98
‘THEREAREELEMENTS
OFTHISSTORYTHAT
I’VEEXPERIENCED’
Above: Vicky had huge
input in her latest project,
which saw her reunite
with her old friend Perry
Fitzpatrick (above left)PACKINGAPUNCHWITHAPOWERFULDRAMA
F
or Vicky McClure,
sometimes it’s the simple
things that are the most
profound. So it’s no
wonder the actress jumped
at the chance to work with
BAFTA-nominated writer and
director Dominic Savage on his
improvised anthology, I Am....
The female-led series follows the
lives of three different women,
each with their own episode.
The first, I Am Nicola, reunites
Vicky with her good friend
and This Is England 90 co-star
Perry Fitzpatrick as Adam. I Am
Hannah stars Gemma
Chan (see facing page),
while Samantha Morton
takes the lead in I Am
Kirsty. In Vicky’s episode,
she plays hairdresser
Nicola, who is growing
tired of the monotonous
routine. Their characters’
coercive relationship
soon unfolds, and Vicky
explains: ‘There are
elements of this story that
I’ve experienced, whether
that be in my own past or
in a friend’s relationship.’
Here, the 36 year
old, who is engaged to
writer and actor Jonny Owen,
talks going off script, having a
supportive partner and perfecting
her cut and blow dry...Tell us about I Am Nicola...
It’s very much a relationship-
based drama and given that
it’s fully improvised, it’s very
raw. The basis of this story
is to highlight the elements
of control that can occur in a
relationship. Adam wants control
over Nicola. He wants to control
their surroundings and then it
gets even deeper; he wants
control over her appearance.
It doesn’t sound very extreme
but when, like Nicola, you’re
living and breathing it, it’s a very
suffocating environment.What was your inspiration to
explore this territory?
There are elements of this story
that I’ve experienced, whether
that be in my own past or in
a friend’s relationship. I’m in
a relationship now where I’m
completely supported to do
exactly what it is I want to do,
with lots of love at the same
time. But yes, I have been in
those situations where that’s
not been the case. We’ve
dramatised it obviously: I don’t
go to the gym – Nicola’s a real
gym bunny. There are lots ofdifferent elements that ensure
that it’s not a true-to-life story
but there are lots of moments
in this that I feel are relatable.
I Am Nicola is about simple
stuff and that’s what I really
enjoy watching.And you co-star alongside
your friend Perry Fitzpatrick...
I’ve known Perry since I was 11.
We went to the TV workshop
together in Nottingham so
we’ve known each other for
25 years – showing my age! I
know Perry can improvise very
well and this story is so intense,
to have somebody that’s a
good friend, that I know and
trust – and he knows me – was
important. So when Dominictold me about this project I said
I’d like him to meet Perry. Me
and Perry had always hoped
to work together again and we
hadn’t really until this point.How would you describe
Dominic’s working style?
It’s so different from
conventional drama. Dominic is
always going to search for the
truth and he’s always going to
want to test the water, so the
way that we work is that there
is no script so it’s very free and
it’s unpredictable. He’ll jump
in and throw things
into the scene that
I or Perry are not
privy to, to induce a
reaction, as opposed
to ‘acting’. We will
have an idea of what
the scene will be
but it can often turn
out to be something
completely different.Were there any
scenes that stood
out to you?
There was a scene
when Perry was very
emotional and he was
sort of begging and pleading
and it was very difficult to watch
because I could tell Perry had
completely gone there. And
Perry’s my mate so while I was
in the moment with him and
just trying to get through the
scene, it was horrible to watch
him in so much pain. So we had
a nice cup of tea after that one!
The hairdressing scenes are
funny because they’re quite light-
hearted and I’m pretending to
be a hairdresser and thoroughly
enjoying it. We were working in a
real hairdresser’s and we had real
people sitting there wanting a
blow-dry and, you know, I’m like
learning on the job.‘I AM NICOLA’ AIRS ON CHANNEL 4 ON JULY 23.‘LINEOFDUTY’ACTRESS VICKY McCLURE
TELLSOK!ABOUTANEWFEMALE-LEDSERIES