Had
you always wanted to be an actress?
Julie: Yes. One Christmas when I was about 7,
in primary school, I was cast as the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I had a lovely teacher called Miss
Nicholls who really encouraged me.
What
was your first break as an actress?
Julie: When I first left Drama College I had
to get professional work to get my equity card but I couldn't get the work
without it, so it was a real Catch 22 dilemma. So, I got together with a comedy
partner, the writer, Joe Turner, and we created an alternative comedy double
act called 'Mouth to Mouth'. We
played venues all over Cardiff and took our full-length cabaret style show to
the Edinburgh festival in 1986 and then I finally got my Equity card.
After that, my first break
was with the Sherman Theatre Company playing Lettie the Maid in a Musical
called 'Something's Afoot'.
Who
got you into acting - family or was it a person out with family, a favourite
actor, perhaps?
Julie: My parents always encouraged me to go
to dancing and acting classes. When I was about 16 I joined the Clwyd Youth
Theatre. It meant everything to me and I made friends for life. It was a short
step from there to Drama College although it did take me 3 years to be accepted
anywhere and that's when I first came to Cardiff.
Have
you worked alongside Nathan Sussex, Justin Walters or Jams Thomas before?
Julie: I've worked with Nathan in a play I
directed called 'A Kind of Alaska' by
Harold Pinter and we acted together in a play called 'The Censor' by Anthony Neilson with Faction Collective. I played
his wife.
Jams and I were in the
film called 'Pride' together,
although not in the same scenes. I've played his sister in a short film too.
Hopefully I will work with Justin at some point
What
stage productions were you involved in and did you tour with the company?
Julie:
I have toured with a
few different theatre companies including Hull Truck Theatre,
Black Rat Productions,
Grassroots Theatre Company, Theatre Iolo, Theatr y Byd, Theatr Na'nOg and
Sherman Theatre. Productions include - Salt
of the Earth by John Godber for Hull Truck, Romeo and Juliet and Boeing
Boeing directed by Richard Tunley for Black Rat Productions, Spanish Lies by Frank Vickery for
Grassroots Productions and Glissando on
an Empty Harp by Ian Rowlnds for Theatr y Byd.
Last year I toured
rehearsed readings of 'Bed Among the Lentils'
and 'The Outside Dog' by Alan Bennett
for Sherman Theatre directed by Andrew Sterry.
What
would be your ultimate favourite role to play if you got the opportunity, and
why?
Julie: Martha in 'Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf' by Edward Albee. Martha is a
compelling, sometimes hideous character but damaged and vulnerable too. A real
challenge.
Do
you still do Stand Up and what kind of comedy did you cover in your session?
Julie: After doing Stand Up for about 2 years
I knew it wasn't for me. You need to have a pretty thick skin to stick at it.
Joe Turner wrote our scripts and they were cutting edge, and always brilliantly
original. The sketches were mostly about sexual politics, challenging gender
stereotypes and empowering women. The act was received really well and looking
back I was incredibly lucky to be amongst the few women doing stand up at that
time. We played The Comedy Store in London in the mid 80s when alternative
comedy was the new rock n roll.
What's
the furthest you've travelled for an audition?
Julie: Spring Street Theatre in Hull
Would
you ever play a character in a horror film? Have
you ever played a character in a horror film?
Julie: I would love to be in a horror film. I
was very fascinated by vampires as a kid.
Are
you from an acting family and will your children follow in your footsteps - or
do they already?
Julie: I'm the only actor in my family. My
eldest son, Lewis, is interested in Sound Design. He's doing his 'A' levels and
thinking about a career in Theatre/Film/TV Sound. He already has an impressive
catalogue of original instrumental tracks saved on his laptop. I know I’m
biased, but his work is very promising.
My son Tommy is a devoted
rugby fan and a very talented player. He's a wizard at maths, languages and
sciences but his dream would be to play for the Ospreys one day.
You've
been in one of the Nation's popular Soaps, was that a 'dream come true' experience, and would you return to Corrie, or
would you like to be in another Soap Opera?
Julie: I would love to return to Corrie. It was a dream come true and came right out
of the blue for me. I played a really confrontational woman called Meg Ollerenshaw. My scenes were with
Kate Ford who plays Tracy Barlow and Marc Baylis who played Rob Donovan at the
time. A real highlight for me.
Some
actors branch out into writing, directing and producing - have you done this,
would you be interested in writing your own drama, film, play etc?
Julie: I co-founded Be:Spoken Theatre Company with two friends, actresses Caroline
Bunce and Claire Cage, a few years ago and directed 'A Kind of Alaska'. I've also co-directed Youth Theatre productions
and College productions when I worked at Cardiff and Vale College teaching BTEC
in Performing Arts. A few years ago, I adapted a book of short stories called 'Fresh Apples' by Rachel Trezise and
received funding from Arts Council Wales to develop the play with a fantastic
cast of actors. Since then I have directed several rehearsed readings of new
plays for an event called 'On The Edge'
produced by Michael Kelligan and last year I was selected to join a playwriting
scheme at the Sherman Theatre called the New Welsh Playwrights Programme. As a
result of that, I wrote a play called 'The
Lodger' about my experience of having breast cancer.
I'm going to revisit the
script soon. It’s such an important issue. Sadly, all of us know someone who
has been affected by cancer. (I’m very well now btw).
You
played a character in Broadchurch - were you with the main cast?
Julie: I was in the supporting cast as Angela, the taxi controller. At the
audition, the security surrounding the story line and the characters in the
script was so tight that they changed the name of the series and the leading
characters to prevent any script/dialogue being revealed before it was aired.
It was only when I met the director, Paul Andrew Williams, that he told me the
scene would be with Olivia Colman. When I received the locked down script, I
discovered that David Tennant would also be in the scene. It was fascinating
working with them both. I'll never forget it
Do
you ever watch the shows you're appearing in before or after you've appeared in
them?
Julie: I've dipped into Corrie for decades but
never thought I would appear in it. I was brought up in London and always
thought that if anything I might be lucky enough to be in Eastenders. I watched
both series one and two of Broadchurch but re-watched them again when I knew I
was in the final series.
Did
you watch Torchwood before you played Bernie's Mam?
Julie: I was in the 3rd episode of the very
first series. So, I watched it from the start. It was my first TV appearance.
It was only a short scene but I was so proud of it. I framed the script and put
it on my wall.
Bernie's
Mam looked like the kind of woman you wouldn't want to mess with - who were you
channelling when you played her?
Julie: It wasn't based on any one person but
many of the women in my family, especially my dad's four sisters, were strong
and dynamic people. It was a fantastic day on set with Eve Myles and Naoko
Mori.
Have
you voiced any characters in audio dramas for either BBC or Big Finish?
Julie: I’ve been involved in many different
BBC Light Ent radio series but nothing for audio drama or Big Finish.
Have
you voiced any adverts or been in any adverts on the television?
Julie: A few years ago I was in an advert on
television for Castle Bingo with
actor Gareth Potter and appeared in a Six
Nations Rugby television promo and not long ago I filmed an online advert
for mobiles.co.uk and appeared as
'mum' in an advert for Edwards of Conwy Sausages.
When
you're not working, how do you spend your time?
Julie: In my 30's I studied part-time for a
teaching qualification in Further/Higher Education and have always taught drama
and run acting workshops alongside my work as an actress. I absolutely love it.
To relax, I love reading, watching films and seeing my friends. Many of my
close friends are actors/creatives and we keep each other sane through the ups
and downs of staying in work. Just
when you think you’ll never work again, something usually comes along.
Do
you prefer to play 'good' characters, or would you like to get your teeth into
a really nasty character???
Julie: I'm open to offers! I'd love to play someone who appears good on
the surface but who has a dark and shocking secret.
Which
nicely eases us nicely into my next question regarding your friend Nathan’s character
in Hollyoaks, Buster Smith, who also has a shocking secret. What do you think Buster’s secret could be?
Julie: Your guess is as good as mine. He could
be a conman of some sort, maybe? He seems to be getting his feet under the
table, doesn't he? I can’t wait to find out. Guess we will have to wait and see.
I
told Nathan that I think he is Nana McQueen's love child.
Julie:
Haha That would be
really funny if he was.
If you want to see Julie
in action, then check out her showreel here.
Many thanks for an awesome
interview, Julie.
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