20 Questions With…Essie Davis

In her native Australia, actress Essie Davis‘ many stage credits have included Rome and Juliet, Richard III, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew, A View from the Bridge, Night on Bald Mountain, The Idiot, The Rose Tattoo, Twelfth Night, The Cripple of Inishmaan and The School for Scandal.

Over the past few years, Davis has also made a big impact on British audiences. She followed up her UK debut – in an Australian co-production of The Importance of Being Earnest, which hit the West End in 2001 – by playing Stella to Glenn Close‘s Blanche Dubois in Trevor Nunn’s National Theatre revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, a performance which won her this year’s Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress.

This past summer, Davis returned to the National to star opposite Simon Russell Beale in David Leveaux’s revival of Tom Stoppard’s 1972 philosophical farce,
Jumpers, which is now transferring to the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre.

On screen, Davis is currently appearing, along with Colin Firth, in the new big budget release of Girl with a Pearl Earring. Her other film credits include Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, Code 46, Meeting Misty Rain, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, River Street, The Custodian and On Our Selection.

Date & place of birth

I was born on a beautiful island called Tasmania, and I’m not going to tell you when! (laughs)

Lives now in…
Here, I guess. Everything I have is in storage in Sydney. I have a couple of suitcases and my husband. We’re renting a little flat right in the centre of town, in Charing Cross Road. It’s very handy and fantastic to be able to walk everywhere and go out so easily. It’s kind of like having a party in your bedroom. I first came to this country when did a co-production of The Importance of Being Earnest. We rehearsed here, went to Australia, then came back and were at the Savoy for three months, then on to Manchester and Bath. I had to return to Australia because I was working with Judy Davis at the Opera House, but I came back again for Streetcar. I do want to stay here, though I really love Australia in autumn. Ideally, I want to work all over the world. Unfortunately, I haven’t got a grandparent or a husband that’s allowing me to stay in the UK, so for every job I have to apply for a permit.

First big break
The week I got out of drama school I landed both a movie and the part of Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet for Bell Shakespeare Company. That was my first year of work sorted. It was fantastic. The movie was called The Custodian. It was a real curve for me because I hadn’t done any film at all up to that point. I literally watched myself learning how to act for the camera. Then I got to play Juliet with one of my best friends from drama school, Daniel LePayne, as Romeo. It was like spending an extra year at drama school, basically.

Career highlights to date

Working with Glenn Close and Trevor Nunn doing Streetcar. It was a very dear production to me. Then winning an Olivier Award … I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, I really didn’t think that they’d give it to me. That was wild and magical. I’ve had so many fantastic experiences. Jumpers has been one. And I loved shooting Girl with a Pearl Earring. My last two days of work on that was for a huge scene. It was really my first experience with being allowed to let it all fly for film. You can do that on stage, but I didn’t know that you were allowed to do that in the movies. That was exhilarating, and it really made me love making movies. Movies are usually so much about making money, and so much about getting it done – they ask so little of you as an actor.

Favourite productions you’ve ever worked on
I loved playing Helen in The Cripple of Inishmaan. Maeliossa Stafford, who used to run the Galway Theatre, directed and acted in the piece in Australia. It was fantastic and challenging, and Maeliossa kept an eye on us the whole time. He was always giving us really severe notes about making the audience hate you. “Make them hate you and that will move them more than anything,” he said. That was a great lesson in not falling for what is a very common curse for many actors – wanting the audience to love them all the time.

Favourite co-stars
Daniel Lepayne, who I’ve mentioned. Glenn Close, because there was something in what we created together in Streetcar that felt very sisterly. There were times throughout the play when we entered a tunnel of complete understanding, and it didn’t matter whether anyone was watching or not. I don’t think either of us could have gone on the journeys we went on without each other’s portrayals. My Stella was dependent on her domineering yet really fragile Blanche, and I thought it made complete sense. Also Simon Russell Beale and everyone in this Jumpers company.

Favourite directors
Trevor Nunn and David Leveaux are both up there as favourites, as well as Maeliossa. I loved working with Judy Davis, she was excellent. They’re all so different. Trevor just let me do what I did. At first, I was frightened not getting feedback from him, but then I realised it was because I really was doing what he wanted. David is quite intellectual. I’m a much more emotional and instinctive actor rather than an intellectual actor, though I think I’m learning how to use my head. There are actors who work purely from the head, and there are actors who work purely from their heart. Over the last ten years, I’ve worked on putting more skill into what I feel. All these directors know that you as an actor are a bottomless pit of creativity. I think that’s fantastic. Too often I’ve worked with directors who don’t challenge you.

Favourite playwrights
Shakespeare has really grown on me. I wasn’t a fan of until I was in it. I love Beth Henley, too. She wrote Crimes of the Heart and Miss Firecracker. She’s got a real sick bent, a tragic kind of black comedy. I don’t think the films of those plays are that great, but she’s a great writer.

What roles would you most like to play still?
I would love to play Villanelle in the movie of Jeanette Winterson’s The Passion. Gwyneth Paltrow was set to play it, but we’ll see. There are lots of other roles I’d like, but I just don’t know what they are yet. I keep coming across them and saying, “Yeah, I’d love to that”. It’s hard in Australia because, if someone plays a role in a play that’s rarely done, you won’t get an opportunity to do it again for another five years. There are several roles that I’m not old enough to play yet, and that’s fine. I’d also love to play Mrs Coulter in Tom Stoppard‘s screen version of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. I think Patricia Hodge is playing it in the stage version here at the National.

If you hadn’t become an actor, what would you have done professionally?
There was only acting. When I was a child, I wanted to be a marine biologist because I love the sea and being in it, on it, close to it. I’ve got quite the scientific family.

What’s the last thing you saw on stage that you really enjoyed?
When we had a one-week break from Jumpers, I made a real effort to see what was on at the National. I feel sad that I missed Power, but I did see Three Sisters, Henry V and Elmina’s Kitchen – which was fantastic. I really loved that.

What would you advise the government to secure the future of British theatre?
Give more money… Go and see some… Really, theatre everywhere faces similar struggles and money is an issue. I found it surprising coming over to this country because, if you’re employed as an actor in Australia, you at least get put up and looked after. It was really hard doing Streetcar. I moved five times in ten weeks. In the end, for the final two weeks of the show, darling Glenn put me and my entire family up at her place.

If you could swap places with one person (living or dead) for a day, who would it be?
It would have to be a damn good day for that person. If I could experience being in a different body for a day, I’d rather be a bird than another person. Like an albatross, feeling what it’s like to go over that cliff and spread your wings over the sea. I’ve always wanted to fly. If it had to be a person, I’d choose Richard Attenborough, but it’d have to be on a damn good day, like when he gorillas in the jungle or had some other amazing event. I wouldn’t want to spend the day just answering phones or having food poisoning.

Favourite books
The Passion by Jeanette Winterson, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx and The Lovely Bones by Annie Sebold. Oh my God, that one’s so fantastic, one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in ages. I’d love to be in a movie of The Lovely Bones. Also Northern Lights, the first one of the His Dark Materials trilogy. I have hundreds and hundreds of favourite books. I love reading.

Favourite holiday destinations
Bruny Island in Tasmania. It has the most incredible beaches. I love isolated places in Tasmania and northwestern Australia. My husband and I recently visited the Amalfi Coast in Italy, too. That was beautiful. All of my most favourite places are by the sea.

Favourite after-show haunts
I haven’t really discovered them. I most like going to people’s houses and staying up late.

Why did you want to accept your part of Dorothy in this production of Jumpers?
It has so many challenges for me – it’s one of the scariest parts I’ve ever been offered. I think Tom Stoppard is a genius, and I thought David Leveaux‘s understanding and passion to do this play was totally inspiring, particularly his idea of Dottie as Tom’s only female hero. David’s innate understanding was that Jumpers had to have a heart and real love at the centre, despite it being a manic, farcical, surreal and heady play. The idea of playing a role I didn’t understand was also appealing. I really enjoyed rehearsals and the puzzle of working out such a complicated character. And I get to sing blues songs on the moon. I’ve never sung on stage; in fact, I’ve never actually sung with my eyes open before. And I get to dress up in glamorous clothes – though taking them off on stage was something new for me! Really, I just get to show off. The more I do Dottie, the more I understand. I sometimes wish I could let the audience see what’s going on inside my head or telepathically let them know about my journey. One of the most beautiful things Tom Stoppard said to me during rehearsals was, “You’re God’s gift to a playwright. Isn’t it fantastic that, of all the longitude and latitude points on the map, our two points, Czechoslovakia and Tasmania, should meet here.”

Do you feel the moon landing has affected your generation’s outlook on life?

Although it happened before I was born, I have very similar beliefs to Dottie. My symbol of spirituality is the moon. It’s the focal point of my God. But the fact that science has interfered with that hasn’t affected me. I still have very romantic ideas and very old, simple beliefs in nature and Mother Earth. The moon is both scientifically and emotionally a very powerful force. Of course it moves us, of course we are more insane on a full moon night. Tom’s talked about what it was like at the time. He was terrified because he thought things would be dangerous and different somehow. Maybe they are but I don’t really notice it.

Can you follow all the philosophical arguments in Jumpers?
Not all the time. There’s still stuff I don’t understand, and my mind changes about what some things mean. I like that. When we were re-rehearsing for the West End, I was watching and thinking, “This is brilliant. This is really brilliant.” Jumpers is one of those plays you can afford to see – well, if people actually could afford to – 20 times because it’s so rich, immensely packed with information and ideas.

What’s your favourite line from Jumpers?
I have two favourite lines. My favourite line that I say is: “I won’t see him anymore if you like, I’ll see you if you like.” Another favourite line is one of Simon’s, towards the end of the play. He’s talking about not knowing whether God exists and he says: “Now and again, not necessarily in the contemplation of
rainbows or newborn babes, nor in extremities of pain or joy, but more
probably ambushed by some quite trivial moment – say the exchange of signals
between two long-distance lorry drivers in the black sleet of a god-awful
night on the old A1 – then, in that dip-flash, dip-flash of headlights in
the rain that seems to affirm some common ground that is not animal and not
long-distance lorry-driving – then I tell you I know.” I love that image. It reminds me of the goodness in people, even when they are living very lonely lives. It’s like when you’re out in Australia, out in the bush, and you drive past a farm and someone’s at the gate, you wave. It’s the same. When you’re driving a long distance through the night, and you pass another car, you dip-flash. You reach out and make a connection.

What’s the oddest thing that’s happened during Jumpers‘ run to date?

There has been a lot of mischief backstage, which has got worse as the show’s gone on. At some point, nearly every night, various jumpers are in the wings taking their clothes off to try and distract me. On the closing night at the National, all 12 of them undressed and were waving their willies at me while I was on stage meant to be having a breakdown. I had my back to the audience at this point – it was quite hard trying to make my laughter sound like crying.

What are your plans for the future?
Apart from being an international star of stage and screen? We’ll hopefully go to Broadway with Jumpers which would be great. Beyond that, I want to keep working with great people, playing lead roles in very exciting things and one day direct my own film. I also want to make babies, milk the cows and chill out with my family.

The new National Theatre production of Jumpers opened at the NT Lyttelon on 19 June 2003 and continued there in repertory, with a break for a brief regional tour, until 7 November 2003. It reopens at the West End’s Piccadilly Theatre on 20 November 2003, following previews from 14 November.

** DON’T MISS our £10 Travelex ticket offer for JUMPERS in the West End! Valid for previews from 14 to 19 November only – CLICK HERE FOR INFO! **