Interview with Sophia Di Martino

6 April 2016

When the script for Flowers first appeared in front of you, how did you feel?

Really excited. It was unlike anything I’d ever read before. To start a comedy off with a guy trying to hang himself from a tree is pretty bold. I laughed out loud a lot as well, which is pretty rare. I was so relieved that a female character had been written like Amy – she’s so different and layered, which is really exciting, as an actress, to read something like that. I just felt like “I-Really-Want-This-Job.”

As you say, it starts with an attempted suicide. But you also said you laughed out loud. That’s a difficult balance to strike, isn’t it?

Yeah, and one only done by a few writers. I think Julia Davies does it really well. I’m struggling to think of anyone else off the top of my head that can do something that dark and moving and fucked up, but still make you laugh out loud a lot. It’s rare.

Explain a bit more about Amy. What’s her story?

She’s complicated. I think she shares a lot of similarities with her dad. She’s broken and sad. She knows that she hasn’t reached her full potential, whatever that might be. She’s a frustrated and creative woman who’s kind of festering away in this attic before her time. And then she falls in love with a neighbour, Abigail, before she even really knows her. I think she falls in love with the idea of being in love with someone. It could almost be anyone. Also because it represents a way out of this house and the family that she’s stuck with; Freedom.

She’s very close to her dad, and there are some very tender scenes with Julian Barratt. How did you find those?

They were some of my favourite scenes to film. They were just so well-written, and Julian is brilliant. I really enjoyed their characters both finding it so difficult to talk about how they feel. It’s so painful and awkward and difficult but they understand how important it is to confide in one another and try and help each other out. That was really fun to play. We improvised a bit in those scenes. Will [Sharpe]is so laid back with us playing around, and sometimes it makes us come up with interesting stuff.

As well as Julian, you were acting alongside Daniel Rigby and Georgina Campbell, who both have BAFTAs, and then Olivia Colman, who’s just an awards machine! Do you look at a cast like that and think ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to keep up with that lot?’

A little bit but that’s the same as any job. You just want to do it well. I was so excited to play Amy. And Daniel, Georgina, Olivia, Julian - they’re all really good people. I felt part of a weird little tribe. They didn’t bring their awards to set so I didn’t have to sit there and look at their BAFTAs all day! If anything, I just felt “My god, this is so cool. I’m among these great actors, watch and learn”.

We’ve touched on the fact that this is very funny, but there are quite long periods where it’s purely emotional and powerful and moving. Is this a comedy, or a comedy drama? And do you need to know that, so you know how to play your role?

It doesn’t really make a difference to me as an actor, because you read the script and take direction and then you do what your instincts tell you. People seem to want to give Flowers a comedy or a comedy-drama label. I suppose it’s closer to comedy-drama, but it feels like it requires a whole new definition all of its own. As you say, it’s quite moving and sad, and there are long periods without any jokes. But you do know that there will be another joke eventually!

You said you found a lot of this quite emotional to film. Did you sometimes have to take yourself off for a little cry?

I was just so happy to be there, that I found the whole thing quite overwhelming. And the scenes with me and Julian were especially sweet. There was definitely a big gulp when ‘cut’ was called for the last time.

Sophia Di Martino Credits:

Television credits include: MARVIN ITV2, FLOWERS (Kudos/Channel 4); SKY ARTS LITTLE CRACKER: SPENCER JONES’ CHRISTMAS (Tiger Aspect/Sky Arts); MIDSOMER MURDERS Series 18: ‘Breaking The Chain’ (ITV); THE JOB LOT Series 3 (Big Talk/ITV); HETTY FEATHER (CBBC); FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER Series 3 (Hat Trick/Channel 4); 4 O’CLOCK CLUB (CBBC); MOUNT PLEASANT (Sky); GREAT NIGHT OUT (Hat Trick); SOUTHCLIFFE (Channel 4/Warp); ETERNAL LAW (Kudos); THE ROAD TO CORONATION STREET (BBC/ITV); CASUALTY (BBC); BOY MEETS GIRL (ITV); SPOOKS: CODE 9 (Kudos); SURVIVORS (BBC); HEARTBEAT (Yorkshire Television); THE ROYAL TODAY (ITV); CASUALTY (BBC); IDEAL (BBC); NEW STREET LAW (BBC); STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL (Yorkshire Television); DOCTORS (BBC); HOLBY CITY (BBC).

 Film credits include: A ROYAL NIGHT OUT (Ecosse Films); THE MARCHIONESS DISASTER (Granada Television).

 Short Film credits include: THE LOCK-IN (Locked In Productions); DIVISION (Crazy Horse Entertainment); BLUE (Mezzo Films); FREERANGE (Spool Films).

 Theatre credits include: DIARY OF A FOOTBALL NOBODY (Nottingham Playhouse); WE ARE THREE SISTERS (Northern Broadsides); FINDING AUDREY COLE (National Review of Live Art); 4:48 PSYCHOSIS (Aspects); MANIA (Michael Mayhew & Co.); THE LARAMIE PROJECT (H.O.P.E).