Jane Horrocks: ‘I did a gap year – in my 50s!’
Jane Horrocks, star of epic new ITV drama, TheSingaporeGrip, talks about how she coped in lockdown, adventures in Asia, and a pair of very sore feet…
Famed for roles such as the zany Bubble in AbsolutelyFabulous, musical film Little Voice and a 10-year run in the Tesco ads (‘every little helps!’), Jane Horrocks is one of Britain’s best-known actresses. And now, the Lancashire star, 56 – who with her partner, screenwriter Nick Vivian, has grown-up children, Molly, 21, and Dylan, 23 – takes on the role of pushy, colonial mother Sylvia Blackett, part of a family running a trading company in ITV’s sumptuous World War II period drama, TheSingaporeGrip. Chronicling the fall of the British Empire in South East Asia, and also starring David Morrissey and Colm Meaney, it tackles the imperialism and racism of the time – personified by Sylvia and her family. Here, Jane talks about filming in Asia, her next project and more…
Jane, how have you been over the past few months?
I feel... a bit like the Blacketts, in The Singapore Grip, in that I’ve been living in a bit of a bubble, getting on quietly with things at home and enjoying life in a much more simplistic way. It’s been quite pleasant, actually. I’ve enjoyed slowing down and not really doing much! Apart from enjoying nature, being outside.
What first drew you to The Singapore Grip?
I’ve never played a colonial mother on TV before, and I don’t think I’m the obvious choice! It’s beautifully written and it had money behind it – so you knew it was going to look epic and wonderful and reflective of that period – a classic piece of television.
The Blackett family come across as rather horrendous..
It’s always good to present people as close to their reality as possible, rather than softening the edges, and our family in this show is quite oblivious to what’s going on in the outside world – and I think that’s what we did. The
characters are in this bubble, and they’re non-apologetic.
Were there elements of your character that you tapped into as a mum yourself?
I didn’t really tap into any aspect of Sylvia. I suppose she’s a bit of a control freak – and I can relate! But as far as trying to pair your daughter off with the most suitable man in Singapore, no, I couldn’t relate to her at all! She’s a bit Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. She’s old-fashioned and wants a daughter that will toe the line and marry into money. I know women like that, but it’s not how I would ever have parented my children, even back then! That’s what I love about acting – playing people so wildly different to me.
Filming so far from home, did you miss family?
I was there for seven weeks, and it did feel like a long time – I struggled with being in Kuala Lumpur, I just didn’t warm to it as a city, so I did feel quite lonely at times. Not in Penang, which had a much more artsy vibe. I think those kinds of jobs are much more exciting when you’re younger, when you don’t have a family and there’s no massive ‘pull’ from home. I’m sure if I’d been in my 20s, I wouldn’t have been so homesick. But I still had a ball!
Did you get any sightseeing in?
Oh, I had lots of free time!
I got to do my gap year basically, at a very late age! I went to Vietnam, Cambodia and Borneo. It was absolutely brilliant. I was really glad that I could go and visit these incredible places my kids’ friends had talked about. My two never did a gap year, but a lot of their mates did, so it was great to experience places I’d heard about, first-hand.
Was this a solo adventure?
No, I went with Luke Newberry, who’s my son in the show, and Nicholas Agnew, who plays Nigel Langfield, I basically bludgeoned them into coming with me! I nagged them on a daily basis, so they were ground to submission in the end: ‘OK, anything to shut you up Jane!’ And they loved it – we had a brilliant time!
The arts industry is having a tough time – how do you feel about the future?
It’s an interesting one, because TV productions can’t get insurance – that’s the biggie. I’m starting a new acting job in September and if somebody was to get Covid on set, I imagine the whole thing would shut down. You’d have to resume at a later date, whenever that might be. There are no guarantees that a show will get finished. It’s a real challenge to think, can we get through this – and all stay well? It’s a suck-it-andsee situation for film and TV. Everybody’s learning, but we’re all in the same boat.
Your next role is the Sky comedy, Bloods, where you play a paramedic. Did you learn anything medical to look the part?
Er, no – I don’t think there are many serious paramedic duties that these characters carry out. None of them seem particularly good at their jobs! It’s most definitely a comedy – it’s not Casualty or Holby City. It’s very, very silly, and a lot of fun.