S MAGAZINE ★ 25 AUGUST 2019 25
●Ssays. “It was a really generous
gesture. In that particular scene my
character was very nervous, so that
helped a lot.”
Before Wolf Hall hit the small
screen, however, Kate got her first
taste of theatre at the West Yorkshire
Playhouse in Leeds.
Set in Massachusetts’ God-fearing
Salem of the 1690s, Arthur Miller’s
The Crucible, sees a group of teenage
girls on trial for witchcraft. Kate
played the villainous Abigail, who
had an affair with a local man.
Driven by desire and a lust for power,
she lied and manipulated the
townspeople to gloss over her
adultery and punish innocent women
for a more terrible sin.
“The Crucible is the one and only
play I’ve ever done,” the actress
reveals. “While Linda is God-fearing,
she and Abigail are totally different.
The psychology of the play is
amazing. I really enjoy playing these
frenzied characters. It’s safe to go
into a crazy world while knowing you
are not hurting anyone.
“I’d 100 per cent love to do more
theatre. When I left drama school
I thought that would be the path I’d
take. A rehearsal room is where I feel
most comfortable.”
So from Jane Seymour to Linda
Shelby, Kate has played some
incredible women from factual and
fictional history and she hopes there
will be more to come.
“I look at the range of women that
I’ve been able to play and I feel very
fortunate. They’ve all had something
to say,” she explains. “If I’m honest,
my favourite is Eliza Scarlet. Every
character brings out a different
version of her, including the Duke,
her personal and professional
involvement with him. That’s been
so fun to navigate.”
Following the premiere of Downton
Abbey next month, Kate will be taking
a well-earned rest.
“My boyfriend and I have never
done a proper relaxing, can’t-do-
anything kind of holiday. I think it’s
going to have to be a beach in Greece
for watersports, seaside walks and
lying in the sun. If that’s possible in
October,” she adds.Peaky Blinders starts tonight at
9pm on BBC1. Downton Abbey
is in cinemas from September 13.Above: The actress as Princess Mary (third from left) in the new Downton Abbey movie
Below: As Linda Shelby (far right) with the Peaky Blinders cast, including Cillian Murphy as Tommy (centre)INTERVIEW