‘THE BEST IS YET TO COME FOR ME...’
IT’S been three decades since Liz McDonald first set foot on the cobbles and to this day the wellloved character is still making fans laugh and cry in equal measure. The Weatherfield favourite has been through a lot over the years most recently getting run over and left for dead by love rival Jenny Connor and being duped by ex-husband Jim and pretenddaughter Katie, who did a runner with Liz’s life savings.
And while actress Beverley Callard’s life is not quite as over the top, a trait she does share with her character is feistiness - and in showbiz land, where she believes men are still seen as the dominant sex, the 61-year-old is keen to use this quality to stand up for the sisterhood.
“Without a doubt women should be on exactly the same wage for the same job,” she said. “Why should every play or film have more men in it than women? It’s wrong. I feel really strongly about this.
“Normally if a man voices his opinion, people listen, because they think he must have something important to say. If it’s a woman, they think of her as temperamental or a diva. It’s just not true.
“In the past with leading men like Richard Curtis and Oliver Reed, they were thought of as hellraisers. Well women can be hellraisers too. They are capable of being just as strong as any man.”
It is this kind of passion that Beverley has channelled into her latest role, which sees her back on stage in Melanie Blake’s The Thunder Girls, where the all-female main cast is over 50.
“I love Corrie,” she said. “I have been on it 30 years this year and the reason why is because it is a very matriarchal show. Well this is a matriarchal play.
“What’s great about this script is it isn’t 15 men and three women. We need more of this.
“More often than not you will watch a film and a 50-year-old male lead will have a 30-year-old wife. If it’s the other way around she is called a cougar and he’s her toy boy.
“This play is about real women. They have been hurt, they have been happy, they have been loved, they’ve had their heart broken.
“This is the night they get together having not seen each other for 30 years and the audience is a part of it.”
Beverley has been candid about issues relating to her mental health - even taking time off the ITV soap after ‘battling the demons of depression.’
She revealed earlier this year that this has led people to believe she might be “flaky and unreliable” something that couldn’t be further from the truth.
But one thing Bev has been able to do, with the passing of the years, is make peace with herself and learn not to worry about pleasing people all the time.
“I think as a woman you do get to the stage in your life where you think you shouldn’t be bothered about what people think”, she said. “I certainly don’t care now.”
“We don’t have to please people all the time. As long as you are content in yourself then you’ve cracked it.
“Your 20s is a great time, as is your 30s and 40s. Well your 60s should be too. Each decade has something unique to offer.
“I don’t think the older decades should be any less important. You may have lines on your face but you can offer so much more in experience.”
If you think that Beverley will be slowing down any time soon, think again - and there’s no fear of her retiring Liz anytime soon.
“Often I think the best is yet to come for me,” she added. “I’m offered so much work and I love my job. I can’t ever imagine retiring as an actor. I’m just going to keep on going.”
The Thunder Girls has its premiere preview run at the Lowry Theatre, Salford Quays, from September 24 – 28.