Lesley Manville
Lesley Manville
Lesley Manville OBE is an English actress of film, theatre and television who frequently collaborates with director Mike Leigh. For her work in his 2002 film All or Nothing and his 2010 film Another Year, she won the London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actress of the Year. For the latter, she also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress and was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth12 March 1956
chameleon life normally quite work
I'm quite chameleon in my work - not normally looking much like I do in real life.
cover few pot
I like to personalise my dressing room, have a cover for the bed and, if it is a long run, a few cushions and a teapot - a little pot for one.
devoted lots
I have been devoted to my son, and there have been lots of jobs in the past that I haven't done because I didn't want to be away from him.
box collect friend girl mine office rang reserved ticket
A friend of mine rang the box office to collect a ticket I'd reserved for her, and the girl said, 'Who's Lesley Manville?'
mike prolific work
When I make films, I work with Mike Leigh, who's the most prolific director in England.
anonymity convince enjoy life people private stuff work
In my work, I want to convince people that I'm that character. If they know everything about Lesley Manville - private life, all of that stuff - it doesn't help. So the kind of anonymity I enjoy is key.
birth emotions gave huge life love
When I gave birth to my son, something happened. It is a huge thing for a woman: a whole set of emotions you never had before arrives, and a love you never had before in your life is now on tap.
close family grown sisters
I've got two older sisters who I'm very close to. And my son's grown up with a big sense of family around him.
stuff unless
I try to keep the more uninteresting stuff to a minimum, unless I'm really broke.
crucial formative function good highly life mean rounded single
For me, the times in my life when I've been single have been more formative and crucial than I could have imagined. I can cope, function and be happy on my own. I'm highly capable. That doesn't mean I don't like being with a partner, or that I don't feel more rounded when I'm with someone. But the times on my own have been so good.
directors love open pay work
I'd love it if doors open for me in America. There are directors I'd love to work with there. I'll always do theater, but I've got to pay the mortgage.
birth deals easier emotions gave gets huge life love older particular
It gets easier as you get older because life deals its particular hand, and our experiences get deeper, richer, more profound. When I gave birth to my son, something happened. It is a huge thing for a woman: a whole set of emotions you never had before arrives, and a love you never had before in your life is now on tap.
improvise kitty point
For Kitty Gilbert in 'Topsy-Turvy,' I had to get to the point where I could improvise in the style of 1880, which is difficult. The research for that was huge.
nine people
I do get clocked in the street. People say, 'You're an actress, aren't you?' But they don't know my name. Nine times out of 10, they don't know what I've been in.