Look At You Now exhibition, Children and the Arts event and The Humans’ opening night

8 September 2018 02:35

Zoë featured in National Theatre exhibition

Look out for Zoë and her husband, Gawn Grainger, recreating their childhood snapshots in a new video from London’s National Theatre.

The video accompanies a free exhibition, Look At You Now, which features photos of actors and other theatre-makers connected to the NT. ‘The exhibition celebrates where people start and what they go on to achieve,’ in the theatre’s words.

All of the contemporary portraits were taken by young people under the guidance of professional photographers, in the spirit of nurturing tomorrow’s creative talents.

Look At You Now runs seven days a week at the NT until 13 October.

Zoë’s views on the role of the arts in education

Nurturing creativity among young people was also the theme of a charity event Zoë attended on 5 September. She joined around 200 other leading figures from the arts at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the high-profile gathering, which was organised by Prince Charles’ Children & the Arts charity and aimed to promote – and protect – the arts in UK schools.

Zoë, who is a Children & the Arts ambassador, spoke to the Press Association about the importance of artistic expression for pupils and her concerns that arts subjects are being sidelined in the current education system. She believes that ‘a rounded education is needed for the next generation to ''think outside the box''’.

Today’s exam culture can lead to artistic expression being neglected in schools, and that’s detrimental to pupils’ personal development, she suggested. ‘You have got to run, you’ve got to play, you’ve got to have fun and then the brain will engage,’ Zoë emphasised.

Attending The Humans’ UK press night

The day after the Children & the Arts event, Zoë was pictured in an eye-catching outfit at the UK opening night of Stephen Karam’s family drama, The Humans.

The play has already won multiple Tony awards on Broadway and is now being staged at Hampstead Theatre, where Zoë was most recently seen in the London transfer of Stevie (2015).

With thanks to Janet for her help

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What’s next for Zoë, plus news of Britannia, Love Hurts, 28 Tales for 28 Days and more

30 August 2018 01:08

Exciting projects in the pipeline

As if 2018 hasn’t been exciting enough already for fans, thanks to Zoë’s major roles in The Birthday Party, Britannia and Girlfriends, several new projects are on the horizon.

First and foremost, Zoë has been cast in a major TV show – I should be able to speak more openly about it after an official announcement has been made by the broadcaster or production company. In addition, her schedule this autumn and winter is sprinkled with several significant charity projects (again, more details when everything is confirmed).

Britannia broadcast around the world

Sky’s epic historical drama, starring Zoë as vengeful Queen Antedia, can justifiably be called a global phenomenon. As TV Wise points out, ‘Sky Vision has now sold Britannia into more than 209 international territories.’

The highly anticipated second series will be broadcast next year.

Tessa and Frank’s story continues in the US...

A reminder that the second season of Zoë’s classic comedy-drama Love Hurts, which also stars Adam Faith, has just been released in the US by Acorn TV.

To whet your appetite, here’s a trailer from 1993, when the season was originally shown. Tessa may be determined to steer clear of ‘problem plumber’ Frank, but fate seems equally determined to keep drawing her back into his path...

Love Hurts being broadcast in the US has even caught the attention of The New York Times. Its recent summary of the show includes an amusing nod to 90s fashion. ‘If you like human-scale dramas, sweet love stories and pleated pants, try this,’ the newspaper suggests!

The third – and final – series will be available to stream on Acorn TV from 24 September onwards.

Catch up with My Family and the Galapagos

There’s still time (just!) for UK fans to catch up with Channel 4’s wonderful wildlife series, for which Zoë provides the voiceover. My Family and the Galapagos follows marine biologist Monty Halls, his wife Tamsyn and their two children as they explore this incredible group of islands and the challenges posed by environmental issues.

‘It’s all winningly narrated by Zoë Wanamaker, with a catch in her heart,’ emphasised the Observer in its review.

The newspaper’s praise for Zoe is echoed by Tamsyn Halls herself.

Another chance to see Ode to Joy

Zoë also lends her vocal talents to a brief but fascinating film, Ode to Joy (2014), about the life and career of talented, Watford-born animator Joy Batchelor.

If you missed its broadcast at Watford Film Festival earlier this month, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can watch the film in its entirety online.

28 Tales is coming soon

28 Tales for 28 Days, the series of videos produced to call for a 28-day time limit on UK immigration detention, will be launched on YouTube on 11 September.

As recently reported here, Zoë will be seen reading one of the tales to highlight detainees’ experiences. 28 Tales is the brainchild of charity Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, which runs a walking project called Refugee Tales. Also on board is Comma Press, the publisher of the stories told on the walks and in 28 Tales.

This direct appeal from Zoe, filmed at the same time as 28 Tales, sheds more light on the project’s aims.

Supporting the Roar for Jess campaign

Zoë has joined numerous well-known figures in getting involved with the Roar for Jess campaign, which has been created to support a ten-year-old girl who’s been bravely battling neuroblastoma for much of her life.

Bid for Zoë’s artwork

Could you spot a drawing by Zoë among hundreds of others? She’s submitted a postcard-sized artwork to Heart Research UK’s charity fundraising auction, the Anonymous heART Project.

All of the artworks will be sold on eBay from 2-11 November. Good luck if you try to track down Zoe’s and bid on it!

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Watch Zoë appeal for an end to indefinite immigration detention in the UK

31 July 2018 16:40

When Zoë took part in the 28 Tales for 28 Days charity project recently, she also filmed this direct appeal for an end to indefinite detention periods at UK immigration centres. She's among a number of prominent actors and writers who've joined forces with the charity Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group, its outreach project Refugee Tales and the tales' publisher Comma Press to call for immigration detention to be limited to 28 days.

The crowdfunding campaign to cover 28 Tales' filming, editing and distribution costs, as well as enable more former detainees to join Refugee Tales' walking community, is now entering its final days. If you wish to make a donation, you can do so until 2 August.

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Celebrating this website’s 16th anniversary with 16 rare photos

30 July 2018 01:45

I had to pinch myself earlier this month when I realised that the website’s 16th anniversary was on the horizon. The site has changed immeasurably since it first appeared online on 30 July 2002, but its aim remains the same: to be the internet’s most comprehensive resource for Zoë Wanamaker’s many enthusiastic fans around the world.

To celebrate the anniversary, here are 16 rare photos of Zoë collected by me over the years (click on them to see bigger versions). I hope you enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed choosing and commenting on each one.

1. A legend in the making

Zoë wears a gauntlet in this unusual magazine photo from 1989, inspired by Laurence Olivier’s landmark performance as Henry V in Shakespeare’s play, for which he wore a suit of armour. The magazine wondered if the next acting legend, following Olivier’s passing earlier in the year, might be a woman. As it pointed out, Zoë’s name is ‘a byword for excellence’.

2. Surveying the Globe

Had you been at Shakespeare’s Globe on the day this photo was taken, around 1995, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking that a ghostly figure from the theatre’s past – perhaps even Elizabeth I herself – was surveying the progress being made on its reconstruction. If you’d then looked closely, you’d surely have recognised the famous face and trademark spiky hair of the daughter of actor and director Sam Wanamaker, who spearheaded the project to rebuild the Globe on London’s South Bank.

Zoë’s Elizabethan-style costume suggests that the theatre will stay true to its heritage, while the presence of a workman in contemporary dress is a sign that it’s well on its way to bringing Shakespeare to modern audiences.

3. High spirits when rehearsing His Girl Friday

Director Jack O’Brien shares a joke with Zoë in this delightful photo taken during rehearsals for the National Theatre’s production of His Girl Friday in 2003. You can almost hear Zoë giggling when you look at it! She was preparing to play feisty Hildy Johnson in the fast-paced comedy. Her Hildy was, The New Yorker declared, ‘a petite dynamo with a glint in her eye’.

4. Childhood fun and fancy dress

There's laughter in this photo too! Aged about eight or nine, Zoë is pictured enjoying a birthday party at her friend Jenny’s house. She’s wearing a fancy dress costume inspired by one of Mark Twain’s best-loved characters, the wild but kind-hearted Huckleberry Finn, from novels such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. ‘Mum had painted freckles on my face and I wore a check shirt and braces with rolled-up jeans and bare feet,’ Zoë recalled when speaking to a magazine about the photo in 2007.

‘I’m sure it was my decision to come to the party as Huckleberry Finn,’ she added. ‘I was born in New York, where I lived until I was three when we moved to London. I was brought up on American books [...] Jenny had the Bobbsey Twins books so I wanted them too (everything Jenny had I wanted).’

5. Black and white and bold

Can you imagine anyone taking more beautiful photos of Zoë than the hugely talented Jillian Edelstein? The masterful use of light and shade in this portrait from 1990 highlights Zoë’s distinctive profile. Another profile shot from the same photoshoot was shown at London’s National Portrait Gallery in 2012, as part of an exhibition about contemporary actresses.

6. Oaks for Shakespeare’s Globe

In this magazine photo from 1992, Zoë and her dad are leaning on a felled oak in Gloucestershire's ancient Forest of Dean. The tree was one of a number given by the Forestry Commission to the project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe. With construction underway, the Globe’s trust had made a nationwide appeal to estate owners for 250 full-grown trees. Those provided were destined to become part of the iconic structure of the theatre often called the 'Wooden O'.

7. Marriage to Gawn Grainger

Zoë and the actor and writer Gawn Grainger are pictured looking very happy indeed on their wedding day in London in 1994. Like his wife, Gawn has a successful career encompassing theatre, TV and film. Talking to a newspaper a couple of years after they married, he remarked modestly that ‘Zoë and I are very different actors. She’s better than I am.’

8. Tapestries gifted to the Globe

In 1994, Prince Philip unveiled four stunning tapestries at the partially-built Shakespeare’s Globe. Following the unveiling, Zoë was photographed for a magazine in front of the embroidered, Elizabethan-style hangings, which were a gift from New Zealand. 500 embroiderers, working with the nation’s famous wool, had spent more than a year producing them. The tapestries adorned the stage’s background in the Globe’s early days and now hang in the theatre’s exhibition.

9. These are a few of her favourite things

‘My home is very important to me. It’s like a reaffirmation of who I am,’ Zoë explained in the magazine interview this photo illustrates, published in 1994. ‘For me, possessions weave a fantasy about family, home, warmth and open fires and the good old days of storybooks and childhood.’

Appropriately enough, she’s surrounded by a selection of her favourite things. On display are paintings – one depicts Italy’s La Scala opera house and the other, by Frances Crichton Stuart, a seaside scene – and an antique Clarice Cliff bowl Zoë bought while touring with the RSC. Some objects, such as the wind-up duck with a spinning hat, quirky vase and coin-snatching moneybox, have novelty value. There’s a tiny bottle of Jean Patou’s luxury perfume, 1000, and an empty amethyst scent bottle from 1988 film The Raggedy Rawney. The sign may only be cardboard, but it carries an important message: ‘don’t postpone joy’.

10. Zoë shows her tough side

When this striking photo of Zoë was taken at a pool hall in 1999, her portrayal of Ancient Greek tragedy’s Electra was taking modern Broadway audiences by storm, having already caused a sensation in the UK. Zoë’s masculine tailoring finds a parallel in the costume she wore on stage: Electra’s petite frame was engulfed by her late father’s enormous coat.

11. Finding fame

From tough to glamorous: this photo appeared alongside a 1994 magazine interview in which Zoë reflected on Love Hurts’ impact on her life. The incredibly popular BBC drama, which had ended earlier in the year, brought her into millions of TV viewers’ homes. ‘Adam [Faith, who co-starred] and I were both astounded by its success,’ Zoë emphasised. ‘Now people know who I am and, so long as they’re nice, it’s great.’

12. A quiet moment amid Much Ado

2007 was a busy year for Zoë at the National Theatre: after Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, she turned her attention to Much Ado About Nothing. This photo captures her in a contemplative mood during rehearsals for Shakespeare’s comedy, in which she played prickly, poignant Beatrice. Whenever I see it, I always wonder what Zoë is thinking.

13. Casual chic and cheeky charm

Zoë exudes casual chic in this 2015 portrait from a women’s magazine, while an amusing anecdote from the accompanying interview reveals her playful sense of humour. ‘There was a day on the Poirot set,’ Zoë remarked, recalling her role as eccentric crime writer Ariadne Oliver. ‘[The crew] were holding up all these special reflective boards around David [Suchet, in costume as Poirot]. I said, ‘‘What’s with all the light on him? I’m a girl. I need all the help I can get.’’ They said, ‘‘It’s the moustache. We’re having to light the moustache.’’ So the next day I came in with a moustache. ‘‘Okay, gimme!’’ I told them.’

14. Celebrating My Family’s centenary

Zoë’s rapport with her co-star, Robert Lindsay, is clear in this newspaper photo from 2009. They certainly had plenty to smile about: their hit BBC comedy, which owed so much to its stars’ on-screen chemistry, was about to reach its 100th episode. The milestone reaffirmed My Family’s position in the popular imagination. ‘The public own it now,’ Zoë concluded.

15. Zoë’s career skyrockets

When Zoë was photographed for a women’s magazine in 1979, she’d reached a new high in her career. Having ‘scored a stunning success’ (in the magazine’s words) in the RSC’s revival of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman’s comedy Once in a Lifetime, she was on track to win her first Olivier award.

In the interview that accompanied this photo, Zoë noted that ‘in the theatre it takes time to know exactly where you fit in’. At the end of her first decade as a professional actor, she was both successful and self-possessed. The magazine was impressed. ‘At thirty, Zoë Wanamaker is very much her own lady,’ it emphasised.

16. Sam Wanamaker’s pride in his daughter

This sweet photo of Zoë and her dad accompanied a 1986 magazine interview in which they discussed their close bond. Sam recalled his daughter being a ‘delightful’ child. ‘She exuded charm, she gave her affection freely and openly, and she laughed a lot and enjoyed giggling and having fun. She was always performing, dancing or skipping or singing.’

Zoë’s talent, caring nature and zest for life were now helping her to become a popular, acclaimed actor. ‘She is an asset to have in any production because she always produces something very special and individual,’ Sam emphasised, reflecting on his daughter’s achievements. ‘There’s something about her that you like, you instinctively like Zoë.’

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Zoë narrates stunning wildlife series, My Family and the Galapagos, on Channel 4

29 July 2018 20:22

Over the next few weeks, UK fans can hear Zoë narrating My Family and the Galapagos, a new wildlife documentary series on Channel 4. The programme follows marine biologist Monty Halls, his wife and children as they explore (as Zoë declared in the first episode) ‘the most extraordinary place on earth, where spectacular animals live side-by-side with people’.

As the Halls discover during their three-month expedition, however, there’s trouble in paradise. Channel 4 explains in its My Family and the Galapagos press release that ‘with the human population expanding, plastic waste infesting seas and washing up on shores, invasive species and illegal fishing threatening the islands more than ever before’, a delicate ecosystem is being put under increasing pressure.

Monty Halls (who’s president of charity the Galapagos Conservation Trust) and his family aim to find out what we can all do to protect this fabulous, fragile part of the world, which boasts many species found nowhere else.

You can catch up with episode one now; Channel 4 will broadcast episodes two and three on 4 August and 11 August at 8pm.

Watching My Family and the Galapagos reminds me of an episode from the fourth series of sitcom My Family, called ‘Deliverance’. Perhaps you remember it too – in a series of flashbacks to the 1970s, Zoe's Susan and husband Ben (played by Robert Lindsay) relive the night eldest child Nick was born. When the expectant couple arrive at the hospital, Susan has second thoughts about becoming a parent... What if she ends up stuck at home changing nappies instead of exploring the world?!

Perhaps the Harpers should've taken a leaf out of the Halls' book and taken the kids on a once-in-a-lifetime trip!

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