The six-episode ITV dramedyGirlfriends, available weekly at Acorn TV (a streaming service focused on British and international television from RLJ Entertainment), follows three friends who are struggling with the responsibilities that come with being a modern woman of a certain age. After the sudden death of her husband, Linda (Phyllis Logan) turns to her childhood friends, Sue (Miranda Richardson) and Gail (Zoë Wanamaker), to come to terms with being on her own after over 30 years of marriage, but the three women quickly learn that there could be more secrets and deception in their lives than they ever could have imagined.
While at the TCA Press Tour presentation forAcorn TV, Collider got the opportunity to sit down with actress Miranda Richardson for this 1-on-1 interview about whyGirlfriendsappealed to her, what she most enjoyed about playing this character, the biggest challenges of the experience, and whether she’d like to continue to explore Sue. She also talked about why she wanted to play Madame Tracy in theGood OmensTV series (based on the novel byNeil GaimanandTerry Pratchett, and with Gaiman as showrunner) for Amazon, and what she looks for in a project.
Collider: This series is so fun and funny. Was that part of the appeal?
MIRANDA RICHARDSON: Yeah, I think so. I don’t think I even realized, fully, on first reading, the comedic potential of it, but I’m pretty sure that’s why Kay [Mellor] saw me. She had seen comedic stuff that I’d done and thought I could bring that to it. Even when things are falling apart for Sue, you’re able to still have a bit of a guilty chuckle. It’s just like, “Stop and look at yourself, for a minute! Just calm down!” Some of us can relate to that, on occasion, or know people who are like that, who are driven and missing some of the important things in life.
What do you most enjoy about playing this particular woman, and what were the biggest challenges in playing her?
RICHARDSON: I enjoy just going to work every day, really, and knowing that there were some very decent scenes to play and to get your teeth into. The challenge is the amount of dialogue. It’s so not cinema. It’s plotty. It’s very skillfully done, but we have to get this across in this scene. Sometimes I cringe and go, “Is there a way for it to not be so obvious?,” but at the same time, it’s a comedy and you’re allowed to say it in those words. That’s part of the comedic bit of it. It’s just quite camp. You’re meant to go, “Okay, I get it. It’s that sort of a drama.” It’s on a cliffhanger, and then you move into the next episode and go, “I wonder what’s gonna happen!” There were so many words. Poor Kay, I think I gave her a version of events, on a good day. She actually gave up and said, “It sounds the same. It’s all right.”
How did you find the experience of working with Zoë Wanamaker and Phyllis Logan?
RICHARDSON: As actors, they’re thoughtful and precise and playful. There wasn’t much time for playing around on set because television, by its nature, is all about, “Get on and do it and make the day.” Kay directed the first three episodes, and in week one, she said, “Right, so this is the rehearsal. Anything you want to say about any ideas you’ve got, this is the time. Not too much is gonna change, but let me know if anything doesn’t sit right.” I was thinking, “This is just the week before. This is all gonna change when we actually do it.” I think she really thought there wouldn’t be any questions that came up. That’s only the beginning of the process. On any given day, I might say, “What time of day is it?” She’d go, “How is that relevant?” She did have an answer for everything that you came up with. Absolutely, she knows her story, inside out, and she knows her plotline. She’s got a laser sharp brain. But I did think it was amusing that we were supposed to get all of our questions out of the way, the first week we were up there.
I loved the moments you had with Anthony Head and I was really rooting for Sue to stick up for herself. Were you rooting for her, too?
RICHARDSON: Absolutely! Anthony has got a wonderful quality. He’s a lovely actor and he’s Mr. Handsome, but there’s a little weakness there that he can play, too. It’s just how he comes across. It’s brilliant and it works so well. That was quite fun. It’s not like she sinks her teeth in and eviscerates him, or anything like that. It’s meant to be a mature discussion between equals, but it doesn’t come across like that. She could actually run rings around him, but she can’t even see it. That first confrontation was fun. That scene was fun. It’s for the better because there were gains made from things she can let into her life much more. It’s arguably a better type of life.
Is this a character that you’d like to play some more, if there are further seasons ofGirlfriends?
RICHARDSON: Yeah! I think there are opportunities. I’m sure Kay has already thought about where she might take them, if it were to go for another [season]. It’s a question of the comedic arc of it, I suppose, where that would go and how plausible it would be. I think she had fun with it, writing these women.
You’re also doing theGood OmensTV series. What was it about that material that most appealed to you?
RICHARDSON: I liked the character a lot and I was very aware of Neil Gaiman’s work. I have to say that I have never read a Terry Pratchett, but I know what a huge following he has. The fact that the two of them had worked together on this was really intriguing. It already had quite a number of considerable people linked to it, and the production values were great. They were spending enough money on it to make it look as good as they possibly could. It was a lovely thing to tuck in at the end of the year, as well, at least for me. They’re just about finished now. They’ve been in South Africa, and all of my stuff was in London. And it was like a Christmas present, really, to be able to finish up the year, doing that. I got to work with Michael McKean, ofSpinal TapandBetter Call Saul, and he was a delight. And having Neil as the showrunner was perfect. He was very generous, full of stories and terrific. He’s a storyteller and it’s like you’re a child, in a good way. You’re like, “Oh, he stopped talking. I have to do something else now.”
What did you like about Madame Tracy?
RICHARDSON: I just loved the idea of being a whore crossed with a medium. I thought that was hilarious. And she’s been helping people out. That is genuinely her desire. She’s earning a bit of money, but she’s also helping people, in whatever situation they find themselves in, whether in her capacity as a lady of the night, or in getting in contact with their dearly departed. I just love that housewifely aspect to her. And we had a great deal of fun with the costume and make-up.
What is it that you look for in a project, at this point in your career, and it is hard to find what you’re looking for?
RICHARDSON: Something I haven’t done, and it can be, yeah. It might just be that I’m not reading something very intelligently. I have a very good agent who goes, “No, look at this properly and take it seriously. You might find that you do want to do this.” A couple of jobs in the past I’ve done under some sort of pressure, still not being sure about it, and then had a wonderful time, like withMerlin, for instance. When I readMerlin, I just went, “What?!” I love fantasy and romance. I’m an addict forGame of Thrones. Sometimes the words you have to say, I’m just like, “Come on, I don’t think I can do that!” Fortunately, in this case, Same Neill got on the phone and said, “I think it’s gonna be good. I think it’s gonna be all right. It’s a nice team. I don’t think you’ll have a bad time. We’d love you to do it.” Also, I seem to recall that the money was extremely nice. And I thought it turned out really well. I loved it. I had a very good time.
You’ve played such a wide variety of characters that are all over the map. Is there anything in common with the work that you do?
RICHARDSON: No, there isn’t, and that’s fun for me, but in terms of career and people recognizing you, occasionally, I think it might be confusing. What can I do? There is another way of going, which is to play virtually the same kind of thing, each time you do a role, and that can be called a star, but then there are gradations of that, as well. It doesn’t seem to have worked that way for me. I’d like to do something very, very painterly in film, where there’s not much dialogue and the face does the talking, behind the eyes. I would love to work on something like that, that’s really contemplative. I think that’s such a discipline.
That seems like it would also be a bit scary to do something like that.
RICHARDSON: Sure, which is what I look for. You’d have to have a prior dialogue with the director, about what you’re doing and what you hope to achieve, without needing the words on screen. That would be fantastic.
Do you enjoy having a balance between film and TV?
RICHARDSON: There are pros and cons in whatever you do, but I am so fascinated by film and I think I always will be. It’s about what you choose to say.
Girlfriendsis available to stream weekly at Acorn TV, starting on January 29th.
