'Status doesn't give you control'
Even great actors struggle to get good roles – but Juliet Stevenson finds solace in gardening
Katie Wilson - Commissioned by The Times
- Gareth McLean
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What’s the view from your sofa?
Beyond a pile of clutter waiting for my attention, it’s my back garden, which is another reminder of everything I’ve failed to do. We all feel that it’s nice to keep the TV to the side of the room and not dominate it. None of us wanted a great big, huge screen and it’s not a new TV. We inherited it from my late mum and it’s relatively small. One of my kids is back living with us temporarily – they’re young adults now – so he and my husband watch quite a lot of sport.
Are you a keen gardener?
Gardening helps keep me sane. I live on the clock all the time. I’m constantly running – and the garden is one place where you can forget about time. I’m most excited because we just recently put in a pond and we have a frog.
What do you enjoy watching?
I love The Great British Bake Off because you learn so much about the contestants. I’m fascinated by what food means to other people and why each contestant is making what they’ve chosen to cook or bake – even though I can’t stand cooking or baking.
For you, is it just fuel?
It’s just fuel, yes. When I was a kid, I was pretty weird about food and then I had an eating disorder in my teens and early adulthood. My husband’s a great cook, but I’m not bothered.
In Professor T, you play a therapist. Have you ever had any therapy yourself?
I’ve had a bit of therapy over the years and our eldest son is a therapist so we talk a lot about it. You’re aware that the therapist becomes very powerful, but they’re not supposed to assume power, of course. They want a room that is as freeing and equal as possible. But the minute the therapy session starts, they have power in some measure. It was interesting exploring that with Ben [Miller] in Professor T, as his character is always trying to be in control of wherever he is.
Actors often say that they lack control over their careers and just take the next job. But someone of your stature must get to pick and choose roles?
Even though you have lots of experience and some status, that often doesn’t give you much control. The only control you have is to say yes or no to a job. But that’s only if you can afford it. There are times when I have to say yes because I need to pay the bills. It’s a tricky thing to reconcile at my age – the fact that you still very often don’t have control. And by control I mean, “Am I allowed to contribute fully with all that I have to offer as an older person with so much life experience?”
Are you conscious about being an older actor?
I’ve been part of a campaign called Acting Your Age, which tries to bring people’s attention to the fact that for older actresses, the parts diminish. You have more to offer – more wisdom, more humour, more bravery – but the parts aren’t just fewer, they’re more stereotypical. I’m one of the lucky ones, so I’m speaking for many other wonderful actresses who I see fall by the wayside once they hit middle-age.
Do you think that’s changing?
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It’s better than it was but it’s not a huge amount better. There’s no halt in the trajectory of a male actor’s career when he hits 45. Brian Cox, for example, went from being a working actor to a huge star in his 60s. That rarely happens to a woman because there simply aren’t enough interesting roles.
Authors
Gareth McLean
Gareth McLean has been writing about television for nearly 30 years. As a critic, he's reviewed thousands of programmes. As a feature writer, he's interviewed hundreds of people, from Liza Minnelli to Jimmy Savile. He has also written for TV.
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