Q&A with Nolly Star Helena Bonham Carter
The critics are raving about Helena Bonham Carter in Nolly. “[Bonham Carter’s performance] is funny and affecting, and it works like gangbusters,” hails the the Chicago Tribune. “Bonham Carter is fantastic” raves the Boston Globe. Step behind the scenes of this outrageous (and true!) drama with Bonham Carter who reveals how she researched for the role, what attracted her to Nolly’s story, working with series creator/writer Russell T Davies and more.
In a nutshell, what Nolly is about?
It tells the story of the sacking of Noele Gordon, the eponymous heroine of our series whose nickname was ‘Nolly’. She was the lead actress in a hugely popular British soap opera called Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, when she was abruptly and without warning, sacked very brutally and suddenly, and people never really knew why and nor did she. Russell [T Davies, series writer] thought she was treated appallingly and wanted to bring her back into people’s minds and give her the send-off she deserved.
Were you aware of Noele Gordon as a person before taking on the role? And did you watch Crossroads?
I was very familiar with Crossroads given my age, I’m 56, but I don’t think we actually watched it regularly. It was just like a permanent wallpaper on in the background as I was growing up. So, I was aware of it, but I wasn’t a follower of the series. I didn’t remember Noele other than a dim memory of a redheaded woman who owned the motel. Although I didn’t know exactly what a motel was!
Did you do much research in preparing for the role? If you had to describe Nolly now, as a person, how would you? What made her tick?
I spent a long time, as I tend to with every part, un-earthing, excavating and going in search of her. Mostly because I’m terrified that I won’t get it right. I read her autobiography, which is a hilarious read. I spoke to all her friends, who were incredibly generous and that was very telling, because they really loved her…they said she was somebody who had formidable opinions, was a formidable character, but also had a huge heart. She was a dedicated professional, and she ran the ship.
I did have an army of people around me to help me find Nolly in physical ways, like Polly Bennett, a brilliant movement coach who I first met on The Crown. In fact, at first look, I thought that she’s got the same armor and uniform in a way as Princess Margaret did with the fur coat and the cigarette in The Crown. Although she wasn’t posh, she had that grandeur. She loved being referred to as the Queen of the Midlands
Neil Swain, my voice coach, helped me with Noele’s huge vocal muscularity. I’m pretty lazy as a speaker and although Noele was originally from West Ham London, she went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at age 15 and spoke with a theatrical relish and a persistent upward inflection at the end of lines. … He gave me all these gifts to play with.
What attracted you to the role?
I love any character that has got many colors to play. I think Russell’s script was a gift frankly…and a gift of a part. It was so clearly written; unlike a lot of screenwriters, he writes idiomatically for character. She fizzed off the page. The first thing I did was watch her appearance on [the BBC’s] The Russell Harty Show on YouTube. She comes on and sings ‘Some People’ with such defiance, given that that was the night her last episode aired. The interview has a wow factor. She’s just so unflinchingly honest. Unflinchingly direct and unembarrassed, incredibly courageous and unafraid. She tells it how it is, and she doesn’t let them get away with the treatment of her. I found her ferocity, her sheer spirit, really inspiring and hilarious too. She’s a powerful woman. For a woman that was forced to retire there was nothing remotely retiring about her as a personality.
If you gave the same attributes to a man: forceful, opinionated, bossy, knew what they wanted, told everyone what to do…would it have been the same sort of problem? I don’t think so. … She was indomitable and unapologetic. I think many of the men who ran the show were terrified of her and threatened by her.
There’s a beautiful relationship at the heart of the show between Nolly and Tony [Adams] and it’s quite unusual. You don’t often see that sort of relationship on TV.
I think it’s very original. They were a huge support to each other and were there for each other, but it was a completely individual, unique relationship. He speaks with such love for her, but he doesn’t whitewash her. He was her co-star, tenant, driver, you name it. He had such fun with her and yes, among other things, it is a kind of love story between them.
Is this the first time you’ve worked with Russell T Davies? And how was it working with him on the project?
It was a total dream come true. I’ve been a long-time admirer of his and I can’t tell you how indebted you feel when you’re an actor and you get a beautiful piece of writing. I was so chuffed that they thought of me. It was like the best Christmas present ever. And when I met him, I thought “Oh my god, you are like Father Christmas! You’re huge!” I mean, absolutely huge. I would often reach out to him on text and he’d send me great replies (which I don’t think were fake cheerleading…). Our texts, we should just make that into a radio play, ha! We have a whole love affair on my WhatsApp.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the series?
I suppose what Russell wanted was to reintroduce people to this phenomenon. … He’s a champion of the underdog and the people that were forgotten. I know he felt that Nolly deserved better treatment than what she’d received in real life. This is a proper send off. So, for me, personally, I hope it inspires the Nolly within all of us – somebody who won’t go quietly and won’t brook any mistreatment. Hopefully it’ll make people laugh and also make them cry. At the end of the day, I hope it takes people out of the greyness of their day.
