New video: Zoë interviewed by Matthew Rolland

16 October 2023 15:22

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to have a relaxed, wide-ranging chat with Zoë, her new – and thoroughly enjoyable – interview with hospital radio presenter Matthew Rolland is for you.

They discuss how Zoë feels about acting in theatre, film and TV (‘each medium has its own techniques and its own limitations,’ she explains), as well as how much she values colleagues who have a great sense of humour and a great deal of honesty. I was particularly struck by her description of the strong connection between actors who’ve worked together – this ‘bond’ is built on the ‘excitement of knowing you’ve shared something’ on stage or screen.

As you may know, Zoë has dyslexia, and she shares her tips for learning lines. As she points out, ‘calming down and not reading too fast’ is key.

She also reflects on the decrease in arts funding and the increase in theatre ticket prices. She makes clear that watching stories unfold on stage is engaging and life-enhancing, so is saddened by the fact many parents can’t afford to take their children to see plays these days.

The conversation is one of the most recent instalments in Rolland’s Isolation Interviews series, which features famous guests from around the world and began during lockdown.

Zoë reads Harry Potter to schoolchildren

It’s clear from her interview with Matthew Rolland that Zoë believes being immersed in culture and literature is vitally important for the development of young minds. So when she was invited to open the fantastic new library at Burbage Primary School in Wiltshire last month, she was delighted to show her support.

As reported by the local press, the school’s lucky competition winners enjoyed a day they’ll never forget. They got to hear Zoë, who’s known to millions as Quidditch instructor Madam Hooch, read an extract from the Harry Potter books.

Teacher Emma Miles certainly gave her special guest top marks. She emphasised that ‘Zoë was captivating’, answering questions and offering advice to help the children become more confident readers and develop their ‘performance voice’.

Reminder: The Space interview

If you’ve managed to bag tickets for Zoë’s interview with Brighton arts strand The Space on Thursday 19 October, you’ll no doubt enjoy hearing what she has to say too.

Although the event has now sold out, you can head to The Space’s website to contact the organiser regarding any last-minute places becoming available.

If you’ll be in the audience, have a brilliant time!

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Zoë – and this website – at 21

16 August 2023 17:37

As zoewanamaker.com’s regular visitors will know, the website recently celebrated its 21st birthday (hooray and oh, my goodness!)

That milestone got me thinking... Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see Zoë around the age of 21, when she was at the very beginning of her professional acting career?

To that end, Zoë and her PA, Vanessa, have kindly provided a lovely photo from that exciting time in her life. Here’s Zoë as a fledgling actress with so many wonderful roles on the horizon. (You can click on the image to see a larger version.)

And to round off this article, here’s a photo that’ll be of much less interest to Zoë’s fans, but it felt fitting to include it. The photo shows me at 21, just after I’d finished my final exams at university. I’d only been running the website for four years at that point. Time flies!

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Brighton's arts strand The Space to interview Zoë

31 July 2023 13:13

Zoë Wanamaker fans in the Brighton area of the UK will want to make sure Thursday 19 October is highlighted in their diaries. Excitingly, on that date Zoë will be interviewed for The Space, the collective name for a series of arts, culture and media happenings held in the city.

The event will start at 7:30pm; the venue is Brighton's Latest Music Bar. According to The Space's website, Zoe's interview will be pretty informal and followed by a Q&A session with input from the audience. So if there's something you'd love to ask Zoë, this is your chance!

Her fellow interviewee at the event will be Harvey Goldsmith, the well-known performing arts promoter. The Space's creator and culture expert, Wayne Imms, will be the interviewer.

Tickets are on sale now (scroll down The Space's homepage to find the details).

With thanks to Vanessa for her help

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21 years of zoewanamaker.com

30 July 2023 10:18

Today, 30 July 2023, marks a real milestone for zoewanamaker.com. The website has reached the grand old age of 21! It’s now several years older than I was when I started beavering away on this project in 2002. Can’t quite get my head around how much time has passed.

In that time, I’ve collected a great deal of material related to Zoë’s wonderful, varied career (with the aim of sharing much of it with you all on this site). To celebrate zoewanamaker.com’s 21st anniversary, below is a recent addition to the archive: a group of lovely press photos from that fan favourite, Love Hurts, the early 90s BBC drama in which Zoë starred with the late, great Adam Faith.

All that remains is for me to say a sincere thank you to Zoë, her PA Vanessa, my long-suffering family and every fan who visits this site.

Liz xx

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Zoë talks of ‘deep respect’ for David Bowie as BBC airs Baal

27 July 2023 14:11

In case you missed the BBC’s rare broadcast of Baal yesterday (26 July), as well as Zoë’s interview about acting alongside David Bowie, both programmes are now available to UK viewers on the BBC iPlayer.

In Zoë Wanamaker Remembers... Bowie and Baal, Zoë speaks vividly and beautifully, her words interspersed with clips from the 1982 TV version of Brecht’s play, in which she plays Sophie, one of Baal's unlucky lovers. She points out that the iconic late musician was brave to take on the role of artist-poet Baal, as the character is the amoral centre of an incredibly challenging drama. Fittingly, Baal is part of the BBC’s Landmark Drama collection: a group of programmes that, the broadcaster says, ‘changed TV – and Britain – forever’.

Zoë found Bowie ‘very smart and quick and kind’. ‘I felt deep respect for him,’ she emphasises. She also held the drama’s ‘brilliant’ late director, Alan Clarke, in high regard. Zoe admired his clear vision for filming the stark play and turning it into a ‘forward-thinking and brave’ piece of TV.

As the interview draws to a close, Zoë reflects on what this performance of Baal might mean to viewers today, particularly those who weren’t around in the early 1980s. She emphasises that she’d ‘be fascinated to hear what people say’ now about this 41-year-old programme, which still has the power to capture people’s attention.

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