Q&A with Brenda Blethyn who plays Emma Harte

What appealed to you about A Woman of Substance?

I hadn’t seen the original series, but I had heard of it of course – I can't remember if I'd read the book or not, but I knew the story. It reminded me of my mum, who started out in service in a big, posh house, where she met my dad. He was the chauffeur. I'm the youngest of nine children, so when I was born my mum was in her 40s, and dad was in his 50s. I was always fascinated by their early years, and I knew that A Woman of Substance was about that world. My mum was a wonderful woman and I used to love listening to her stories of what life was like in those days. She was a kitchen maid, who worked her way up to become lady's maid, as Emma does, and she would tell me about brushing the lady’s hair.

I also loved the resilience of Emma Harte, and her work ethic, which is something that was instilled in us as kids when I grew up – if you want something then you have to work hard to pay for it. So I understood that pretty well. It must have been so hard for someone like Emma to succeed as she does in the story, she’s so brave and she has real steel in her.  She is accused of putting work before family, but whatever rung of the ladder you're on, you've got to put food on the table, and you've got to work. You've got to make ends meet and she did what she had to.

Coming off of so many years on Vera, it was quite nice to dress up in a few nice togs too!

Did you ever compare notes with Jessica [Reynolds] who plays younger Emma, or mirror any elements of her performance?

Well firstly I’d like to say that Jessica Reynolds is an absolute breath of fresh air. What a wonderful performance she gives in this series, I think she's fantastic! Funnily enough, I looked through my photos to find a photo of me at that age, and I looked just like Jessica, it’s absolutely uncanny. I did ask our director, John [Hardwick], if Jessica had any particular mannerisms that I could incorporate into my performance, because they had filmed before us, and I watched some footage so that I could get a feeling of it all. I did pick up on a couple of things. It's weird because all the characters Jessica works with in the Fairley household are history by the time the 1970s scenes come along.

Did this job make you reflect on your parents’ lives?

Yes, but I think about them a lot anyway. They loved seeing me go into acting. When I got the job with Robert Redford in A River Runs Through It, Mum was in hospital, and so I was inclined to turn it down. But she loved Robert Redford so she wouldn't let me say no – she told me I had to do it, and she wanted a running commentary. She lived the job vicariously through me and Robert was lovely, he sent her a signed photograph.

Was A Woman of Substance one of your first jobs after leaving your long-running role on Vera?

It was the second job. I hadn't even unpacked my bag, and I was asked to do a film called Dragonfly with Andrea Riseborough. Then it was hot on the heels of that job that I was offered A Woman of Substance, so all of my plans for relaxing at home went out the window! But I was so pleased to take on a story of this magnitude, and Emma is exactly the same age as me in the story, we were both 79. I was so pleased to try something new because I really hadn't done anything like this before. I was watching something about the book’s author Barbara Taylor Bradford recently, and she started in a typing pool – so did I! I worked for 10 years before I was an actor, and I was in a typing pool in a bank, so I had the same working-class background she did.

Do you have any particular ambitions in this post-Vera chapter of your career?

Unlike Emma Harte, I am somebody with zero ambition. I've always been the same. If there's something I want that is truly only just out of my reach then I will stand on tippy toe and stretch really hard, but I've never wanted the moon and stars. I've been very lucky in the things that have come my way and I enjoy my work, but I’m not craving anything. I’m like my dad – unhampered by ambition. I loved Vera, and I feel like I could still ring her up and ask how she is!  I just wanted some time at home. It was very nice when A Woman of Substance came along, the cast and crew were absolutely fantastic. Every role is always a good challenge – even when you’ve been playing someone for a long time like Vera. Even in later scenes, I had never played her on that particular day or dealing with that specific murder.

What do you hope the audience will most enjoy about A Woman of Substance?

I hope they'll care about the characters and I hope they’ll learn something and see that women are so strong – Emma’s achievements all come from sheer hard work, grit, daring and not taking no for an answer. What I love about dramas is that they also allow you to change your opinion and make decisions as you go. You might have one opinion about somebody, or preconceived ideas, but that changes along the way as you gain more understanding about the situation and the characters, that’s always interesting to experience. I’ve bought a copy of the original series and I plan to watch it after our version airs!