Keira Malik: Melissa
During the filming of Last Rights in
December 2004, Keira Malik talked about her role in the drama, her life and
her acting career.
In Last Rights Keira Malik plays Melissa Wheeler, daughter of Richard Wheeler, the leader of the Democratic Consensus Party (DCP). Melissa's mother is no longer alive and she is expected to support her father and his career in public. The plot revolves around the theft of a laptop which contains compromising photographs of Melissa with John Speers, Wheeler's Press Secretary. When Melissa discovers that the laptop contains politically damaging information, too, she is faced with some painful moral choices.
How old is Melissa?
She's only 19 – quite a timeless teen, she could be 16, 19, she could be my age, 21.
So 19 doesn't feel so long ago?
It does and it doesn't. I think everyone struggles through their teens because you are going through that awful time in your life when your boobs are growing, your hair's greasy and you've got spots… Melissa grew up a lot when her mum died but her relationship with John Speers has that naughty, adventurous, risky thing going on.
Is her back story decided by you?
I think it comes from reading the script and seeing her relationship with her father. He says: 'You are my first lady now,' so she knows that there is a certain obligation; she plays a specific role because her mother is not around. She has to be this person if he is going to succeed – and she loves him and wants him to succeed. It has always been in her head that the public want her to go and kiss babies and do charity work and all of that.
Do you think she is ambitious for herself or for her dad?
I think she wants to achieve a certain amount of publicity but is also rebelling against it. These photographs are such a trouble for her because everything that is selfish in her is confronting everything that happens to her. She has to question how much these photographs are really worth. Is it worth Steve dying? When she eventually finds out what is actually on the computer, there is a moral dilemma. Should she be a good daughter of a Prime Minister? Should she be a good daughter of a dad? Or a good person in society? Max brings that out of her because he is so selfless. She is constantly aware of the sacrifices he is making and her being out there just to achieve completely selfish things.
At the end your character gets thrown to the lions.
Absolutely. What she chose to do was right to her, and that is the only good thing that she has ever done: to stand up for something she believes in. The consequences of her actions are harsh: she gets disowned. There is a great line in it when Wheeler says to Speers: 'She'll get over it.' And Speers says: 'You underestimate her.' She is proud of herself because she has finally done something which makes her feel like a good person. It's not even 'getting over it'. She is coming from a completely different angle of, 'Well maybe you have chosen to make me look like an insane crackhead, who has just lot the plot and had an affair with this guy by putting the pictures out, but I feel good about myself for the first time ever.'
What attracted you most to the script?
The fact that it is so groundbreaking. When you have got something that has never been touched upon, that is so in tune with what is going on nowadays (just 59% of the UK voted in the 2001 election and that only rose by 2% in the 2005 general election), you would be mad not to want to be part of it.
How did you hear about it?
My agent received the scripts and I read them and knew straight away that this is exactly the kind of project that I wanted to do. It's a great character too. For most women, unfortunately, the characters we get on TV and in film are so one-dimensional. It is rare that a character gets to deal with these incredible things.
How gruelling was the casting process?
I think they wanted to make sure that whoever played Melissa could do all sides of the spectrum because there is so much to her – so you go in there and hope you'll shine enough for them to want you.
Do you have a good success rate with auditions?
God I wish I did. It's been a struggle and then again, it has been great. You hope that what you're doing runs in parallel with what the producer and the director are looking for.
What kind of research did you have to do for the character?
Just looking at what being the daughter of a Prime Minister entails. Getting on the computer and checking out what the family of Mr Blair do, like charity events, I think listening is the most important thing. Every character you play is fresh and new. You are listening to the director, the producers, people you know, people you work with.
Do you often get similar roles?
No I've been quite lucky. I've had quite a range.
Do you feel more comfortable working on screen or in theatre?
I haven't had enough experience to decide yet where I am more comfortable but I love the stage. There is just something about having the audience sitting right there and getting them reacting.
Did you go to a theatre school?
I went to a place called Hurtwood House and also Amanda Redman's drama group when I was growing up but I am an apprentice, learning as I go. It's a little bit more difficult going into a casting and gaining automatic respect but I suppose my dad being in the business helps with that.
How was working with Charles Dance?
How scary was that! You want to get as much out of it as you can. He just wants you to enjoy it and constantly be fresh. My dad worked with him in Jewel in the Crown which I think calmed the roaring ocean of nerves but I get quite nervous anyway.
What would you like your next job to be?
I would love to do a comedy in the West End. I think Noel Coward is wicked. After doing something like this, which is quite intense, it would be nice to do something ridiculous and I think Noel Coward is one of the best writers ever.
Do you have a grand plan for your career?
I would love to have a grand plan but I'd rather concentrate on hard graft at the moment and just keep learning and pushing myself.
What do you most aspire to?
To be in control of my own career, to be able to pick and choose, I think, is any actor's dream.
What do you hope the viewers will take away from watching Last Rights?
I hope it makes them think about the industry, the society we live in. I hope it makes them think about politics from a young person's point of view. When you watch parliament on TV, it has that element of surrealism, for my generation anyway. Last Rights has definitely made me more aware of what is going on and question a lot more what is going on around me. It has been great because we have all had our say in this production. It has been a little embryo that we have all chipped in to create, which is quite rare. I can't speak for everyone in my generation but there is a lack of care for politics. When you turn 18 you are not really excited because you suddenly get to vote.
Why do you think that is?
Because we have been across the Conservative and Labour divide. When Labour got in there were all these promises and it was going to be so different and it hasn't changed that much, so we are all aware that they are all the same. It makes you think, 'What does it matter? I am not going to bother voting.'
Some of the policies of the DCP are not so far from reality, for example curfews for the under 18s
No it's not like a big sci-fi film. The great thing is that it is actually believable.
If you were Prime Minister, how would you deal with the problems that policies like the curfew are trying to prevent?
I don't think kids need a curfew – they need more entertaining things to go to that aren't expensive. Ice-skating, bowling – you've got to have money to do them and a lot of the kids who are out there robbing are doing it because they haven't got the cash. Instead of doing a curfew why don't you just set up new youth clubs – create something new which they want to go to, not lock them away.
I suppose you went to drama clubs when you were a teenager?
Yeah, I went to drama clubs and I grew up in a great community where we used to play on the road and go round each others' houses. I was fortunate enough to have money so I could do the things we wanted to do and I lived on a safe street where we had bikes. There are parents who can't afford to buy bikes for their kids after the shoes and everything else they have to pay for. There still is a huge divide between rich and poor which leads kids to rebel and do things which are against the law.
Do you watch your rushes?
No. I'm not a big fan of watching myself. I have watched some of the stuff the boys have been doing and it looks good, I'm very excited about it.
Do you discuss your work with your dad?
I'm incredibly proud of him. He has cut boundaries across an Asian divide that most people haven't achieved, especially in the US and the UK. Having someone like that to give you advice is beneficial.
What are the disadvantages of your father being an actor too?
As much as there are people in the industry who appreciate his work, there are people who don't, and you might be up for things with people who might not like my dad's work. Also, if you get the job, it is expected that you will understand a lot more than anyone else your age because you have grown up in the industry, that you should be a little better than the average. I like to think that I can achieve that.
Do you give each other notes?
There was a lot of playing scripts when I was growing up because I had always shown an interest but I think we are too close to give each other notes, we would just wind each other up if we did that. It's a double-edged sword. I think he respects my creativity. He has watched me all my life and there is a huge amount of enjoyment for him watching the finished product. He wants to be hit by it the way the viewers are hit by it. I'm proud of him and I believe he is proud of me. Him and my mum just go ga-ga because their little girl is on stage.
How long did you have to rehearse Last Rights?
Bill Anderson is a great director and his view is to just rehearse as you are doing it when you are on the set, which is great.
How much time do you have before you start taking?
As long as you need really. Obviously we haven't got all the time in the world but we have got great people on this – pretty much a film crew from what I've seen – so it doesn't take that long to get to the point that you want to get to. Clive Bradley's writing is brilliant. You know exactly what you're trying to do; you've just got to find a way of making it real.
Do you have anything that you are going on to?
Fingers crossed – I have a couple of things on the burner, I don't want to jinx them. Hopefully I should be kicking into gear in January on something else but I haven't signed on the dotted line yet.
