In conversation with Maggie Smith: "I led a perfectly normal life until Downton Abbey" | BFI

are you are you one of those actors who are you happy to watch yourself on sorry I really don't so I might be quite startled if amazing this way no I really don't and it's um I think it's because you can't do anything about it I mean in the theater at least you said you can say like I have another go tomorrow night or but it's forever I mean I have I have seen something that a long time ago I think and of course you have you you're forced to see even if you're at a one of those premiere things but you always see one of the earth did I do it like that woods and this isn't going black again one way the actors divided in microphone said there is some who I mean hate acting they find it agonizing that's for themselves and there are some who seen actually to enjoy it on that spectrum well where are you it honestly it all depends it depends on on who is with you who is directing what the atmosphere is like some things can be absolutely joyous and inexplicably so and sometimes they can just be torment and then you think what nerve them I do I do is in some some godforsaken location you know different you open let me out of here and you and you would do it anyway you know you just do the shot because you'll sit in despair I think the people the people who can really control themselves and and deliver whenever are just brilliant because I think that's the hardest thing to do when you've been unit wrapped in a trailer for hours on end and then expect to come out and will you know bright-eyed and bushy-tailed I find that the most difficult thing so it areas on whether it's a jolly occasion or not what was the most tormented thing you ever did I think the most what thinking about trailers and being in that it was was in the snow for about a week was that Daffy hat on my head for Harry Potter and sitting in that trailer day after day and not being used that doesn't make you feel too Johnny that that's that's that's a horrid thing but there was there were other people in the trailer also moaning like Marion Margot you're not alone when you moan and you've been as we're going to see in something that you've been in high-profile roles for a long time but recently with Harry Potter and damson Abbey these were huge things in terms of public recognition did that were you aware of that more people goggling it's it's ridiculous I led a perfectly normal life until Downton Abbey no I'm not kidding I mean I'd go to theaters I'd go to galleries and things like that on my own and I can't and that's you know or for the Fulham roads dodgy little own so and it's all truly television I mean I've been working around for a very long time before Downton Abbey and you know with life was something nobody knew the hell it was it has changed in a Monday and you and you talked about not liking to watch yourself so Downton Abbey would you ever settle down on something like I've not seen that ever no I haven't seen it if a people are suppose we got to a point when it was too late to catch up I need all mergers in my head now I couldn't tell what one thing from another now you must see you you might be some later unless you look away but and Leslie um as award ceremonies and so on you must have seen the odd clip of Danton yes that's what I say you're forced to but yeah it's always we of course it's weird you're seeing yourself this was you know mirrors are tricky so Pacific rasa and with that and the thing that famously happens to people thickening comedies have catchphrases is being asked to say certain line yeah people ask you to say Dowager esque things to them last night a Brazilian lady asked me to see I'd I thought she was seriously asking a question what is her weekend and that does happen and we've got back live later I'm here my own faces to it yeah so which the answer is this is a weekend but ah what and a Dicky wait.you marriage and did you deliver it for her yes I had to I had to because she was a very grand lady sponsoring some artisan people are so is it very small thing to have to do the next gun clip we're going to talk about is a writer who has been very significant in your career who is Alan Bennett we're going to you've done many things lady in the van we do and she played them miss Shepard the religious pamphleteer and vagrant who and set up her lovely young lady Mark Parker caravan on them Alan Bennett's drive in real life anyway you know I am and then you Eve also done yes I would function another tremendous Alan oh yeah with the plague yes the Peking yeah it would three three peaks one had to have makeup because he had a black that was chaotic he didn't know about action my I'm surprised people there now such an accepted part of TV history the Talking Heads but at the time many people thought he was quite mad there was lots of discussion yeah there's lots of discussion about whether they would sustain because only news readers talked straight to the camera you know wonderful Patricia of round rich and thora Hird amazing and we taught on in the previous clips about action television knowing where the camera is it's interesting some actors did it looks great down the lens at us the audience you um have a much wider scan looking at us I noticed I was able Thurman Allen directed that but he didn't um then move the Cameron and Alan didn't really say much you go to the whole thing which was quite long in with in one take and I would look at him hopefully for a you know notes or he said I thought it was champion it was very difficult to get in with you - please tell me that but that's quite a good note yeah and that's interesting champion is one of those great northern yeah is peerless but it's great and but that's another decision with Alan Bennett I'm you have to side how northern to play it because they are written more than aren't they clearly see Antony is there you know the rhythm is it's it's almost impossible to do things without it and that's that is it is very hard you think because I can all come from hour ago although miss Shepard it may be sorry going no I'm just kidding membership we came to installing I can say so that is yes so she's not one of the northern characters which is interesting in bed but still some of the writing you can hear Alan in your head so it's quite risky did um because this is one of the roles you've played I mean this and Harry Potter are playing a role over and over again and did you in the case of this one the Dowager did you find her quite easily I mean at the beginning you know what she was like yes but and also my I'm and one has helped enormously by by the costume you know the clothes and the wind either I just did the Hat please let me take this up but you know when when you've been put into all that stuff you you're helped enormously by what by the people who do that but in that church I've seen that was a good example because you have to walk in a certain way yeah that's like that without that was very good Penelope will remember at the end and she walking up and down that picture and and when this I went funny I kept saying to pretend what well it were you better where are you so we have to swap sides in then I did I get some grunty behind me choosing our about staging which is the last thing and then approval to do anybody and there's a lot of talk as you know about there not being sufficient roles for older and clearly and there's very little in Shakespeare at all part in which by Glenn Jackson played King Lear and there's very little for older women in Shakespeare nothing really well be all's well that ends well the Cantor supposes the only way he lives and you just got my first Beauty damn Judy's always there see was Joan Plowright who said that to me she said there are paths but Jude's always gotta build oh she's always got a paws on sir quite right too but then there are they've been these little windfall them you've got you had Downton Abbey you had a Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Harry Potter and these are things but you couldn't have known would come along because they didn't text me I think dead down journalist the big surprise I mean nobody knew that it was going to and family enough when it did come out and Penelope and I were in India so you have no idea this great thing had occurred and then till we missed all that we helped we felt rather miss George it's a huge success you know everybody's talking about Italy of course we weren't we were in you know who Jaipur or somewhere weird so you were working on it and let you work on Best Exotic Marigold Hotel yeah yeah what's not meat yeah we were doing I don't know which one okay they all kind of move I'm but Downton Abbey there is talk of a movie hmm do you know anything I think it's personal I don't know I mean I've always I would was firmly convinced it would start with the with the funeral a bit like not Marchbanks what was he called in Brideshead oh yes Lord Marchmain yeah yeah I feel a bit bit like that okay croaking American agree I would just start with the with the body but I don't know they talk about the being a film but it's you who knows who knows what were an opport I'm tell me if you do know where an offer to be made would you do it I just think I I just think it's squeezing it dry do you know what I mean I don't know I don't know what it could possibly be because it's in meandering or what would you anyway that's not my problem is it the Lord's probably yes okay if we could bring the lights up and we've got microphones out in the audience oh yeah just tossing likely and they may get a few years ago when you decided to become an actress I mean did you just what made you decide why did you just fall into it and then did you go into stage or Junior ha that's that I have honestly it's a very peculiar thing because I didn't kind I didn't go to the theatre I wasn't aware of it at all as a child I can only think that it will it would started at school with the English teacher I had who encouraged me because I was so fascinated by in what will we only read Shakespeare obviously at school but and I was never in any school plays which always drove me insane I used to get furious but it was really down to her on her own it's an odd thing because you know usually people say they've been to the theatre and they'd seen something and then realize but that's not the way it worked for me I just and also I just knew I had to do it which is weird what why did they not cast you in school plays because I was common no they did Twelfth Night and Veronica East you see her name everywhere [Laughter] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: BFI

Views: 3,908,626

Rating: 4.907423 out of 5

Keywords: British Film Institute (Publisher), british, film, institute, films, movie, movies, BFI, Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, Mark Lawson, ITV, Television, drama, Alan Bennett

Id: detAlTL9sbM

Length: 15min 51sec (951 seconds)

Published: Fri May 19 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/markemupsellemon]

Her story about the lady from South America asking her to say "What is a weekend?" and Maggie thinking it was a question made me laugh.