The big screen is best, says Joanna Scanlan
WHILE we’ve all been watching films on our tablets and TVs for the past year, The Thick of It star Joanna Scanlan believes there’s nothing quite like the big screen. And with cinemas now reopening, the Bafta-nominated actress can’t wait to enjoy the magic of the movies herself. “Going to the cinema is a lovely experience,” she says. “It’s a fantastic way to immerse yourself in another world.” Her passion for the big screen is the reason she’s backing National Lottery Cinema Weekend. “It’s an incredible offer,” she says. For the weekend o' June 19-20 National Lottery players can use any ticket bought online or in retail from January 1 2019 to book a free pair of cinema tickets. One film you could see is Joanna's latest, After Love which tells the moving story of Mary, who discovers that her late husband had been leading a secret life. Joanna says, "National Lottery funding for British film is crucial. It's back over 600 films, which have won 15 Oscars and more than 100 Baftas. Without the funding my film wouldn't have happened." Joanna - whose next role is Ma. Larkin in the ITV remake of the Darling Buds of May - has loved going to the cinema since she was a small child. "My mother says when she took me to see The Sound of Music aged siz, I went and sat on a step in the aisle so I could see it properly," she recalls. "I'd still do it today if I was allowed!"