Bethany Lauren Birley asks:
Can you tell me how to get into acting?
Guardian contributor For me, coming from a non acting family, a non business family, it meant going to drama school. That felt like my only way in, and perhaps it is the easiest way in because training is really important.
threeoneginge asks:
What has been your most emotionally draining role?
Guardian contributor That's all I play! That's what they pay me for. I can't really single one out.
Patrice Gaujean asks another:
You really have a good sense of humor. I saw you in Wild West on YouTube. Would take a break from all the heavy drama roles and do comedy?
Guardian contributor I'd love to. I find it a bit scary. I think I'm really funny in my kitchen with my friends. There's a lot of comedy in Oil though - I get to do some funny things. Write me something funny!
Guardian contributor When I was with Dawn French in Wild West, I had a scene where I had to do this thing where my dress was accidentally tucked in my knickers. Being the method actor I am, I did it really accurately. Dawn was like: no! And tucked them in massively. I was like, oh sorry, I wanted it to be realistic. She said: when Monica in Friends came out with a turkey on her head, was that funny?
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bleeper asks:
When you’re acting, do you see yourself acting, as if you were watching your own performance? Or do you make yourself believe you’re the character you’re playing?
Guardian contributor I always try to do the latter, but some nights I'm sitting in row D.
Ailgabe asks:
What do you think the Irish element of your background has given you professionally (if anything)?
Guardian contributor It's enabled me to work in Ireland on exciting projects. My first job in Ireland was on an adaptation of A Monk's Women, I've worked in Irish theatre... I've had a double life, which has been pretty awesome.
Narwhal66 asks:
Thank you for your work highlighting the harsh realities and injustices for refugees, particularly women and girls. I saw you at the Women for Refugee Women and CARE International UK in September where you read some of the testimonies of women facing danger on their journey to safety as well as their resilience and strength. Given the hostility to refugees by some in the media, do you think your activism on refugees and gender equality has affected your career?
Guardian contributor I honestly don't think so. I don't see how it would, the kind of work that I do. I live here in this planet to have opinions too, so it's important for me to participate, especially for my sisters, for women. I'm fortunate enough to have an incredibly privileged life, I am educated, I have had the opportunity to be educated, I can read whatever books I want, make love to whoever I want, do the job I choose to, I can walk into a polling station and vote. So I see it as my duty to stand up for other women whose lives are not so full of good fortune.
AJBee asks:
You are listed as a voice in the upcoming Watership Down series. How differently do you approach voice work? is it a chore or a challenge working without input into the visual? (Kudos on many great performances, and great creative decisions.)
Guardian contributor This was my first animation, and I had a great time. It's a real leap of creative faith, but I saw the preliminary sketches and they're beautiful and I'm very excited to see the end result. I've been wanting to do animation for years, actually.
Nic Bullen asks:
What’s your view on the breaking news regarding Emma Rice’s departure from the Globe?
Guardian contributor I'm disappointed and shocked, at the lack of vision. It's this lack of celebrating potential, again. She was innovative, what's wrong with that?
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Irish roots
Lindon asks:
Do your Irish roots feel important to you, or do you feel more English/a Londoner?
Guardian contributor I feel like a Londoner. Because I didn't grow up in an English household, my roots are hugely important to me, they define me and they feel and taste and smell like home. Most of my family are in Ireland, my best sister-friend is in Ireland, and it's a huge part of my life. London is where I grew up, I'm proud of our attitude, especially recently in the Brexit vote. I love the melting pot of London. It's just one of the greatest cities in the world - I think we forget what we have. I know it's a tough eight year old boy, sometimes living here. It's combative and expensive. But it's glorious and creative and cool as hell.
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mundayschild asks:
What inspires you musically?
Guardian contributor I'm so promiscuous musically, I like so many different things... I have just been listening to Nick Cave's Skeleton Tree album, that's my latest inspiration. Anyone who is a total artist inspires me - Patti Smith, Bjork... anyone who commits to unashamed creative energy, and the point of it, and celebrating the necessity of it inspires me. And it's in that Nick Cave album, really clearly. And his capacity to see the beauty in imperfection.
TracyJavid asks:
What can Hollywood do to address the lack of leading roles for black and ethnic actors?
Guardian contributor Start writing roles for black and ethnic actors, and then casting them in them. Colour blind casting, as well. What about the UK though? We're losing so many actors to America because we're not casting them in our dramas.
Will Adolphy asks:
If you could only do one more play, play one more part, at one last theatre, what, which and where would this be?
Guardian contributor That's like your last meal, isn't it?? It would be at the age of 102, I would play Hedda Gabler, at the Olivier in the National Theatre. Or Queen Lear, copy Glenda Jackson.
Undecided on pork pie
ID9687418 asks:
Pork pie or Scotch egg?
Guardian contributor Too difficult! It depends on when and where. Hangover, no hangover, summer picnic... and the pork pie!
Technoguys asks:
You used to be on a lot of TV series early on, then did film roles. Now I associate you more with theatre. Do you find this the most satisfying of all your roles? Which stage role is your favourite?
Guardian contributor I started acting in the theatre, so it feels like home. That said, a really good film or TV set is incredibly thrilling. All mediums are defined by how good the yarn is you're telling. I just like working.
For example, when we made Suffragette, we knew that this was an important story. And it galvanised all the crew and cast, and made us want to do the best we could. In the way that a great rehearsal room is a real equaliser, it's not about trailer size or billing, or who's worth more. Because the story is always the star.
I think that television is a hugely powerful medium, and wish that artists like Ken Loach would have exposure on TV. I think I, Daniel Blake is a superb film, but the right people aren't getting to see it. Arthouse cinemas have a nice woolly liberal audience; Cathy Come Home was so powerful because everybody saw it.
albaclopezruiz asks:
What advice would you give to those people who want to be an actor or actress?
Guardian contributor I guess it would have to be the thing that you couldn't live without. Stanislavski says you should love the art in yourself, rather that yourself in the art - it's about the process of acting, not what it might be for you. Just loving acting in a room for five people, that has to be the thing for me. It's not about being a big star, because you'll only be disappointed.
picolin152 asks:
I really loved your performance in RSC Live in April. Is there any notion of playing Lady Macbeth again at some point? Or, are there any role you would like to play in future?
Guardian contributor Lady Macbeth? We'll see... I never say which roles I'd like to play. I'm a very superstitious actor.
jjc83 asks:
Elizabeth I, as most people know, didn’t suffer fools gladly and the suffragettes were hardcore protesters yet are often sadly overlooked ... In preparation for such roles was there anything you learnt that surprised/shocked you about the subject ?
Guardian contributor As soon as you start investigating any historical characters, you are very quickly forced to demolish any notion of "the olden days", and preconceptions that you have. Because human beings were all seasons and all things 150 years ago just as they are now. I was surprised at the level of participation of working class women in the suffrage movement, that they would find the time and the energy to be connected to it, because we all have a notion of bluestocking, upper-middle-class suffragettes who made it a sort of hobby, I suppose, who had time to do it rather than it be a life or death scenario. The working class women were cannon fodder, really.
DWFan1 asks:
What’s your favourite Pixar film?
Guardian contributor I have a six year old... what do we watch all the time... The Incredibles! Because my six year old is a superhero.
Галина Какоткина asks:
In the movie The Last Station you played Leo Tolstoy’s daughter, Sasha and in the National Theatre’s War and Peace you played Natasha Rostov. Do you like Russian literature? What is your favourite Russian writer/work?
Guardian contributor I love Bulgakov, because he's good fun. Black Snow is good - because it's about actors!
Hair care bunch
ldbk asks:
Do you do your own hair?
Guardian contributor No, I have a whole entourage, from the moment I wake in the morning. They see to my every need.
hertsbrain asks:
What input did you have into your role as Margaret in the Magdalene Sisters?
Guardian contributor Peter Mullan is a really collaborative director, no surprises. So he was interested in us all bringing pieces of ourselves into the film, and much of that would have been unwritten of course, in the way that good directors work with young actors. And also my own heritage and stories from my own family, and all of that. Nearly all Irish families have been touched by something akin to that story. It's very recent history. The Catholic church had a hand in the Irish constitution, so it's not that strange to have stories. It's only strange for outsiders to hear that we all have these stories.
Hypatia01 asks:
What yet-to-be-realised movie/theatre production would you hope to be an actor/director/producer of … for example, Terry Gilliam has been working on his Don Quixote project for decades, and after several false starts, things seem to be coming together.
Guardian contributor I'd love to make a movie about the gold rush in California, specifically the Chinese community. There are so many stories that people have no idea about - it's a really rich area that people are clueless about. It's fascinating. The human trafficking that happened during this period of history - it's really ripe for making a really amazing film or TV drama. I was reading a book by Isabel Allende, travelling around Argentina - I'm so sorry I've forgotten it - and it talked about it in depth. And it led to me doing other bits of research when I was in America. It's the sort of film you want Ang Lee to make.
I've always been interested in Chinese culture as well - it's extraordinary history, really. We've got a really gorgeous Chinese actor in the cast of Oil, and she makes these jokes about how innovative the Chinese are but how bloody minded they are within that. I love that - I find it fascinating. It feels like there's an infinite past to Chinese culture - I suppose because it's so other to my own life and personal experience. But anyway, that's the film I'd make if I was Ang Lee.
Lamia7 asks:
How do you deal with the intensity of your performances? It’s a bit of a strange question, I know. But as an acting teacher, I often wonder do actors, once they’ve developed characters, leave all of this behind when they go home? Do you have an idea of where your particular intensity comes from? Is it an inbuilt response or part of your personality or simply and amazing acting talent?
Guardian contributor I would be lying if I said it didn't seep into me, but you develop a kind of coping mechanism as the years go by. I'm very strict with myself about being as honest as I can be in my acting which sounds very self-aggrandising, I don't mean it to be, but people pay a lot of money to see your work so I feel duty bound. And that can mean sometimes your heart breaks a wee bit, but you recover as with all heartbreak.
I think by the end of the run, you just feel you can't go there again, you can't go there any more. Most of the characters I play are up against it in some way or another, but that's nothing compared with what people cope with on a daily basis, being homeless on the streets of London or whatever. So you crack on. It's hard to constantly receive news of someone's death, or that your child is in danger... sometimes you're having to tell the story of your worst nightmares. And you have to go there. But remain a level of mental health - it's a funny old business. Mamet says you should wipe your feet on the doorway of a theatre, that's the holy grail, but you can't always achieve it.
chelle28 asks:
I had the pleasure of seeing you in the Scottish Play on Broadway few years ago — a play that has of course been around for quite some time. As this is the world premiere of Oil, how does it feel to be encompassing a role that has never before been portrayed by another actress? Knowing your depiction of the character from script to stage was the very first, did you find your approach was any different than the plays you’ve worked on previously?
Guardian contributor It's very liberating to have no ghosts of other actors whispering in your ear, or trying to live up to definitive performances of a role. That said, you feel a huge weight of responsibility to the playwright and their vision. Surprisingly this was my first ever brand new play, in all the 75 years I've been in the business, so it was kind of a terrifying adventure but I've loved it.
Equal pay for women
Catherine Losing asks:
I was the only woman on set, assisting a photographer on a shoot with you once. You pointed out how hard I was grafting and how little the men were doing (thank you!). What do you think needs to be done to develop equality in the arts?
Guardian contributor Equal pay, my friend. I feel very positive about the theatre world, there are so many glorious role models in directors, playwrights and actors. The film industry is a whole other planet. We just keep on keeping on.
Goldendays49 asks:
When you played St Joan at the National and called on the men of France to join you I restrained myself from running onto the stage shouting “Bien sûr, madame, vive la belle France”. Should I feel ashamed that I copped out?
Guardian contributor Yes. I felt like I was playing Glastonbury when I played St Joan, and I would have crowdsurfed.
Move over, Kevin Spacey!
collettemc13 says:
Hello Anne-Marie. What a superb and versatile actor you are – thank you for the pleasure you have given me, and countless others, no doubt. There seems to be a growing trend of women acting parts usually performed by men (eg Fiona Shaw and Maxine Peake). Is there a traditionally male role you’d like to tackle?
Guardian contributor Frank Underwood from House of Cards. Let's have a bash at that. There's not enough female Machiavellis!
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TheShiftyShadow asks:
Do you prefer building sandcastles or snowmen?
Guardian contributor Snowmen, because snow doesn't get in your bikini. Unless you're about to have a Swedish sauna or something.
katemullingard asks:
First of all thank you for taking your time to answer the questions, it’s something that few actors and actress do and I really appreciate it. You express in a very natural way the feelings of your characters when you act; the strength you give to the characters, their sadness, their wishes ... is impressive. I’ve seen you on the Internet reading bedtime stories and you look like a very sweet woman and that’s why I (and other fans) love and admire you. What do you like/love most about your fans?
Guardian contributor What do I love about my fans? That they're alive, that they're breathing! That they have immaculate taste! It should just be "fan", really.
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Nurturing young artists
davidglasstheatre asks:
I had the pleasure of directing you at the beginning of your career many years ago. I continue to teach and direct young people internationally. Do you believe there is a future for all these young hopefuls in a world where theatre is again becoming the exclusive preserve of the privileged?
Guardian contributor I think the key to this really lies in arts education. For many young people they feel realised by exposure to art forms, it's not just about maths being facilitated by music lessons, but about somebody becoming more of themselves. There's not a single human being alive who doesn't use an art form as therapy. In movies, TV, music, a photograph, a painting... as a species we would dry out without them. They are key to who we are, and unless we encourage and enable our young artists, what will become of us? The egalitarian nature of art, the fact that everyone from all walks of life sits at that table, and brings with them all that they are, is part of what lays eggs in our brain.
Move over, Cate Blanchett!
Patrice Gaujean asks:
If you could go back in time and change one thing about your career knowing what you have experienced, would you and what would it be? For instance, you’ve taken roles in small, independent films earlier in you career, would you have tried to increase your visibility in more mainstream Hollywood-type films instead?
Guardian contributor Yeah, I'd be a huge Hollywood star! Blanchett wouldn't even have a career! I wouldn't change a thing actually, I had such a brilliant ride and worked with so many extraordinary people, I wouldn't change any of it. That would be very ungrateful. And not having huge exposure early in your career means that you are able to enjoy your potential. All this expectation, that you should be finished and complete at 25, a mature artist - it's all bollocks really. It's this awful egg timer that's on young people now - it's a great shame. No one celebrates potential any more - look at Bowie or Kate Bush, these extraordinary artists that reinvent themselves. We don't revel in potential like that - we just want a finished product.
BetterOffTed asks:
If a Siamese twin killed someone (with no help) would you jail both and imprison an innocent man or neither and let a guilty man free?
Guardian contributor Neither. In the vain hope that the good twin could exert some power over the bad one. And anyway, we don't know why the murder was committed - maybe it was justified. Maybe it was a Trump scenario...
Pat Howell asks:
I loved you as Fiona in Shameless and as Julia in Nowhere Boy and Sasha in Last Station. What do you consider to be your most favorite role? Do you have any plans to do another play on Broadway? How do you choose the movies and plays you make?
Guardian contributor I did absolutely adore playing Julia Lennon - she really did creep under my skin, and I hated saying goodbye to her. But generally speaking i have a love affair with all the characters I play, even the most flawed - I'm always loth to say goodbye. You have to fall in love with people you're going to be inside of for months on end, and find all their shared secrets. I did love playing St Joan, I had a massive connection with that character, I'm not sure why but I did. And I loved playing in Shameless. But it would be unfair to pick out one, because I've been so well fed - all of my characters have been delicious.
Yeah I'd love to go back to New York. It's an exciting city to work and live in. I think we are incredibly spoiled in London with our theatrical community, as we have subsidy - the environment in Manhattan is much more commercial. We're able to take greater risks in London. Working in New York is about having a kind of joyful school trip.
My choices are always defined by writing, first, and then director. For example in Oil I have a huge talent crush on Carrie Cracknall, and that, married to Ella's extraordinary play... the writing is the spinal column of whatever you do, and if it's not there, it's very hard to feel fulfilled.
RogerG asks:
Would you, as a well-established and successful actress, consider reading scripts by unknown writers on the basis that you might find a “gem”? Or is there an unwritten rule that your agent – who holds the door handle and has the key to your accessibility – would embargo this? I have on several occasions tried to interest more well known actors for parts in short films or proposed one week runs of a new play without any success.
Guardian contributor I would say that the majority of scripts that you receive are by writers whose work you aren't particularly aware of. It takes an awfully long time to write a script, so if every screenwriter was prolific they'd have a nervous breakdown - the trouble isn't finding them, it's having them greenlit or commissioned. The script comes to you, you get attached, and it has a life after it. It's exciting - it can be a really good young voice. And they're not always perfect but it doesn't matter, because it's about potential, you know?
Post your questions for Anne-Marie Duff
Her current role in the “scorchingly ambitious” Oil at London’s Almeida theatre finds Anne-Marie Duff time-travelling from 19th-century Cornwall to become the head of a modern-day oil company. It’s another bold performance to add to a CV that’s bursting with them.
Duff made her name in Channel 4’s Shameless alongside James McAvoy. Her role as Fiona Gallagher, the de facto teenage mum to her five siblings, remains one of her favourites. She went on to play Julia Lennon, mother to John in the biopic Nowhere Boy; Elizabeth I, battling the Spanish Armada in The Virgin Queen; and Violet Miller, raging against inequality in Suffragette. She’s currently filming an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated novel On Chesil Beach. Her stage roles – including Lady Macbeth on Broadway and Shaw’s Saint Joan at the National Theatre – have been no less indelible.
Anne-Marie will join us to answer your questions on her career in a live webchat from 1pm BST on Tuesday 25 October. Post them in the comments below, and she’ll answer as many as possible.
Thank you for asking me so many interesting questions, and all the offers of drinks. I'm just so stunned and flattered that anyone would be interested in anything I have to say. PS: come see the play. It's really good.