Interview with Joe Gilgun for This Is England '90

3 September 2015

 

Where do we find Woody as the start of this series?

You find Woody knee deep in children! Woody’s got two kids, a beard, and he looks like someone out of Trainspotting. He’s completely let himself go and has turned into an official industry standard trampy dad. He’s got his own gang this time. This series it’s about Shaun’s journey again especially getting into the rave scene and all those things Shane was experiencing at the time. So this particular series isn’t so much about Woody and Lol as it is about the gang. It makes complete sense because we haven’t touched on Kelly, the information she’s been given about her father, so there’s a lot to deal with there. But Woody and Lol are – for the first time – happy. It’s time for them to be happy. They’ve still got problems, of course they have it’s This Is England!

 

Does it feel nice being able to do happier, even comedic, scenes?

Yeah, this particular series has been without a doubt my favourite shooting experience.   There’s a lot of tension on the build up to big scenes, a lot of tension. I don’t process my feelings very well around that time because I’m making myself feel certain way and you can get very irritable! The lines become blurred because of how personal it is to you and how close you are to those people and the storylines and the characters, so you can come out of it other the end a bit damaged from things you’ve shot. The hospital scene in ‘88 was really demanding for everyone, including Shane, it took a lot out of everyone. Things like the rape scene from ’86 was ruthless to film. So when we got to the 90’s and I’ve got scenes with the kids and I’m dicking around in the swimming pool and I’ve got scenes with Milky – it’s just been wonderful and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been an education on how much to give, as an actor, this time round because during the other series I’d give as much as I possibly could. This series for me was about how much to give, and I’ve learnt sometimes it’s better to hold back.

 

Woody and Lol’s relationship has been through a lot of ups and downs. Why do they work together?

It’s clichéd but it’s true that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and if you can do that together in a relationship then it solidifies. I think there are a lot of people who have been through a lot of adversity and it brings them together, it makes them so incredibly close. And simply they just adore one another – she loves him and he loves her – they’re all they’ve ever known. During that period where they were apart they were both deeply lost without each other. For Lol and Woody to have found one another in this big world is very special – I wonder if I’ll ever find it, it’s so rare.

 

So what about Woody – you’ve played him for almost 10 years now – what do you make of him and what are your feelings towards him?

I think he’s been though the mill, without a doubt, as far as suffering’s concerned, by I don’t think he’s helped himself previously. I think he’s had to toughen up an awful lot and gain a bit of integrity when Lol was going through what she was going through. Woody’s had to learn that he’s a wonderful dad who adores Lol and there’s nothing else that matters.

 

Shane is known for the unique way he works with his cast to get really authentic performances – was there any of that during the filming of this series, were Lol and Woody separated from the rest of the cast off set, for example?

Well we’re a family anyway, really. The show has documented my twenties which is a huge part of your life and development as a man, and the industry is a very unusual place to develop into an adult, but because of how close we are we’ve been there for each other. So when we get on set we know each other, warts and all. Shane knows that and the man is a genius, he’s doing what he needs to do to get the results and you’re always grateful when you see the results. He works out who you are and what will make you function to the best of your ability. This particular shoot Shane and myself were in a much happier place and at the risk of sounding a bit corny, we understood ourselves a little bit more. So when it got stressful on set and we were trying to analyse and process what we were trying to do, it didn’t feel as bad.

 

Does that make it harder when you go onto other jobs because there is such a unique environment on This Is England?

Without a doubt. Honestly there is nobody like Shane – to be lucky enough to work with that man is so rare and we are all so incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity. Without the man my career wouldn’t be where it is. He trusts you so much he doesn’t even give you bloody lines! So when you walk onto that set not even knowing what scene you’re going to shoot, you know you’ll absolutely smash it cause Shane’s there.

 

So how does it feel that this has been billed as the last series?

The end of an era! There’s that thing where you don’t want to keep pressing it. Shane has said this himself, that if the story isn’t there then you leave it be – let sleeping dogs lie, it’s done well and is a show we can all be proud of. When I’m lying on my deathbed I can say I worked with that man and I was a part of that movement – it’s a very special thing. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, but at the same time I keep in mind Fawlty Towers – an incredible series that is remembered very fondly because they left it where it was. But the idea of not seeing those people again and not being all together on set again absolutely breaks my heart it’s so so special.

 

What do you think the legacy of This Is England will be?

I think it’s something you can’t really put into a sentence. It’s a social commentary that I think England has been crying out for for a long time. It’s very honest, it’s very probing, it forces you to see things. Television usually hands you everything on a plate, but Shane makes you think and makes you feel. It’s important especially because of that era and that period which defined England and the working classes – even now 30 years down the line. I want people to know that it’s honest – everything you see on This Is England, on any series or film we’ve ever shot, is pure honesty. I’ve done a lot of shows and there’s never been one as honest as this.

 

What has it meant to you?

Oh god everything! Its made my career, it’s a really difficult question – it means everything to me, it chokes me up a bit. I was a kid that couldn’t read, couldn’t write, was struggling socially. I was lost thinking, ‘is this the rest of my life now?’ Then Shane and This Is England gave me the opportunity to live a life that I enjoy, I am so lucky every day I think about it. The job doesn’t come without its anxiety and worries but I know how lucky I truly am, and I owe it all to Shane and This Is England and those people I worked alongside without a shadow of doubt.

 

 

This Is England ‘90 starts on Channel 4 on Sunday 13th September at 9pm