Sally Hawkins on ‘The Kiosk’: Interview with Nadine O’Regan, March 29th 2008
Are you tired of interview news yet? I really hope not, because here’s another one for you to savour! The news comes courtesy of dana_7385 from the Sally Hawkins Domain, and this time, Sally Hawkins talked to Nadine O’Regan from the The Kiosk, a Saturday programme from the Dublin-based radio station Phantom 105.2.
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! 
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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)
