also Little Britain. I haven’t seen this one, but apparently you were repeatedly dowsed in projectiles.”

SH: “Oh just once, that happened once.”

NR: “Because that’s a big…”

SH: “Oh yes, no no. That just happened once.”

NR: “What was it like to work with David Walliams and Matt Lucas?”

SH: “Brilliant. Initially I was Kenny Craig’s girlfriend, who’s the hypnotist. I had admired their work before I’d got offered the job from Rock Profiles, and hearing about them, on the comedy scene. And they’re really quite special people. I mean they’re both incredibly bright, and they have that love of life as well.”

NR: “And they love projectile bombs.”

SH: “They love… especially David Walliams, yeah. *laughs* that wasn’t fun to do, but it only happened once, but I wouldn’t do it again.”

NR: “I suppose from your perspective as well, ‘Tipping the Velvet’, like that would have been something that came for you, I think it was just 4 years after you graduated from drama school, you actually landed the role.”

SH: “And there was Fingersmith.”

NR: “Fingersmith, yes. And for both those roles, we would always read in the papers about how some actors would say that it was always difficult to take on a gay role, because it might pigeon-hole you in a certain thing. And I was wondering that for you, pretty much fresh from drama school, and thinking about approaching this role, and Sarah Waters is such a wonderful author.”

SH: “She’s amazing.”

NR: “Wouldn’t you want to work with her, wouldn’t you want to do this adaptation. But did you have any thoughts ‘could this be the wrong route for me?’”

SH: “No, absolutely not. I think umm… I never view it like that. And it’s fantastic, Sarah Waters, as you say, you know, it’s a real honour.”

NR: “She’s a fantastic writer.”

SH: “She’s a fantastic writer.”

NR: “There was such a commotion about it though in the British Press.”

SH: “I know. And you just think: ‘it’s so silly… it’s so silly’.”

NR: “And so much hand-wringing going on.”

SH: “To turn down a role, because of that, would be so wrong. I could, I would never do that. I could never view a character, and put her in a box so… ’she’s a lesbian’, and that’s the box she’s in. It’s almost something that she just happens to be, but you don’t really… It’s not a big focus.”

NR: “But actually, because we don’t have too much time left.”

SH: “No, uh… sorry.”

NR: “To come back to “Happy-Go-Lucky”. And I suppose I was wondering if you are actually much like your character, Poppy.”

SH: “I think there is a definite similarity. Her optimism and the way she views life. But she has this extraordinary ability to not give herself a hard time about thing, and not worry about things, and not carry that worry with you. She’s able to let things go.”

NR: “Sally Hawkins, thanks a million for joining us.”

SH: “Thank you. Lovely to meet you”

~ Transcribed by Milo (21/04/2008)