Molly Wright
Currently appearing in ITV’s Yorkshire Ripper drama The Long Shadow, Blackpool-born actress Molly Wright talks to us about her lucky break as an aspiring actor in the north, how she prepared to play a Jehovah’s Witness and the recent film she can’t wait to rewatch.
How long have you been acting, and what was your first professional job?
I was always performing growing up - I originally wanted to pursue musical theatre though, I only turned to acting when I began working as a supporting artist while studying at college. After a few failed auditions I then got my first “proper” job on the BBC1 series The A Word in 2015, which then ran for a further two series. I was lucky that the casting director Andy Pryor was looking for an unknown northern teenager, which I was!
As an aspiring actor based in the north, did you find your location a setback at all?
Only as I’ve grown up and left Blackpool have I realised how different it was for me than for actors that have grown up in or around London. I hadn’t heard of another person from my area ever acting on screen - I now know there have been many. I remember my performing arts teacher at sixth form drawing a huge triangle on the white board, colouring in the top 1% of it and saying “The likelihood of any of you ending up on screen looks a bit like this”. I mean he wasn’t wrong, a lot has to go right for you to end up there, but it was only when I started working as a supporting artist at 17 that I saw people acting and thought maybe I could do it too. The biggest setback is accessibility to drama schools. If you aren’t based in the south and don’t have a serious amount of financial support, then the majority of drama schools, without scholarships etc, are completely unattainable. I auditioned for Central and LIPA because they were on UCAS, but I didn’t want to audition for any others knowing I wouldn’t be able to go without a Dance and Drama Award. I imagine this is the case for thousands of northerners!
You played a young Jehovah's Witness in the film Apostasy - how did you prepare for that?
Our director Dan was the best source of information, having grown up in the religion himself. I read as much as I possibly could, watched hours of JW propaganda, scrolling websites, reading their bible, writing lists of rules and their disfellowshipping offences. A lot of what you find on the internet regarding JWs is negative, people talking about their experiences since leaving the religion. But my character Alex was devout, so I tried to stay away from that and focus on her love of Jehovah and where that came from. We also had an invaluable two weeks before shooting to rehearse and talk through everything.
As Donna in The Long Shadow
You're currently appearing in The Long Shadow, based on the manhunt for Peter Sutcliffe - did you know much about the story prior to getting the role?
I knew the basics - I’d watched documentaries and heard stories from my parents’ generation, but knew near enough nothing about the victims, which I guess is the whole point of the series. We are always obsessed with the killer - the person who’s capable of doing something so outrageous - but from what I now know, there was nothing extraordinary about Sutcliffe, he was just a weak man. Moving the focus on to the victims, giving them their humanity back, and understanding the impact of their loss on the families and the wider community is what The Long Shadow strives to do. I am really proud to be a part of that.
You often take roles in films or shows set in the north - is this something you actively look out for?
Not at all. I have mainly played northern roles, so it makes sense that most of my work has been based there. But it’s not a conscious choice, I audition for so many shows that are shot all over the country/world!
If you could play any real person, who would it be?
This might be a bit of a cop out, but I love it when writers bring to light someone you may never have heard of. Historic, pioneering women whose stories haven’t been told for one reason or another. Anyone I can think of off the top of my head probably doesn’t need a biopic. I also love it when a job forces me to learn something new, to study a person or topic I would never have done otherwise.
As Alex in Apostasy
What advice would you give to aspiring actors from areas not connected well to the industry?
Near enough all auditions are via self tape now, so you really don’t need to live in London to be an actor or even to train. IAMPRO is brilliant, it’s a new online drama school, their resources are amazing and accessible to anyone, anywhere in the country. I guess, be specific about what you want and go after it, put yourself out there and take up space unapologetically. I think it’s a working class thing to be apologetic when asking for things. And remember your worth…. it can be absolutely brutal at times. Side note, I have been known to not do any of those things. Total hypocrite.
Have you watched anything recently that you've particularly enjoyed?
Scrapper! I watched that last week. Beautiful, beautiful film, so authentic, I want to watch it again actually. I also just binged watched Heartstopper - late to the party I know, but it’s just a lovely warm hug of a show.
Words: Scott Bates