Lucy Halliday

A newly minted BAFTA winner for her role in 80s-set lesbian drama Blue Jean, Scottish actress Lucy Halliday tells us about receiving awards attention for her screen debut, navigating the industry as a newcomer and what she hopes people will take away from the film.

When did you begin acting?

I did a lot of youth theatre growing up in my town, there was a place called PACE Youth Theatre and I went there a lot as a kid, but after I left I never thought I was going to be an actor. Blue Jean kind of came about by chance - I’d given up acting, as it were, and then I saw that they were auditioning for it and just went for it. I’d very much said I wasn’t going to become an actor, but a lot of my friends went off to drama school and things like that, and then I was kind of kicking myself not not pursuing it, but then Blue Jean came up and it just all fell into place!

What were you considering doing instead?

Medicine! I did look at doing it, but Blue Jean came up and I sort of jumped ship.

How did you find out about the auditions for the film?

I saw it on Instagram, actually! They did an open call - they had started off going through the usual routes like agents, and then they did an open call, although I didn’t see it until the last day of the applications! After I’d done my audition they got me in to do a chemistry read with Rosy McEwen, and a week later we were filming!

So that was your first professional acting job?

Yeah, I’d done bits of youth theatre in the past, but never anything on screen. It was kind of how I got back into acting , and screen acting was all totally new to me.

How was that experience for you - did you find any challenges?

Yeah, for sure - it was sort of like getting chucked in the deep end with no one telling you how to swim! It was obviously wonderful, but everything was new - I had to learn all the technical terms for what everything meant, I was just trying to get through every day figuring out what was going on! I was very fortunate though to have Georgia Oakley, our writer/director, especially, who really took time out of every day to explain things in great detail, so I felt really lucky to have her with me. So yeah, it was a very daunting, overwhelming experience, but I’m very grateful for it. Now I think I’ve found the whole experience of being an actor a lot more “normal” than I’d have expected if you’d asked me when I was younger what I’d expect - it’s a lot more chill than I expected. Everything moves slower than I imagined as well - Blue Jean happened so fast, but that’s not how it usually is! And meeting so many people, I’ve not been as daunted as I thought I would either - sometimes I think maybe I should be!

Where in Scotland are you from?

I’m from Paisley, which is like five minutes next to Glasgow. I always say Paisley is my home town and Glasgow is my home city. I’m still based here - they’ve not got rid of me yet! I keep announcing I’m moving and then something or the other pulls me back. I think it’s kind of this being the place I’m from and I have all my family and my friends here.

Are you working mostly in Scotland or across the UK now?

I’d say everything’s pretty much all over the shop! I wouldn’t say being based in Scotland limits you, especially now everything’s online with Zoom and self-tape auditions.

What are you drawn to in a role?

I know it’s so cliche, but if I can read the script in one go and not want to put it down then I know that I really like it, and that’s what I remember about Blue Jean. And if I’m reading it on my phone and it makes me want to fling the phone across the room that’s also a good sign! I did that when I read Blue Jean at one point, then immediately went “Oh, no!”!

**When you got the role in Blue Jean did you know much about Section 28 and the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ people in the 1980s?**

It sounds shocking to say, but I really didn’t know a lot about it. I’d only just left school at the time, and to have this law that was in place in the education system not that long ago but not know anything about it as a young person was quite shocking. I think pretty much everybody involved in the film was the same way - even the people who were in school at the time it was in place still didn’t fully understand or appreciate it. So a lot of my education on it has come from being part of the film, and likewise I hope that the audiences who watch it will have the same experience of learning more about it.

Congratulations on the BAFTA Scotland win! When did you find out you’d been nominated?

I found out when they were announced! I was on my way to the dentist and it popped up - I took a screenshot and thought it was some weird scam! I was totally in shock about it - I still am in shock.

The film had its premiere at the London Film Festival in 2022 - did you attend?

I did - it was lovely to be a part of it, and to see it being taken in by audiences was quite special.

Has there been anything you’ve watched lately that’s stayed with you?

There’s a film I saw at the Edinburgh Film Festival called Femme, which was so good - it’s an adaptation of a short film, which I’d seen before. That was amazing - probably the best thing I’ve seen this year. I’d never been to the festival until this year, but Eva Yates, who worked on Blue Jean was there and invited me. She’s been lovely and helped me out a lot getting to grips with the industry.

Words: Scott Bates

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