Across its final four seasons, Kate Phillips came to be a key part of the Peaky Blinders cast as Arthur Shelby’s devoutly religious wife Linda – and now she has her eyes on a role in the upcoming feature film.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com to promote her role in Terence Davies’ new film Benediction, Phillips praised the finale of the beloved show and said that she’d be delighted to make the transition to the big screen with the rest of the cast.
“I think what Anthony (Byrne) our director achieved was actually completely stunning and felt so devastating and surprising,” she said of the series’ conclusion.
“And of course, hell yeah, I would be thrilled if Steven Knight wants to bring Linda into the film. Yes, please!”
Before then, Phillips can be seen in the aforementioned Benediction – which tells the story of wartime poet Siegfried Sassoon, superbly played in the film by both Dunkirk star Jack Lowden and Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi, at different stages of his life.
Phillips plays the role of Hester Gatty – the woman Sassoon married despite the fact that he was a gay man – and she said that finding out about the story was a thoroughly rewarding experience for her.
When asked how much she knew about Sassoon’s life and work before taking on the role, she said: “Very little. Of his poetry, I knew only the really well-known ones, but of his life, nothing.
“So this journey was a real new venture for me, too,” she added. “I felt that just reading the script for the first time you immediately soak up this real kind of atmosphere, and it stays with you.”
Phillips said that she largely leaned into the script rather than looking at historical resources when it came to playing Hester – due in part to a lack of available information – but there was some extra research that proved very useful.
“I found these photographs that you can find online really helpful,” she said. “You know, these little freeze frames of their lives together. She’s often captured with Siegfried, and I would just like to imagine what was happening kind of before and after that moment.
“They can be really evocative, and you get a sense of how she holds herself maybe and even what’s going on behind the eyes – there’s always a sense of melancholy with a lot of that photography.
“But yes, I would lean towards the script. And you know, it’s great to come with all of these ideas, but really I enjoy coming on set and kind of just giving myself to the director and how he sees it playing out. And when it comes to Terence, he has a real sense of his vision.”
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Davies is undoubtedly one of Britain’s finest working directors – with his brilliant back catalogue including works such as Distant Voices, Still Lives, The Long Day Closes, and Sunset Song – and Phillips said she found the experience of working with him especially rewarding, in particular due to the approach he takes towards actors.
“He has such a clear sense of how he hears the script, which I guess comes from having written it as well,” she said. “But I was pleasantly surprised on meeting him – he’s one of our greats, and he has a real sense of warmth, and I think he loves actors and he wants to put you at ease, and he wants to celebrate you.
“And you know, in terms of a working dynamic, that’s one that I really like. I felt at times he would even conduct you, almost as though it’s a piece of music that he’s hearing, and I love working that way. I really love following the vision of the director and when it comes to him, he’s got a really vivid sense of what he sees.
“And almost all the scenes I’m in are just captured in one take,” she added. “So we do a couple of rehearsals, but then we’d shoot it three or four times and then that would be it, which is kind of a unique experience when you’re on set, but he just wants this moment, he wants to capture this moment in time.
“As an actor, you kind of feel like you’re doing a play, so yeah – I’ll remember working with him for a long time.”
Benediction is out now in UK cinemas. Visit our Film hub for more news and features or find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.
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