‘THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND & HAVE A GO’
Brenda Blethyn on marriage and 10 series of Vera
Since 2011, Brenda Blethyn has donned her trademark hat and raincoat, delighting millions of viewers as ITV’S Vera. As series 10 hits our screens, she talks to Ella Dove about being a risk taker and the joy of getting married after a 35-year engagement
Brenda Blethyn has an OBE, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, and for the past nine years, she has played the beloved title role in ITV’S Vera. She’s now aged 73, and her career continues to thrive. As it turns out, there’s no grand plan. Far from it. In fact, Brenda’s success came as a something of a surprise. ‘In the days before mobile phones, I was on the way to meet my mum and was stopped by a group of students who had seen a play I was in at the National Theatre,’ she recounts. ‘I was full of apologies for being late, telling my mum how they’d wanted my autograph. She just looked at me and said: “Oh, isn’t that lovely. Who did they think you were?”’ Brenda lets out a loud cackle. ‘But I think you should always ask yourself that: “Who do you think you are?’’’
It’s clear she knows exactly who she is. Warm, funny and just the right side of irreverent, she has her feet firmly on the ground. She knows how to laugh at herself: one of her most endearing qualities. ‘I certainly do have a sense of humour,’ she confirms, treating me to yet another infectious burst of laughter.
She doesn’t take her success for granted. ‘As with anything in life, you have to work for it,’ she says. ‘I’ve never sought stardom. I just seek to enjoy the work I do. Fame is something that comes with that; it shouldn’t come beforehand.’
Growing up, acting never entered Brenda’s head. ‘I didn’t even think of it as a profession,’ she says. The youngest of nine from a working-class family in Ramsgate, Kent, she did odd jobs from the age of 14, eventually becoming a secretary for British Rail while her then-husband, Alan, was studying.
The company’s amateur dramatics society was entering a competition, and one of the actors was ill. ‘They asked if I could play the part,’ she recalls. ‘I said, “Don’t be ridiculous!” But they were so desperate, I agreed. We didn’t win, but I loved the camaraderie, so I joined the group. And, as with a lot of things, the more you do it, the better you get.’
Get better she did. Aged 27, she auditioned and got into the Guildford School of Acting. ‘I didn’t tell my parents for two months,’ she admits. ‘They would have thought I was going off my rocker!
My marriage had broken up because I was pursuing this “hobby”, and they were concerned I was unhappy. I might have made a mistake. I didn’t want to worry them.’
Thankfully, it wasn’t a mistake. By 1975, she was part of the National Theatre Company, performing in stage roles before branching out into screen work in the 1980s. In 1996, her portrayal of Cynthia Rose Purley in Secrets & Lies earned her rave reviews, a BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination.
She says she is not ambitious. ‘I never have been,’ she explains. ‘I’ve been very lucky in the work I’ve had, but I’ve learned not to have an ego about it. I don’t mind if it’s a tiny part or a big part; it’s not a problem for me. I don’t want the moon and the stars – I can’t reach them. But with a little time and effort, you can reach the top shelf if you try.’
In fact, she didn’t realise Vera was the lead role in the TV series. ‘I thought it was a tiddly part when I read the books, but I just loved the character,’ she says. Ten series on, and Vera remains a stalwart show for ITV. ‘I think it has stood the test of time because she’s different to the kind of character you would normally see,’ says Brenda. ‘You often see older men in central roles, but not so many older women.’
Did she imagine her career would take off so amazingly at this stage of her life? ‘Not in a million years,’ she says. And has she ever experienced ageism? ‘If I have, I’ve forgotten it,’ she quips. ‘But I do think Vera opened a door to having an older, non-glamorous woman as a central character. It’s happening more now, with shows such as Last Tango In Halifax, with the wonderful Anne Reid, and the BBC’S Gold Digger [starring Julia Ormond]. It’s getting better – and so it should.’
It’s not only her career that blossomed later in life. Following the breakdown of her first marriage in her 20s, she met her current husband, Michael Mayhew, former head of graphic design at the National Theatre, and they married in 2010 after a 35-year engagement. I ask if they are romantics. ‘Not really,’ she admits, with characteristic honesty. ‘It was mostly for practical reasons. We just thought it would be awkward if one of us popped our clogs and we weren’t married. But it has changed our relationship. I can’t put my finger on what it is.
It’s a comforting thing, a feeling of security.’
Their time is now split between Ramsgate, where Brenda grew up, London, and Northumberland, where Vera is filmed. ‘We’re simple folk,’ she says. ‘We walk Jack, our dog. I do The Times crossword puzzle every day. We go to the pub.’
Looking back, she has no regrets. ‘I’m grateful that I’m still here, that I’ve got away with it, that it was the right road to take,’ she says. ‘It was a risky thing to do to change direction, because everything in my life changed. My prospects, my bank balance, my friends, my place of work, everything. And it was quite a brave thing to do. But I’ve learned not to be afraid of failure. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it; it’s part of life’s rich tapestry, and it teaches you how to cope with the next storm. Because it surely won’t be the last one. So if the stars are aligned and you have the means to take a leap, I say do it. Throw caution to the wind, and have a go. What’s the worst that could happen?’
Vera (series 10) returns to ITV in January
I’ve learned not to be afraid of failure - there is absolutely nothing wrong with it