Interview with Vicky McClure for This Is England '90

3 September 2015

 

In 88 Lol was dealing with the aftermath and battling her demons, where do we find her at the start of 90?

She is content and happy, and with a new family set up she shares with Woody. They’ve got a baby together, and she’s got her daughter with Milky and somehow it works. The good thing for Lol is that she’s kind of taken on a bit of a career path, working at the school as a dinner lady with her mum and Kelly and Trev. So they’re quite a little team. Woody is the main parent in the family so he stays at home and looks after the kids. And that’s how you see her first off – it’s a happy little family.

 

Is that quite a relief for Lol to be having a bit of a happier time of it this series?

Yeah. In realistic terms – which is how we shoot, as realistic as possible – she was never going to be completely rid of her demons, they will always come round to haunt her at times, but through working with Evelyn, the nurse, she’s got somebody she can go to. The fact that she’s got children and Woody back who is her absolute rock – she can function now. She’s told Woody what happened, so she’s passed on that pain a little bit to him, which he’s going to help support her with.

 

There’s a bit of a split this time round between the younger members of the gang and Lol, Woody and Milky. Did this series feel different, like you growing up a little bit?

Yeah, ‘86 was crazy because we all lived in a set of flats together so we were literally next door to one another. It was carnage, but brilliant carnage. We needed that to re-bond and get into each other’s lives a bit more, and if we were all apart it would have been harder to do that. And during ’88 everyone was separated again – because of the way the show was panning out Joe was one end of Sheffield I was the other end, and the gang were all in hotels. This time round we were all in hotels. I never went out with the gang in ‘86 or ’88, I was trapped in my own little head. This time, it was kind of weird because we’d go out and I’d say “shall we stop now and go home?” and they said ”no, we’re out let’s stay out!” It was nice and absolutely reflects what happens in the show.

 

How would you describe how Lol and Woody work together as a couple – do you think theirs is the ultimate modern relationship?

Woody and Lol have been together for a very long time – they’re childhood sweethearts who met at school and have had their ups and downs, in more ways than one. But they just get each other, she can be a little bit angry, or be a bit of a mardy bum so to speak, but Woody just brushes it off, he doesn’t take anything too seriously and that’s exactly what she needs. There’s nothing but love there – and even when Lol betrayed Woody in ‘86,she wasn’t doing it to upset him, or to piss him of or to get at him, she just needed someone to listen and Milky did that.

 

The scene where he comes in from the last episode of ‘88 with the Zimmer frame…

I know – and who else would be able to do that after someone just tried to commit suicide and then they tell you that they’ve murdered someone – only he would be able to say I’m gonna be the one to look after you, and take her on and his best mate’s child as well – that’s where we begin in ‘90.

 

Shane is known for his unique methods to get the most authentic performances out of his cast, was there much of that in this series?

No, we were pretty much let loose this year. What was different this time round is everybody knows their characters better than we’ve ever known them. We didn’t rehearse – which is a first for Shane – and we didn’t do a read-through but just went straight to set because we all know well enough our characters. For me personally it was nerve-wracking cause we’re going back onto a really successful show and we want to do it justice even more than before and up our game. There was one particular scene, that I won’t spoil, but it took everyone to really knuckle down and we managed to get it in one take – it’s a long scene with a lot of characters and it was one of my proudest moments. Shane knows how to work everybody on a personal level. On the day we shot this scene I was desperate to ask for some advice and he said “I’m not going to talk to you, I’ll let you do your thing.” It was frustrating because I just wanted to know where his head was and if I was going down the right road, but he trusted me and I think he got what he needed – so I’ve just got to keep trusting him.

 

Does the freedom to improvise and collaborate on the set of This Is England make going into jobs where that isn’t that freedom harder?

I’ve been on jobs before where you sort of improvise a bit and you have a bit of free reign, but with Shane you don’t even worry about the camera, there are no marks on the floor and no fussing about with the set and lighting. You get on set, and every member of crew just disappears and whatever room we film in is just the cast and Shane, without anyone else there disturbing you. The crew are solid as a rock. Stuart our new DOP was incredible this year. I do other shows like Line of Duty that are more structured, but I couldn’t improvise that even if I wanted to – the scripts are so incredible. Every method has its place.

 

The series is known for its huge emotional and difficult storylines. How was it filming those scenes, does it affect you off set?

‘88 was rougher for me than ever, I really went as far as I could to push myself into that dark world of Lol. I don’t know how else I’d do it, how else you could act that – you’ve got to feel that hurt and disgust, that pain that character would have gone through. To try and even begin to do that justice you have to send yourself into a dark space. During ‘90 I just didn’t need to do it.

 

Do you have a favourite of the four eras that have been covered?

There’s no way on earth I could ever answer that – all are unique and different in terms of fun factor – ‘90 was the most fun for me but ‘88 and ‘86 were major turning points for my character. The film, well, I can barely remember it! It feels like forever! My hair’s still pretty much shaved – I’ve never been able to grow my hair since that film.

 

What do you think the legacy of This Is England will be both in terms of film and drama, but also on a personal level for you?

Well number one, there is nothing like it and there never will be anything like it because of the people involved in it and because of Shane, he is unique. Shane has created a world where so many people can relate to it; if you can remember the 80s and 90s you’ll love it, or if you’re a kid who is 14 and hasn’t got a clue what the 80s was like and you can relate to having a gang of friends who are as important your family. I think the realism of the stories that Shane picks and develops, and the way that it’s all put together, will have a really lasting legacy.

 

Lol’s become a bit of a style icon throughout the various seasons. How would you describe her 90’s style?

Nothing’s changed and she still wears the high-waisted jeans, but I think my arse has got a little bit larger, I find it really funny! She wears her doc’s and she wears her Fred Perry’s and cardigans. Nothing’s changed because nothing would have changed for her and that’s the reality of the situation. I meet people now walking down the street and they say “ah I love This Is England” and they’re stood there in the same gear they would have worn 20 years ago – we’re keeping it real!

 

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