HEAT CATCHES UP WITH MIRANDA
The actress talks poo balls, pooch Peggy and period dress with heat. Such fun!
Miranda Hart is an absolute joy. It’s undeniable. Viewers of her award-winning self-titled BBC sitcom will attest to it, readers of her five best-selling books will agree, and we, at heat, will fight anyone who says any different. Not that they would. And the reason is because she herself finds joy in the little things in life. From her unbridled love for her dog Peggy, to her infamous gallop, she reminds us to laugh at the silly things. Words like “plunge”, for example. Go on, really revel in the word, “plunge” for a minute. She’s got a point. Now, the 47 year old brings both her comedy and acting chops – and dare we say heart – to the role of Miss Bates in the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma – a role that, she tells us, made her feel “marvellous”. Perhaps that’s because she just is a bit bloody marvellous.
We chatted to her about dream period-drama roles, Miranda revivals and being star-struck…
Do you enjoy being able to straddle the worlds of comedy and period drama? I would love to do more film acting, yes please, thank you, please! I remember when I was doing my Edinburgh Festival comedy shows in my twenties, I instinctively knew that drama would be something I could do when I was older. After playing Chummy in Call The Midwife, I gained more confidence, and it was nice to be seen as an all-round actor and not just the comedian. But in terms of Miss Bates in Emma, there were some dramatic moments, but she certainly feels like Austen’s comedy character of the piece. Are you an Austen fan? And a fan of Mr Darcy? I was always an Austen fan and I am now even more respectful of her genius. Of course, Emma will probably be closest to my heart, as I got to be part of this new adaptation, and – NAME DROP ALERT – it was Colin Firth who told me that Emma was regarded as her best. Which takes us neatly on to Mr Darcy. What you are really asking is, am I a fan of an attractive man with mystery and intrigue, and a solid core of honesty
‘Someone shouted “poo balls” at me while was walking the dog’
and kindness? Let me think… Yes! Did you enjoy the period costume? The thing I found most surprising was just how marvellous I felt, and – if I may be so bold – looked in a bonnet! The director, Autumn de Wilde, who I became great friends with, even made up a song about it. But, it turns out, wearing a bonnet is challenging, because it’s like you’re wearing blinkers. As for filming, generally, it was a sumptuous experience, because Autumn made every shot look so extraordinarily beautiful and detailed. You felt like a child walking into make-believe every day. I just felt so lucky to be involved. Oh, and at the risk of embarrassing Mr Bill Nighy – I think he has a subscription to heat – it was a bit of a dream come true to do a scene with him. If you could be any period drama heroine, who would you be and why? Ooh, fun question – there are so many that would be fantastic to play. I would love to play a real historic character, and I’d also love to play someone feisty and a little bit revolutionary. I usually play vulnerable characters, which I love, but it would be fun to really take up my space, use my height and have a bit of feist! Having just seen Little Women, I think of Jo March, which means being in total denial of how old I am. There’s such an enormous love for Miranda – will you do another series, please? Gavin & Stacey did it successfully after a long break… I loved the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special – I’m a huge fan, and it was so great how many people tuned in. There is a need for big laughs and gentle, silly, loveable characters. It’s vital to have art that provides escapism and joy. And when we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Miranda [with a one-hour special filmed at the London Palladium last year], it was fab to be back together with the cast and very emotional to hear what the show meant to people. Totes emosh… I don’t think the youth say that any more, do they? What’s preventing you from doing another series? It’s exhausting. To do a series is a solid nine to ten months for me, what with writing it and being in every scene. I certainly did put pressure on myself to maintain a standard, plus when you film in front of a studio audience, there is another layer of pressure, because you have to write and perform for the big laugh-out-loud moments.
I do think a studio audience sitcom is a unique pressure for a writer performer, and I don’t think people really understand that writing mainstream comedy is one of the hardest things you can do. However, I have always said it would be fun to see Miranda and Gary married, so let’s see… What do fans say most when they see you in the street? There’s actually an amazing variety. Sometimes people say things and I don’t know what they mean, as I’ve forgotten it’s a line from the show. I have an online shop and it’s always hard to narrow down the products we make, because there are so many phrases people respond to. The weirdest was when someone shouted “poo balls” at me repeatedly, while I was walking the dog. I thought it was an insult until I remembered it was a phrase I shouted in series one to get out of a gym membership. Heather Small from M People performed at the anniversary celebration, which was amazing. Has she told you before how she feels about having such a longrunning cardboard cutout cameo in the show? She is a lovely, humble woman. In rehearsals for the Such Fun Celebration show, she just said, “Thank you for letting me be part of this.” And we always laugh about how it took off – all from Sarah Hadland randomly singing Proud when we first met and me writing it in.
Are you proud of the legacy Miranda has left behind? I am proud, yes. I am most proud of her overriding story – going from the shame of who she was, not able to be herself, to total freedom of self-acceptance, and only getting married when she knew that she didn’t need a relationship to fix her. You brought galloping to the masses. When was the last time you galloped in public? I love how one joke about how it’s not fair that it’s socially acceptable for children to gallop but not adults, especially when it’s so much more fun than running, has escalated. I regularly get videos of people galloping in various work places – so pleasing! I always gallop when I get good news. It’s the right thing to do to celebrate. Sport Relief is coming up – how about a 48-hour sponsored gallop-athon? That’s a brilliant idea! I will suggest it. And persuade someone to do it – i.e. I will watch and encourage.
How is your dog Peggy? Best interview question ever. She’s 13 this year, but she is ageing gracefully and still gets mistaken for a puppy, which I am sure she finds very satisfying. Do people want to meet her as much as they want to meet you? I had a funny incident on the street the other day, when someone recognised Peggy and not me. They looked at me and said, “Is this Peggy?”i said, “Yes.” And she said, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I am meeting Peggy, this is amazing.” And then she looked at me and said, “How come you’re walking her?” I didn’t want to say, “She’s mine,” because she didn’t recognise me, and therefore might have thought I’d stolen her, so I just said, “I’m a friend of her owner,” and she said, “Wow, lucky you.” It was like something out of Miranda. If you could go for a walk with another famous dog owner, who would you choose? Probably [veteran British actor]
Peter Egan or Ricky Gervais. Then I could learn more about what I could do against animal cruelty, as they are both such fantastic campaigners. We loved Miranda Hart’s Daily Dose Of Fun – your book of 365 joy-filled tasks. Do people get in touch to tell you the things they’d done? Oh, I am so glad you loved it. That means a lot. I actually often do the entries myself if I need a break from work, or I’m feeling tired or fed up. They work. I had one amazing response from someone in America, who was going through cancer treatment. She did it every day for a year to help her have a fun or calm or kind moment each day. That was very moving to hear about. And yes, I have now put into practice focusing on simple things every day that spark joy and gratitude. And I have started doing a regular newsletter for my website subscribers to keep the message going. The country has been going through a tumultuous time, and winter is quite depressing – what are your top three tips of fun things we can do to put a smile on our faces? If you buy my Daily Dose Of Such Fun – all my proceeds go to Comic Relief – you can try anyone of those! You’re the queen of silly – what’s the last silly thing you did? I danced in the kitchen while making a Bolognese and created what I call the “Bolognese Bop”. I reckon it will become bigger than the Floss… When have you been the most star-struck? When I met Allison Janney on the set of Spy [the 2015 comedy film, starring Melissa Mccarthy]. She was a true hero to me – a fellow 6ft-tall actress. I watched her in The West Wing at a time when I didn’t think an acting career was going to happen for me. Once I got over my gibbering and dribbling, we became friends. What else have you got coming up this year? I am doing a lot of writing – you will be the first to know when I share – and, acting wise, it’s excitingly a blank sheet at the moment. Here’s hoping something fun and feisty comes my way. For now, I really hope people love this version of Emma and Miss Bates as much as I do. ■
Emma is in cinemas from 14 February