I Am Victoria
Category: Press Pack ArticleI AM VICTORIA - SYNOPSIS:
In the first film of the series, I Am Victoria, Victoria seems to have a perfect family, job and home. But something is wrong. The pressure she feels is becoming unbearable. We see her struggle with mental health and the effect that has on her and her family. I Am Victoria is a powerful meditation on the anxieties that often lie beneath a veneer of happiness and success. It portrays a woman weighed down by life's pressures and in need of help, but unable to seek it.
I Am Victoria stars BAFTA-winning Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack, Dr. Foster) as Victoria and co-stars Ashley Walters (Top Boy) and Alice Feetham (Save Me).
CREDITS
I AM VICTORIA - CREDITS:
Written and Created by Dominic Savage
Story by Dominic Savage & Suranne Jones
Victoria: Suranne Jones
Chris: Ashley Walters
Deborah: Alice Feetham
Grace: Alisha Bailey
Sam: Leemore Marrett Jnr
Mia: Amelie Lewis
Hayley: Isabelle Lewis
Director: Dominic Savage
Produced by Krishnendu Majumdar
Co-producer: Josh Hyams
Executive Producers: Richard Yee and Dominic Savage
Production Company: Me+You Productions
QUOTES FROM SURANNE JONES ABOUT CO-DEVELOPING AND STARRING IN I AM VICTORIA
- We wanted it to feel like mental health can happen to anybody at any time. This isn’t about the pandemic but I think a lot of people may have been through some of the stuff which Victoria has been through or is going through.
- We all know that mental health can come from huge trauma, but I read a quote which said “mental health isn’t a novel, it doesn’t need to be about anything” and that has stuck with me.
- I Am Victoria is about a woman who seems to have everything - a beautiful house, a beautiful family, a great job. She looks great, she is a high achiever, she wants to give her children everything she didn’t have growing up. We meet her just as she’s about to have a breakdown. It’s a really interesting weekend, which we see on screen. We imagine things have been quite stressful for her, holding her life together. What we see is her unravelling within the course of a few days and her eventually asking for help.
- I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. I wanted to see what this would bring out.
- Ashley Walters plays Christian, my on-screen husband, who was on my ‘desperately want to work with’ list. We’d worked together years ago on something called ‘Five Days’ but we didn’t have any scenes together. I love his work and I mentioned him to Dominic. Ashley had also worked with Dominic previously so it was even better working with someone who already knows his style.
QUOTES FROM ASHLEY WALTERS (CHRISTIAN) ABOUT CO-STARRING IN I AM VICTORIA:
- I would say I haven’t had a relationship with any other director like I have with Dominic. He has the ability to make you talk about yourself. Every process I’ve gone through with him, in the initial meeting he’d sit me down and say – ‘Ash, what’s happening in your life?’ I’d end up sitting there like it was a therapy session for like an hour, telling him what’s going on and that I’ve got another baby on the way. Somehow, he brings those things into your character. It’s a sensible thing to do because when you’re improvising it makes it much more natural for you, talking about your own issues.
- With Dominic’s process, everything is up in the air. You never know what’s going to happen next but funnily enough I enjoy it that way.
- Mental health is a huge thing and is quite a taboo subject. People find it hard to talk about, especially men.
- I think it is a very good reminder that people can be experiencing mental health problems on the inside but on the outside no one else knows. Watching Suranne work knowing her connection to the character and everything she has been through; it was so eye opening for me.
- Working with Suranne has been brilliant. We met years ago on Five Days. We didn’t shoot a scene together, but I remember one day having an amazing conversation. It started with her dog, Baxter. Then it got into family life and what we were doing but I got the sense she was a really cool person. My wife holds her so high so we’re big fans and we watch everything she does. We went to see her on stage. I sent her a text last night saying, ‘you know how surreal this is for me to be working with you, especially to be playing your husband!’ She is a brilliant professional. I say to her that she makes me step my game up. She is amazing, she is brilliant at what she does.