The speaks to about winning her first BAFTA and her new show
Fleabag Grazia’s Paul Flynn
itself and for Phoebe’s gorgeous counterweight. Sian’s Best Actress trophy brought to an end a year-long TV awards cycle that Fleabag season two – a masterpiece work of free and wild television storytelling – kicked off by picking up Best Show at the Television Critics Association. In the intervening 12 months, it accrued a clean run of Emmys and Golden Globes. Now, the BAFTAS were recognising Sian, too. ‘I mean, amazing,’ she says. ‘I am still reverberating, honestly.’
The success of Fleabag has had a noticeably positive effect on Sian’s professional life, the fruits of which began to appear during lockdown. First up was her incredible, tender and blunt suburban domestic performance as Diana Ingram, wife of the couple at the centre of the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? scandal, in Quiz.
Currently, she’s playing Tina, the loner mother of Maisie Williams’ erratic, escaped hermit in the purposefully original comedy cat-and-mouse thriller Two Weeks To Live.
‘The show is about freedom,’ Sian notes, ‘and I think that’s very pertinent to what’s going on now. For me, everything has come into such sharp focus about what really matters. And who and what we value has been grossly exposed in our cultures because of Covid.’
Again, the Fleabag footprint can be felt gently trodden over both. James Graham, Quiz’s writer, was one of the success stories nurtured through Phoebe Waller-bridge’s early theatre company, Dry Write, which Sian had often acted for. Maisie Williams’ Kim in Two Weeks To Live doffs a knowing cap to Villanelle, the anti-hero assassin of another Phoebe masterwork, Killing Eve. ‘The TV landscape right now is extraordinary,’ says Sian. ‘Part of that is to do with streaming platforms. It’s given permission to channels to start taking bigger risks; to make things that are more provocative and challenging. I think what audiences are craving and what creatives are burning to give them are more complex human stories that don’t fit neatly into genres. Fleabag was definitely a part of that. It was genre-busting.’
The four shows that have kept Sian glued to the box during lockdown are the brilliant Michael Jordan documentary, The Last Dance (‘I’d no interest, knowledge or any connection to basketball before it. Now I’m obsessed’); the stinging verité story of sexual consent, I May Destroy You (‘This is Michaela Coel revolutionising television, as far as I’m
Weeks To Live concerned. She is visionary’); the comic-book adaptation Watchmen (‘what they have done with that story in order to speak to a narrative of our times is so necessary and absolutely mind-blowing’); and, inevitably, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
‘It absolutely contorted me in every direction. I felt so deeply for them,’ she says of this year’s star-crossed lovers. ‘I resonated with that story deeply. I was someone who had a really tough time at high school. It shattered me. I’ve never been in more pain with something than watching that show. Paul Mescal, Daisy Edgar-jones, their performances are extraordinary.’ Like every sentient human being, she’s been gently pinched by the Mescal bug. ‘I met Paul recently and he is absolutely dreamy. Superstars, both of them.’
Sian says that the Fleabag effect on her own life isn’t about framing her work with new confidence, despite her knockout successes in both Quiz and Two Weeks To Live. ‘Confidence comes from working a lot, from flexing your muscles more and more. So that’s the gift I’ve been granted. It’s sort of reminded me of the actor I was before I left drama school. I was a huge risk-taker. That was all I knew.’
The reality of work only heightened TV limitations. ‘I came into the industry and was inevitably stifled by it, put into various pigeon holes. That changes you. I’d sort of forgotten my confidence, the boldness I had. That was the gift of Claire. You stay the same but people’s perception of you changes. People treat me very differently.’ Sian is an engaging conversationalist and even-minded philosopher. ‘I’ll always remember who was kind to me,’ she says. ‘And who wasn’t.’
Her own special gift as an actor is to bring her innate feelings for the human condition straight on to screen. Playing Diana Ingram, she says, was not about whether she liked her or not. ‘I don’t think as an actor it’s your job to comment on a human you’re embodying,’ she says. ‘You have to accept them, rather than like or dislike them. If you’re playing a powerful person, you can’t play power. You have to embody power. That’s why, if you see people in positions of power and there is something deeply inauthentic about it, it’s because they are playing a role as opposed to actually being a powerful human being.’
Is she thinking of Boris Johnson when she makes this observation?
‘No comment,’ she says wryly.
The Covid crisis has clearly given British comedy’s current reigning Best Actress pause for thought. She isolated alone for its duration. No major work projects were interrupted by the pandemic. ‘That initial period, when this was so completely new and alien to us, was the most arresting moment I’ve ever experienced in my life,’ she says. ‘It was completely beyond our control. I’ve never felt more connected to every being on this planet than I did right at the beginning of this. It’s not just Covid, it’s the Black Lives Matter movement gathering momentum, too. Everything seems to be imploding. It’s very easy to feel quite powerless right now.’
In the time spent alone, smiling at neighbours in ways she hadn’t before, connecting and disconnecting under a new reality, lessons can start to be learned. ‘I don’t know how we resolve this. But I do think it means dismantling existing systems in a very dramatic way. We are being called to quit our judgement of one another. It’s time to examine ourselves.’
‘Two Weeks To Live’ is on Sky One on Wednesdays at 10pm
Sienna Miller wore hers with zero-effort outfits, such as a pair of leggings, denim vest and beret. Kate Moss, meanwhile, preferred to style them with slimline jeans and waistcoats. Either way, both women turned the ballet pump into a fashion must-have, its popularity stretching decades. But somewhere along the line, the shoe lost its edge, becoming synonymous instead with the off-duty wardrobes of Sloane Rangers.
That was then. But now they’re back in business, with a new clutch of celebrity fans and a wave of wholly wantable looks. Yes, really. If 2005 was about the saccharine bow-tied ballet slipper, 2020 is about the flat with bite. They’ve gone from girly to grownup and the shoe’s easy, functional nature has proven popular in a year of lockdown.
Visiting LA’S Preschool Learning Center recently, Meghan Markle wore a pointed pair of black ballet pumps, costing £111 from Rothy’s. Alexandria Ocasio-cortez has a similarly shaped pair in pale pink that she wears with everything from pencil dresses to trouser suits. Ana de Armas and Angelina Jolie have been living in Chloé’s scalloped-edge pumps, while Chloë Sevigny
IN THE EARLY AUGHTS,
styled her turquoise ballerinas with white ankle socks for a recent stroll. Even Kate Moss has been revisiting the shoe she made famous. This summer she’s been repeatwearing her Repettos, pairing them with everything from diaphanous dresses and skinny jeans to denim cut-offs and maxi kaftans, showing that, like white trainers, they’re the ultimate all-rounder.
A few new-season design details have fuelled the slipper’s comeback. Neous’s ruched style come in pleasingly pared-back shades of black, white, burgundy and mustard – and have a squared-off toe. ‘The square toe has always been a big part of our collections. I felt it was time for a flat with our signature toe,’ explains founder and creative director Vanissa Antonious. Aeyde’s have an almondshaped toe and an elongated silhouette, while Frame’s are another autumn favourite. Its Le Sunset Slipper has a bow and built-in toe cleavage, thanks to a strategically placed oval cutout. When it comes to styling, Vanissa says the possibilities are endless. ‘I wear mine with everything. They work well with tailored trousers and a blazer, or midiskirts.’ Avoid pairing with pie-crust collars or Alice bands, and you won’t have any problems.
and Meghan announced they would take a step back from their senior royal roles, the world held its breath, wondering what their next steps would be. Now, the couple have announced a lucrative deal with Netflix. Months in the making, it’s an impressive new undertaking, built from the pair’s combined passions and expertise but also, Grazia understands, real necessity.
At the beginning of this month, Harry and Meghan released a statement to the
LA Times announcing the creation of an as-yet-untitled production company and a deal with Netflix. The financial details surrounding the partnership have not been made public, but reports have estimated it could be worth up to £150 million.
‘Our lives, both independent of each other and as a couple, have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit:
WHEN HARRY
of courage, resilience and the need for connection,’ they said jointly. ‘Our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope.’
Harry and Meghan’s dream of examining those from different walks of life is consistent with their charity work, but this deal is also a welcome, practical move as they face up to their financial obligations, not least their new Montecito mansion, valued at $14 million.
‘They need to earn money,’ says Katie Nicholl, author of Harry And Meghan: Life, Loss, And Love. ‘They’ve got security bills and living costs, they have £2.4 million to pay back for Frogmore Cottage: their bills are steep and their debts are high.’
They are, however, not daunted by the challenge. ‘One of the issues Meghan had in coming into the royal family was no longer being able to earn an income,’ says Katie. ‘That was incredibly hard: her financial independence was important to her.’ Indeed, a friend says that Harry is also ‘truly excited’ to be making his own money, rather than depending solely on royal handouts.
According to a source, launching this project with the streaming giant is the result of much discussion. ‘Both Harry and Meghan are close with Oprah Winfrey, so following her lead to Netflix’s rival Apple TV+ was given great consideration,’ they say. But, ultimately, ‘Netflix was the standout choice.’ This, says the insider, came down to two key components: Harry’s recent participation in the service’s documentary Rising Phoenix – about Paralympic athletes – and the personal recommendation of Barack and Michelle Obama, who struck a similar, multi-year deal with Netflix and their own company, Higher Ground Productions.
‘Meghan in particular sees the Obamas as the perfect blueprint in finding purpose and making a real, lasting contribution after leaving a position in the public eye,’ a friend explains. ‘She is enamoured with Michelle. It’s why she and Harry signed with the same public speaking agency, and the ethos of their new company is very much in line with that of Higher Ground. Meghan loved Crip Camp [the Obamas’ documentary about a summer camp for disabled teens] and I think we’ll be seeing very similar work from her and Harry.’
So far, the couple have teased a nature documentary (a source tells Grazia that Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and a friend of Harry, will have an input) and an animated series about inspiring women. But they are also expected to promote the work of their blossoming Archewell project, potentially through a one-off fly-on-thewall documentary. ‘On paper, this might sound like the couple are approaching a reality-tv model,’ says a source, ‘but it would focus completely on Archewell and their charitable endeavours. You won’t see inside their home, or catch glimpses of Archie in front of the camera.’
Next, the couple will take pitches and seek new projects. But they are also giving serious consideration to the future of their family. ‘They’ve made no secret of wanting a sibling for Archie, and they’ve pointedly said they’ll only have two children,’ says Katie. ‘This has been a tough year for them but they have really enjoyed being together as a family.’
This year may have come with impossible stresses, but the couple are said to be excited for what the coming months will bring. Meghan may have left acting, but make no mistake: we might soon see her holding aloft an Emmy.