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SCOOP
FILM
Brenda Blethyn
tackles gritty
7/7 drama
To mark the fifth anniversary
of the July 7 bombings, new film
London River explores life in
the aftermath of the terrorist
attacks on London. Stylist talks
to its female star, Secrets And
Lies actress Brenda Blethyn,
who plays the parent of a
missing victim.
The story of London River
runs in parallel to the events
of 7/7. How did you feel about
taking on the project?
At the outset I was in two minds
about whether to do it, because
if it was going to be
sensationalist, I didn’t want to
know. But the film isn’t just
about the events – it’s about how
those events bring two people
from two completely different
cultures together.
How did you prepare for
your role?
I didn’t do a lot of research
because I wanted to go
into it quite blind, just as
the character would have.
I did have to learn
French, though!
Was that challenging?
I only knew a bit of
schoolgirl French,
so I went to the
French Institute in
Manchester and
did three weeks
of intensive
training. After
that it was
straight onto
the set, where
I spoke it all
the time. I
haven’t spoken
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a word since! I’ve forgotten it
all, I think.
Where were you on July
7, 2005?
I was at my house in
Ramsgate, Kent, on the coast,
and was due to travel to
London, but my partner called
me to tell me the news. I just
thought it was unbelievable.
Even watching this film, I gasped
in a couple of places.
In the last two decades you’ve
taken on everything from Mike
Leigh’s Secrets And Lies to the
Oscar-winning Little Voice. Was
acting always the goal?
No. It didn’t even enter my
head until I was in my 20s, when
a colleague at Network Rail –
where I was a typist – asked me
to stand in at the local
amateur dramatics
society. I only had to
say one line but
I stayed
BAFTA AND GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNER
BRENDA IS SET TO WOW THE
CRITICS AGAIN WITH NEW FILM
LONDON RIVER
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