ON HER NEW ROLE IN THE A WORD I saw a child with a sign saying, ‘Hello, I’m Jack, I have autism’... you wonder how much pain his mum has had
I feel really lucky to have these roles in shows that talk about the big issues
TV STAR JULIE ON PLAYING MEANINGFUL CHARACTERS
thinking, ‘I wish that all education could be like this’.
“It’s so tailor-made to each child’s needs and ways of learning. It’s about them having freedom to be who they are without constantly being labelled ‘the naughty one’ or ‘the bad one’.”
The A Word has struck a chord with parents of autistic children, and Julie is delighted her character becomes a source of support for stressed mum Alison, played by Morven Christie, 38.
“I think that throwing someone like Heather into the mix, with an innate understanding of human beings, is a really lovely thing,” says Julie. “I love that she shines a light on how difficult it has been for Alison – and on Alison’s coping mechanisms.
CONTROL
“That maybe her desire to over control things and to organise everything comes from a need to just try to do the absolute best that she can under the circumstances.
“I do hope this series shines a light on what families with autistic children go through as a unit. Not just the child, but the siblings, the parents and the teachers too.”
Julie has two teenage girls with husband Ian Kershaw, a writer on Corrie. They had a whirlwind romance – moving in together after a week and Julie falling pregnant barely a month later, during her time as TV’s Hayley.
Joining a new show is always a tough ask – not least when you were hand-picked by writer Peter Bowker.
Despite being one of the nation’s best-loved and respected actresses,
Julie admits “imposter syndrome” causes her to doubt her ability.
She explains: “I’m always very nervous on the first day, to the point where I think, ‘I don’t want to do this’. The read-throughs are worst.
“You sit there with these amazing actors and expect someone to come to you at the end and be like, ‘Yeah, sorry. It’s not going to work out’. It’s imposter syndrome like you’d never imagine because you don’t know how to be in those situations.” It was quitting Corrie in 2014 that gave Julie the confidence to move out of her comfort zone.
She adds: “Leaving was a big thing because that was such a safe place and it is a great job to grow old in.
“So it was like, ‘Oh s***, am I really ready? Is it a good thing for me to be going out into the world where there traditionally aren’t very many interesting roles for women in their 40s?’
“If there are, they’re for a handful of really brilliant actors, who everybody wants to see.
“But thankfully it’s worked out all right. It’s been all right for me so far!”
■■The A Word is on BBC1, Tuesday, 9pm