Blinders Helen: Rape victims confide in me
Attack scene sparks chat
PEAKY Blinders star Helen Mccrory said her character’s brutal rape has encouraged fans to confide in her about their own traumatic experiences.
Viewers were horrified when Major Campbell, played by Sam Neill, attacked Polly Gray as she bargained for her son to be freed from jail in series two.
Telling how it sparked off conversations, Helen, 51, said: “I’ve had young girls come up to me and talk about terrible rape stories.
“One girl said that when she saw that episode, it was the first time that she talked to her husband about it.
“That’s a huge response, because viewers have watched these characters for a long time, so I’m very aware of that responsibility.”
The actress spoke as the fifth series of the show about Birmingham gangsters led by Polly’s nephew Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, continues tonight on BBC1. The harrowing rape is just one of a number of matriarch Polly’s traumatic storylines in the saga. The gang’s accountant, she has also committed murder and had her children taken away.
“I am aware that a lot of the things that I talk about as Polly I haven’t experienced,” she said. “I haven’t had to give up my children for adoption, I haven’t lost a daughter.
“But I can’t tell you how often I’ve received BOXING’S Ricky Hatton has a knockout tribute to Manchester Arena’s 22 bomb victims – a tattoo on his back.
The retired fighter, 40, showed the intricate design in honour of those killed at Ariana Grande’s 2017 gig. The tattoo includes the number 22. Ricky also has sleeves on both arms including the names of his girlfriend Charlie and children Campbell, France and Millie.
On other parts of his back he has “Hitman – Pride in Battle” and “Don’t Look Back in
Anger”, the title of an Oasis song.
Ricky, who was on holiday on the
Greek island of
Mykonos, said he was in a “puddle of tears” over a dinner bill that included an £830 steak. That was a low blow... letters, or people come up to me in the street, and women tell me these extraordinary stories, and what they felt when they saw Polly talk about it.
“I’m so aware that when you play these parts there is a triangle of ghosts behind you, of people that have never told their stories. When you speak to them, you have to immerse yourself into it as much as possible, because you’ve got to get it right.”
The star – wed to actor Damien Lewis, 48 – is drawn to brooding roles having just signed for a TV version of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials novels.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been interested in any play about the happy, successful, lighter moments of life,” she said.
“That’s a very modern, pervasive idea in our entertainment, whether it’s on Instagram or in fiction, to show only the good and the perfect side of yourself. It’s just a lie and it’s very dull, and it’s nothing that anyone
should even strive for.”