Julie Walters: “being able to laugh at things is really important”
Dame Julie Walters talks to Robyn Morris about why it takes “something special” for her to leave her country home for work nowadays…
he’s been in the industry for over 40 years, so it’s no wonder Julie Walters has become picky when it comes to taking on new acting jobs.
But while she’s reluctant to take on any hard-hitting roles at 69,
Julie admits she’ll never retire fully. “I’ll always do little bits,” she says.
The actress’s latest role in
Wild Rose is playing a struggling Glaswegian mum to Rose-Lynn, a young aspiring country singer, played by Jessie Buckley, who
Julie describes as “such a talent”.
Rose-Lynn was recently released from jail, during which time Julie’s character, Marion, had been looking after her two young children – and she’s not keen for her daughter to run off to Nashville to pursue her country singing dreams.
For Julie, relating to her character is something that’s extremely important to her, and this one really hit home, considering her own mother wanted her to be a nurse rather than an actress. >>
“I understand her totally,” Julie says.
“It all seems utterly ridiculous. It did to my mother. ‘An actress? Don’t be silly, you’re watching too much television.’ But what’s touching about it is they evolve as people, they begin to understand – we need a bit more of that in the world, I’d say.”
Julie, who lives on a farm in West Sussex with her husband, Grant Roffey, tells us all about her plans to take some time out this year, her thoughts on how Hollywood is changing and her secret to a happy marriage…
I’m not interested in winning awards – I’m taking time out. I think they’re very important for the business and I’m really grateful for the awards that I’ve won, that’s been wonderful for me. But I don’t take jobs and think, “Ooh, I could win something if I do this.” I’ve genuinely always been surprised when they’ve said, “You’ve been nominated.” I never came into it to win prizes.
And having to dress up – I do quite like dressing up, but it depends how you’re feeling at the time. You’re just put in the spotlight and everybody is looking at what you’re wearing and commenting on it, and that’s very stressful. Not all actors are into that sort of thing, and I think it’s a bit unfair.
I’ve been doing the job for too long. I just think, “Do I really want to leave home to do this?” It’s hard to describe what that feeling is when you read the character. I’ve read a million scripts, at least, in my life, so it has to be something quite special. When I first read the script for Wild Rose, I just loved the character – her strength and endurance, and the relationship with her daughter. I found the whole thing very moving. I loved working with Jessie Buckley, she’s absolutely fantastic. I hope this gives her a huge boost because she deserves it, she’s such a talent. Hard-hitting stuff really takes it out of you and I don’t want to go there any more. It can be hard to switch off with certain parts – you find that you’re not sleeping well and I don’t need that at 69. I don’t think I’ll ever retire fully, I’ll always do little bits. But at one point I was doing Mary Poppins Returns and Paddington at the same time, and I didn’t know where the hell I was! I did actually enjoy those, but then I went straight into something else and I thought, “No, this is like when
I was in my thirties, I don’t want to do this.” And my husband never sees me, I’m hardly at home.
But when I told my agent that, I did think afterwards that the only thing I’d feel like doing is another Mamma Mia! because it’s such fun! It’s not like work, it’s heaven. When we were out in Croatia for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, it was like a holiday. Christine [Baranski, who plays Tanya] and I would go swimming and then we’d say, “Oh, we’ve been called into filming tomorrow,” and we’d be really annoyed! It’s slowly getting better, there’s no doubt about that. But we’re still not on par with men. They seem to be able to go on and play central roles for much longer. There are more female writers and directors now – not enough – but there are a lot more women producers than there ever were, so it is changing. Obviously there are going to be some people who pull in the crowd more and are going to be paid a bit more. But generally speaking, people should be paid the same.
It’s often the case that the actors are of a similar stature, but the man is paid more. That’s just ludicrous.
I’m glad the #MeToo movement is changing the industry. It bloody well needs to! The people who have been outed in the way they have – I only applaud the women who have done that, because I think it’s massively brave. Whatever happens, it has moved us forwards and people will think twice before they sexually bully people.
I’m trying to start keeping fit because I’m not fit. I’ve got an exercise bike, which has been here at the house for about 20 years. My sister-in-law said she’s doing five minutes a day, so I thought that’s what I’ll do. Well, it nearly killed me, those five minutes. I thought I was going to have a stroke at the end of it! But I do try to go out and walk a little bit every day.
I don’t have a strict beauty regime. I’ve been given loads of products, so I just plough through those. I don’t really do a lot with my skin. If you give it too much, you’re wiping all the goodness out of it. It’s bad enough having to put moisturiser on, I can’t be bothered. I’ve had facials in the past, but I haven’t had one for about a year. I tried one of those stimulating ones and it made my heart race. I thought, “I’m not doing that again!”
The secret to a happy marriage is laughter. Compromise is also really important, and being big enough to say sorry. Admitting you’re wrong and talking about stuff is vital– be kind and understand the other person. Understanding is the key with everything.
Being able to laugh at things is really important. Especially in times of crisis, when things aren’t so good. If you’ve got humour, it doesn’t mean you make light of it, but it puts it in its place. It makes the thing that’s bothering you smaller, it’s powerful.
Wild Rose is released in cinemas nationwide on 12 April. w&h