Poppy Talk

Sally Hawkins talks about playing "Poppy" for Mike Leigh in Happy-Go-Lucky, "gorgeous" Oscar buzz, Bernadette Devlin and character creation.

November 16th, 2008

If you sat through the winning British comedy Happy-Go-Lucky, curious about where you'd seen its star Sally Hawkins before, you're excused. I had trouble placing her and I love studying the credits as they scroll by. I don't usually have a problem placing actors. "Poppy", the film's outgoing cheerful protagonist, is a young school teacher who fills her days and nights with friends and whimsical pursuits (trampoline jumping... flamenco dancing? Why Not!). Hawkins' performance is so indelibly specific and cohesive that one is tempted to assume that the actor in question is merely playing herself --you can hear a bit of Poppy's laugh and the odd intake of breath when Sally speaks --but then you remember her other roles. Poppy is but one among many creations for the rising star / chameleon / Oscar-hopeful. You may have seen her in Layer Cake, Persuasion and Fingersmith or other Mike Leigh pictures like Vera Drake (my 2004 top ten list) and All or Nothing... many characters with very little "Poppy" in them.

Happy-Go-Lucky is proving to be Sally's breakthrough film (she's already won one Best Actress prize at the Berlin Film Festival for her cheery creation) and Oscar buzz persists.

Sally Hawkins and I got bicoastal by phone a fortnight ago. The conversation was a pleasure but the sound you'll hear during the interview which was ... not. I apologize profusely but I blame the luxury hotel Ms. Hawkins was ensconced in whilst promoting Mike Leigh's scrappy new charmer Happy-Go-Lucky.

Nevertheless I couldn't not share the lovely conversation we had about her character "Poppy". Having only recently been introduced I shouldn't conjecture about how much of Sally is in Poppy but, like Poppy, Sally seemed game for the experience. She was warm and open to whatever question I threw her way.

We ponder Oscar buzz. We get into the nitty-gritty of Mike Leigh's famous production process. We gush about costume designer Jacqueline Durran (Atonement. Green dress -- discuss). We wrap up with biopic talk. We even share a P.J. Harvey moment. Uh huh, her.

 

Those with iTunes can get the enhanced podcast here.

If you're without, bless you, there's a standard mp3 (link fixed) for your listening pleasure.

-Nathaniel R

Discuss the podcast on the blog