Interview with Sue Johnstone who plays resident Gloria

9 September 2021

What drew you to this story?

Stephen Graham really. Because I’d been working with him on “Time” and he asked me “will you read it, will you do it?” I don’t know whether it was because they couldn’t get 80-year-old actors and the insurance, because it was in all during lockdown! He said “I know it’s not much of a big part, but I think you’ll like the script”. When I read it I did like it, yes it wasn’t very much, every part is important in this story, so I wanted to do it.

Your character Gloria is a resident of Bright Sky Homes. She is frail and needs a lot of help but clearly enjoys a naughty joke or two. How did you put yourself in the place of this character?

Just imagination really. You just put yourself in that position and imagine what you’d feel, what you’d be like. It did get strangely depressing being in one room. You started to think about the end of life. It was sort of quite scary really. I was talking to the lovely people who played my family, we were talking about what you bring to one room of a house full of possessions you’ve accrued over a lifetime. It sort of made you feel, made you imagine exactly what it would be like. It wasn’t very pleasant. None of us want to end up in a care home, especially since Covid. So yeah it was only a little imagination needed, I could easily put myself in her shoes. I know may people who have gone into care homes.

How much did you know about the Covid crisis in care homes before taking on this project?

As much as everybody else because it was all over the news. What was happening was bad. It was unbelievable that they would send people from hospital to the care homes without being tested and put everybody at risk. And as much as they try to say they locked their arms around them, they didn’t. It was an absolute travesty. So yes, I knew an awful lot about it.

What do you think a drama can add to our understanding of this historic moment?

I think it’s a great reflection, I’m so glad someone’s done it. We need to remember this time and drama is a great way of taking people on that journey. In the same way that “Time” brought you into prison and gave you a bird’s eye view. We need drama to reflect the truth, let people be drawn into and identify a character and go on that journey with them. That’s sort of what we do with Jodie. We go with her to her job and watch everything develop around her and how she deals with it. Somehow it becomes more personal because you’re invested in her, so you care. And you’re invested in the characters in the care home. It’s a privilege you don’t get if you just watch the news. Drama gives you the opportunity to do that, you get to know them, you sympathise, you get angry at the way they’ve been treated. You can feel it and that way understand it. That’s what I think anyway.

Did filming across the third lockdown heighten the atmosphere on set?

Well yes, it was such a strange situation… it made it very real. When you’re on your own at home it feels a bit odd. When you go out and about, driving along the motorway and there are hardly any cars, and you go in and it’s all socially distanced, all those rules and regulations…. We’ve never had to endure that before, it was the first in my lifetime. So it was strange and it became very real, it became the whole script and everything we were dealing with.

Across the cast from Jodie to yourself we have multiple generations of Liverpudlian acting royalty. What was it like being on set with these actors?

It was a lovely atmosphere. To work with Stephen Graham is a total joy because he brings something. He’s an extraordinary actor and he’s also the most wonderful human being, and he brings all that energy and love and generosity to set. He makes it fun for everyone. Even when he’s playing these very dark parts he always makes it a wonderful place to be. If you’re with Stephen Graham you’re in a great place. And I’d never met Jodie but I admired her tremendously. And I couldn’t take my eyes off her, she’s the most beautiful and charismatic young woman, and full of fun as well. If I’m surrounded by scouse accents I’m a very happy woman!

Yourself and Jack Thorne also hold a special place for Channel 4 viewers, from Kiri that you did together, to Brookside back in the day, what is it about Jack’s shows that you think are so special? 

I think Jack Thorne’s writing always hits the mark for me. You know, he knows about working class roots, he knows about truth, he’s just my sort of writer. He’s like Jimmy McGovern. They hit the nail on the head and they tell it as it is. And yet they can always find humour in things. Which I think is very important. You don’t want to be preached at for an hour and half. You want a good story that moves you, and also moves you with amusement, there has to be shifts, and he does get under people’s skin. I like to think my character was quite a fun lady until she got sick. But you know there’s a lot of humour in there. And Jack’s kind. Kind is something that I feel very strongly about. People need to be kind, and as a writer he is kind. A generosity to human beings.

How important was the sense of place for this story?

I think a sense of place was extremely important because it wasn’t a set, it was real, it did seem to close in on you. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that room to be honest because I really did start thinking “what would I take to a room?” It could happen to me, I’m getting on in years and we all end up somewhere. I never thought of it in that way before. I was looking at how design had done a brilliant job. And you look at these rooms. And what do you need at the end of it all. You need your family, your family photographs, and your memories. I keep looking round my house and thinking “what would I take?” The atmosphere was perfect because you could believe. And if you can believe that you’re in a home, that the character you’re playing exists, I think that’s half the job, to believe in it. It definitely helped stepping into it. Especially at that time on the news, the news was riddled with it. It was just so appalling what has gone on in these homes. It was heart-breaking.

And finally, is it coming home to Anfield this season?

Absolutely! We’re going to take the cup again this year, going to get a new midfielder and then everything will be plain sailing.