Interview: Sophy Grimshaw
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH MAY BE FAMILIAR TO SOME FROM HER STARRING ROLE IN PARTY ANIMALS, BBC2’S HIT DRAMA ABOUT YOUNG WESTMINSTER WORKERS. NOW, SHE’S PLAYING THE IRON LADY HERSELF IN THE NEW, HOTLY ANTICIPATED BBC FILM ABOUT THE YOUNG MARGARET THATCHER, THE LONG WALK TO FINCHLEY
We keep seeing you playing political parts
– is this by accident or design?
I’ve had a political run recently which I never
anticipated! Politics isn’t a passion of mine, but
you learn a lot when you’re preparing for these
roles. In The Long Walk to Finchley, I play Thatcher
from the ages of 22-34, so I researched everything
she would have known about. She did her
homework thoroughly, so that was quite a task.
How did you approach imitating her?
To create a realistic picture of what she would
have been like in her youth, I wanted to forget
what we know of Thatcher now and build her up
gradually from a blank canvas. The characterisation
becomes more and more vivid during the
film until you can definitely see that it’s her.
How did you become an actor?
I used to read Shakespeare when I was a kid –
I was a bit of an odd kid, I just loved it! And I
used to hang out in the wings of a theatre – the
People’s Theatre in Newcastle – until eventually
they gave me a part and soon I was doing eight
plays a year. Later on, I went to RADA.
What advice would you offer aspiring actors?
Never be scared of doing something just because
it’s hard. It’s difficult to take the criticism and
knock-backs when you care about something so
much, but if anything matters to you enough for
the right reasons, then it’s going to be hard.
Every day is a challenge and you never stop
learning – what a brilliant job!
You play a ghost in the new BBC3 comedy
Being Human. What’s that like?
It just happens to be a ghost, a werewolf and a
vampire in a flat-share. I play a ghost called Annie
and the werewolf is played by Russell Tovey, who
was in The History Boys. Toby Whithouse, who
wrote it, often writes with Martin Freeman from
The Office, so it’s that kind of funny style.
The Long Walk To Finchley (BBC4) and Being Human (BBC3) will both be screened this month.
NORTHERN LIGHT: ANDREA’S CV
Andrea Riseborough, born in 1981, joined
the National Youth Theatre as a child and
acted regularly at Newcastle’s People’s
Theatre. After graduating from RADA she
appeared in a number of political TV
dramas, including A Very Social Secretary,
about former Home Secretary David
Blunkett, and the acclaimed BBC2 drama
Party Animals, about bright young things
working in the UK Parliament. Her film
credits include Venus with Peter O’Toole.
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