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Born in London, Michele Austin trained at Rose Bruford College before beginning a wide-ranging career on television, film and stage. She was Yvonne Hemmingway in The Bill for three years from 2003, and more recently starred opposite Ben Whishaw as straight-talking midwife Tracy in This Is Going to Hurt on BBC One. On stage, most recently Austin appeared in Jamie Lloyd’s production of Cyrano and in his revival of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect at the National Theatre. She has worked with director Mike Leigh five times, most notably in 1996’s Palme d’Or-winning Secrets and Lies, and has now been nominated for several awards for her role as Chantelle, the loving sister of Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s character Pansy in Leigh’s latest film, Hard Truths. She is married to Nick Stafford, who adapted War Horse for the stage. They have two children.
When did you first work with Mike Leigh?
It was my second or third job in a play called It’s A Great Big Shame at Stratford East. Luckily for me, because I was fresh out of drama school, I didn’t know how important he was. He asked me to do something, and it seemed to me quite simple. A lot of people mess up when they meet him because they want to do something impressive. He’s very clear: don’t do anything interesting. I met Marianne at the same time. We played sisters then too. After that I played her friend in Secrets and Lies and we’ve remained friends. To do Hard Truths 30 years on has been so special.
Chantelle is such a lovely, warm character. Did playing her change you?
She has none of the hang-ups that I have! She feels happy and sexy and comfortable. The joke between me and Marianne is that I am more like her character Pansy [who is suffering from depression]. I’m the cynical one and she’s a ray of sunshine. What was great about playing Chantelle is that there are these beautiful, positive black women who are just living their lives and trying to be good people. We don’t really see enough of those. It’s also really important to see this black family on a big screen. We are not a monolith as a community and as a culture. They’re just people dealing with the things families deal with: what do you do when you have a sister who’s depressed and you don’t really know how to help?
What is Mike Leigh like to work with? Is he scary?
I think some people may find him scary. He knows what he wants. He’s also got a wicked sense of humour. I’m very aware that I’ve known him a long time, so he treats me in a very loving way. When I met Mike I was 23, and during that first job my dad died, and Mike was so gorgeous with me. It’s a big bond. Working with him is a full-body experience. It’s terrifying, and really hard work, but it’s really good work.
How long did it take to make the film?
This was a short one. We had 14 weeks to rehearse and then a six-week shoot. It starts at the same place for everyone. He asks you to bring in a list of people you can describe. It might be somebody you know or somebody where you don’t even know their name, but people that you can describe. You gradually cut that list down and eventually he decides that your character is based on a certain number of people. When we started, I didn’t even know that Marianne and I were going to play sisters. It’s like you’re rehearsing up until the point at which the film starts. You’re creating the whole world, all the relationships, all the tensions, everything. Everything comes from the truth of those characters. And obviously you’re doing your research. Chantelle’s a hairdresser so I went off and had hairdressing lessons.
Do you think you could become a hairdresser?
Of course I did – I’m an actor! I had a dummy head at home and would practise plaiting while I watched TV. I thought I was going to be amazing but of course I’ve forgotten everything. What I did love, though, was sitting in the salon. Hairdressers matter to women; it’s a really important space for us. I had a friend who was a hairdresser and sadly she died; it was the biggest funeral, because she knew everyone.
How are you finding the awards circuit?
I’m embracing it. Marianne and I are having so much fun. I’m a middle-aged black woman. I have worked hard. I am thinking this is an achievement, this is success. I love seeing behind the curtain a bit. Going to the Vanity Fair party with Marianne was great. It’s a little bit like the Wizard of Oz. Everybody’s just real. And you’re inwardly going, oh, aren’t you small?. So yeah, I’m genuinely enjoying it, but also I’m very aware that it’s not my real life.
What about the fashion aspect of it?
I love the dressing up. There’s something lovely about somebody going, ‘Here, wear that’, then taking it away. On the other hand I’m a normal woman and I look like a normal woman, and I have all those things going through my head when we have our picture taken or go to a special event. I’m fascinated by people who find that easy. I don’t. I really don’t care about looking ugly when I’m playing a role. But when it’s me on the red carpet I have to have a bit of a word with myself and not be too hard on myself.
Like Hard Truths, your most recent stage role as the psychiatrist Lorna James in The Effect directly dealt with mental health issues.
I couldn’t believe my luck when I read that play. It was so powerful. Thinking about how to portray what a mental health issue looks like and feels like for a middle-aged woman was tantalisingly amazing. We don’t talk about mental health enough. The younger generation have the vocabulary and I really respect them for that. But for middle-aged women, we just keep on carrying on. I completely connected with that character. It was the same with the midwife in This is Going to Hurt. I just knew who that person was. I think I connect with acerbic women on the back foot. I really love that.
What made you want to be an actor in the first place?
I was an only child and spent a lot of time on my own playing and watching television. In between the wrestling and World of Sport there were all these films by people like Deanna Durbin and Mickey Rooney, and My Fair Lady, and all those Doris Day films. I hoovered it up. I didn’t think I was going to be Audrey Hepburn, but I loved the escapism and the storytelling. It filled my imagination. I had very lovely parents who were very cool about it. I think what made them less nervous was that I was doing a degree.
Has your career always gone smoothly?
I’ve had my ups and downs and long periods when I thought it was never going to happen. Weirdly it was a struggle after Secrets and Lies. I’d been in an Oscar-nominated film and I didn’t work for maybe 18 months after that. Now I’m getting into a space where I can choose a bit more, where I can do a bit more playing and creating.
How do you feel about The Bill?
I understand that people can be snooty about it, but I learned loads about being on camera, how the set works and what everybody does. I learned how to learn lines quickly. But the most important thing is it gave me security. At that point, Nick was doing the workshops for War Horse and people were still looking sceptical when he said the main character was going to be a puppet. What it meant for us was our mortgage. People sometimes forget that actors want to have mortgages too.
Do you think things have improved for black actors since you started your career?
Yes, but they can improve further. What’s even more important is the other stuff. We are more visible but are we visible behind the scenes? I want to see more diverse producers and gatekeepers too.
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Hard Truths is in UK and Irish cinemas on 31 January and was released in the US in December
English (US) ·