My parents were so proud of all my roles
Acting success took Brenda Blethyn by surprise – and her mum and dad were thrilled for her
Brenda Blethyn reminisces about her childhood and career
Looking back, it was never my ambition to be an actress. It never entered my head and I didn’t even know it was a job when I was younger. Instead, I did what most girls did at the time: went to commercial college and learned shorthand and typing. After qualifying, I went off to London with my parents’ blessing and worked for 10 years doing just that... until one life-changing day.
I was working for British Rail and somebody who belonged to the
British Rail Amateur Dramatics Society came into the office looking for help. They were entering a competition and somebody was unwell, so they asked if I would step into the breach.
At first I thought, don’t be so silly, I couldn’t possibly do that, but eventually I agreed to give it a go. The competition
was in Manchester at the Free Trade Hall and it was such fun! We didn’t win but the whole occasion was terrific so I joined the group. People started telling me, ‘You know what? You could be professional.’ At first I thought that to give up my stable job to pursue a hobby seemed silly and irresponsible, but I was so happy working in the theatre that eventually I did apply to drama school and got in to the Guildford School of Acting.
When I think of it now, it was a rather brave thing to do because my whole life changed. My marriage had sadly broken up, and where I lived, my prospects, my bank balance, my circle of friends and my job were also suddenly completely different.
I didn’t want to worry Mum and Dad, so I didn’t tell them about drama school until I was sure I was happy about what I was doing, a few months down the line. That’s all they were really interested in – my happiness – and I just loved being in the theatre. It felt like home to me.
I’ve since had the opportunity to take on many wonderful roles in theatre, film, television and radio – and my parents were so proud of all of them. They came to see me first in the Bubble Theatre and later at The National Theatre.
Mum and Dad kept me and my siblings level-headed and taught us the real value of things, not just the price tag. From a young age, we knew that if you wanted anything in life, you had to work for it and we never expected anything to be handed to us on a plate.
I’m like my dad in some ways because I’m lacking in ambition – I’ve never wanted the moon and stars. I’ve never been put off by not having the main role – if a part is interesting and I’m involved in a wonderful production, then I’m all for it.
It was the same when I was offered the role of DCI Vera Stanhope in the ITV series Vera, based on Ann Cleeves’ brilliant novels. When I got the first book, The Crow Trap, to read through, Vera didn’t appear for so long that I thought she might be a background character after all!
Like me, Vera is happy being herself. She’s a woman after my own heart; she just gets on with things. I do wish my parents had had a chance to see it. I think they’d have loved it – and her! w&h Vera Series 9 and Vera Complete Series 1-9 DVD Box Sets are both available now to buy (ITV Studios Global Entertainment).
Giving up my stable job seemed irresponsible