A Director Dominic Cook said that many actors “go into a tailspin” if they lose their director during a two-week rehearsal for a big stage role. But not Nicola Walker. when he returned National Theater To exercise corn is green After a fortnight with Kovid, his lead actor straightened him out saying how awful it was that he lost so much time. “She said, ‘Well, I’m not in Ukraine.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s you. You have a sense of perspective about it.'”
In showbusiness, where being grounded isn’t a common trait, Walker’s level-headedness sets her apart. “It’s very straightforward for her. She sees where she is in the big picture,” Cook said. “And it’s an admirable quality in anyone, but especially in the crazy world of entertainment.”
After decades of rising recognition, it promises to be a big week for the 51-year-old, known for his roles in BBC dramas. ghost And Last Tango in HalifaxAs an MI5 analyst and a farmer, and as a detective chief inspector at ITV’s unforgottenShe plays divorce lawyer Hannah, whose marriage (to Nathan, played by Stephen Mangan) continues into the final season. the division on BBC One.
Meanwhile, off screen, he is in the process of making his long-awaited return to the stage as a visionary teacher. corn is greenEmmeline Williams’ 1938 semi-autobiographical drama, which is due to take place nationally by June 11, after a two-year delay due to the pandemic.
And later this year, she’s starring in a more relationship-focused BBC drama, MarriageWith Sean Bean.
Cook, who described working with Walker on the play as “a revelation”, said he had never seen her do anything like this. “It’s a different kind of role for her. But she, I think, made up for it,” he said, adding that she seemed “incredibly comfortable” playing Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn. played on screen.
“The thing is, he’s done a lot,” said Cook, who directed the Olivier Award-winning productions. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom And idiots and the film adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel at Chesil Beach“Before doing television, she just did theater for years and years. And when you get that level of experience as an actor, it’s like working with a virtuoso, a lot of strings in his bow. He has a lot of resources, and he’s got that. ,
His stage credits include the OiWire Award-winning Turn In Curious phenomenon of dog at night2013 Best Supporting Actress Award and Beatrice In Ivo van Hove’s acclaimed 2014 Young Vic production a view from the bridge, Which was transferred to the West End and Broadway.
Cook sees her as having that kind of trajectory as Judi Dench, who at 87 is still going strong. “The sky is the limit for him” [Walker] And there are going to be amazing opportunities for him in the years to come. She’s definitely got that kind of Judi Dench national treasure. ,
Yet it took Walker a long time to reach household-name status. Like Oscar winner and fellow Cambridge graduate Olivia Colman, she turned 40 before the start of her career.
At the age of 20, Walker was warned by older female actors that it would be difficult to find work once she turned 40. But now she is busier than ever. “The last 10 years have been the best of my career,” she said recently. “I didn’t see it coming.” The year 2020 was her quietest since giving birth to her son, Harry (whom she named). ghost character Harry Pearce) in 2006.
Her home life with her husband Barnaby Kay, an actor, and son in north London has been called “grounded, regular and sensible”, and is an important part of who she is. She recently claimed that Harry had not seen any of her work because he found it strange to see his mother on TV. Fortunately, her husband, whom she said was “very supportive”, sees everything.
The most commonly used adjectives adopted by those who work with him seem to be witty, brilliant, intelligent, extraordinary and kind.
De Koppang O’Leary, who directed him the divisionSaid that her performance was so layered and nuanced that she didn’t want the scenes to end. “She has the most passionate and passionate face ever — and when the camera is at her, you never want to call the cut.”
Chris Lang, author of unforgottenFirst met Walker in 2007 when she appeared on his show tornHe had known her from ghosts, but he was unprepared for how good she would be. ,She had just had a son, and coming back from maternity leave was almost her first job. I remember auditioning her and just thinking she is extraordinary, an amazing actress,” he said.
they went to work together a mother’s son 2012 and onwards unforgotten, was first shown in 2015. Although he wrote the role for her, she was not considered a leading actress, he said. “She was on the verge of taking the leap. But ever since I first worked with her, I knew she could totally nail a show. ,
Part of his appeal, he said, was that he was a sympathizer – both on and off screen. “You identify with him and you see yourself in him. I think it is quite a rare gift and not many actors have it, but he has it in spades.”
Such is his ability to make others believe in his characters. unforgotten Director Andy Wilson said that when his character, DCI Cassie Stuart died, had to watch the scene 100 times during editing, and cried each time. “It’s a tribute to her. Because what she did in Cassie was very real to me,” he said from set while filming the new series.
Wilson said that Walker had changed the perception of women on TV through the role. “She is a female lead who is ready to show you the strengths and weaknesses of her character. She is ready to be weak and she is also ready to be the leader,” he said. Don’t think we really did it Have seen it before.”
She said that she was always “vaguely disgusted” when Walker made her laugh when she saw corpses on set. But, he said, the most memorable thing about him on set was “his explosive laugh.”
Walker, who was born in Stepney, London, to a father who was a scrap metal dealer and a mother who was an interior designer, began acting in youth theater at age 12, but took it up as a career. didn’t imagine doing it. As a child he loved black and white music with stars such as Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly. After attending a private school in north-east London, she became the first woman in her family to attend university. In Cambridge, she was taken to the University’s Footlights Drama Club by her friend Sue Perkins.
She has always been true to herself, said friend and producer ghost, David Wollstencroft, who remembers meeting him at the Footlights comedy event. “What I found out about Nicola is that unlike many of us at the time, she wasn’t trying to be someone else—which, given her talent and career path, seems contradictory. But she’s the same. was who she is.”
He first saw him on stage in 1990 in a Footlights review and said that he “already had his heart and precision”.
Wollstencroft said he remembered “the sound of him and Sue Perkins laughing incessantly”. After university, Walker found a place in the Rada, but decided not to leave because of cost and because she was, she said, “in a hurry to leave”.
Despite this, many of his teammates praise his technique. Last Tango in Halifax Author Sally Wainwright Said: “There’s something about detail that she puts in every beat, every moment, and then makes it easy. There’s always a kind of seriousness to every scene of hers.”
After university, Walker starred in the plays Friends above the pub. And in a play in a pub with Rachel Weisz, she got the attention of an agent.
She struggled to get TV parts in those early days, but appeared as one half of the “Terrible Folk Jodi”. Four Weddings and a Funeral, Wollstencroft remembers seeing it and thinking “Well, that totally makes sense… she leaves!” He later continued to work with Walker. ghostin which he described her as “the center of gravity for the show”, and shooting dogsA film he wrote about the Rwandan genocide.
What next for Walker? Does America point? “She’s a rising tide that lifts all boats. I’d love to see her at a big US show. If I’m lucky enough to be behind the wheel of one of them, I’d love to see her come and play.” “I’ll beg for it,” said Wollstencroft.
But the actor’s approach to it, in particular, is far more down-to-ground. Recently when he was asked if he was tempted by Hollywood, he claimed that he mainly linked it to watching Marvel movies with his son. She has also said that she would like to work with Perkins again. She recently stated that she was “practical about acting”, adding: “My dream role has always been to be the job you get.”
Producer Jane Featherstone, who has worked with Walker ghost, River And the divisionSaid that his biggest inspirations were great writing and coworking. They first met on the ITV drama touch evil In 1995, when she was fresh from the university. “She was just amazing at the audition, and ITV splurged on her and we got so lucky,” she said.
He said that Walker’s ability to be ordinary and extraordinary at the same time set him apart. “He’s unusual enough, he’s special enough, but also extremely relatable, and that’s a rare thing. We’re lucky when we honestly find people like him.”