'This is England' - Vicky McClure Q&A

The star of Shane Meadows' latest discusses her role as feisty skinhead Lol.

Apr 26 2007

Having played Nadine in Shane Meadows' 'A Room for Romeo Brass', actress Vicky McClure again collaborates with the director on 'This is England', in which she plays feisty skinhead Lol. Chris Tilly spoke with her about the film.

Was the film as much fun to shoot as it looks?

Definitely, yes. We had a lot of input into who got cast, so once we got the gang we were really happy and it was just perfect. We all got on really, really well and it was just constant laughing and jokes.

So were you there from the genesis of the film?

Yes I was. Shane basically approached me and Shimmy, [Andrew Shim, who plays Milky in the film], we were just in the pub and he asked if we'd like to do this film. He gave us a bit of a brief and then he said 'I'm thinking of you for this role and I'm thinking of Shimmy for that role'. So we didn't audition, he kind of said 'I'd like you to play these roles if it comes off'. From that day to where we are today, we've been majorly involved, which has been fantastic. Even down to things like coming down to see Shane while he was doing the grade and the edit – we've watched so many different versions of the film!

That must be quite a unique experience for an actor.

Yes, massively. I haven't got loads of experience in terms of working with other directors and I've not got bags of films behind me, but I've got a funny feeling that if I continue to work with other people then I'm not going to get this luxury again. So knowing that we took everything as it came – we just tried to grab it because Shane gives you so many opportunities in terms of improvising. I appreciate the timescales on films are really tight, but Shane would be like 'bugger it, let's just go for it, let's just try it. If we're not going to get it right then it's not going to get in the film'.

That seems to reflect in the performances.

A lot of the characters, especially Tommo [who plays Shaun in the film], we've got a lot of the same characteristics as our characters. I don't think me and Lol are massively similar, but we've got loads of similar little traits.

So how did you go about creating the character?

The image drastically changed me and helped me in creating my character. And through rehearsals Shane gives us so much information on the back-story of the film, on little things which probably didn't even get into the film, but just helped us to picture 1983 in Shane's world. He'll give you loads of information, so you'll tend to have to go on what Shane says because it's his story. Then I spoke to people like my mum and dad and looked at books and images. I'm not going to say I did loads of research, because I didn't, it was more listening to people and their stories. It wasn't like sitting in the library reading through skinhead novels, or anything like that. When I had my hair shaved and I put my costumes on, I just held my head up high and all of a sudden I was there.

Was it scary getting your hair cut like that?

Yes, I mean I'm not going to lie, it was like 'what'? Because when he first told me about it I thought it might be a practical joke as that's quite typical of Shane. And I thought he'd never make me shave all my hair off, especially because out of all the cast, me and Chanel [Cresswell] – who plays my little sister in it – we're the only two who had really long hair, like down to my backside. It was only when I sat in the chair and we were thinking of ideas that I actually said to Shane that I just want a full skinhead, just all off. Then the fringe was there and he said 'I really like that', with the little rat tail at the back. He said 'that’s it! You have to keep it like that'. And I said 'fine'. Then I got my costume on and it just felt right, it felt perfect for Lol.

Did all the actors form a sort of gang while you were making the film?

Yeah, we did. We're all still in touch now, all of us, and it will be two years in September, which I just can't get my head around. Some of the cast members already knew each other, so they had that bit of stability when they first came in, but everybody's just dead normal, dead nice.

That also seems to be reflected in the film.

Well it's all improvised. When we're all having a laugh and pissing about, Shane will be like, 'Right just make each other laugh' and somebody will come out with some bizarre comment to start a conversation and we're all naturally laughing because it's funny. A lot of the time it just worked for a first take.

I watched 'Romeo Brass' again the other day and in that film, as with 'This is England', your character is a sort of catalyst for the violence that erupts. Why do you think Shaun keeps casting you in this role?

I have no idea. To be honest I haven't really thought about it like that. It's strange you've brought that up.

Both times you knock a guy back and it sets him off down a pretty crazy path.

I obviously attract the bad ones! I don't know, I think Nadine [Vicky's character in 'Romeo Brass'] and Lol are quite similar in the fact that they don't take any shit, and I don't to a certain extent. All three of us are similar in so many different ways. Lol is a bit more reserved than Nadine – she would more sit back and watch things happen. When she has that conversation with Combo – as soon as she got into the car it was like 'Look, I'm going to be really nice and tell you really straight that it was the worst night of my life and I'm being dead honest with you'. She wasn't shouting at him, and maybe Nadine would have been a bit more screamy about it. But I think they're both quite similar and I think Shane probably sees some of that in me, which obviously helps with the characters. But I'm ever so nice really!

Why do you think the film has such a devastating effect on audiences?

I think the only answer to that is because it's real. Every time I watch it – and I can't even put a number to how many times I've watched it now – but there's always a scene that I pick up on and think 'god I've forgotten about that scene'. I've got loads of favourite scenes. When I watch it I think everybody can relate to a character and that is the beauty of it. I love nothing more when I watch a film and I think 'god yeah I remember that'. It's nice for people to be able to sit back and relate to a film. Every single character in the film is so strong – all the guys and the girls, some haven't got masses of lines and scenes in the film, but they are part of the gang and without them we wouldn't be a whole gang. Smell is a really quirky, crazy character, and there are people who love her because she's so real.

Are you disappointed that the film has been given an 18 certificate?

Yes, really disappointed. I watched the More 4 thing and they did a ten minute piece on it about how it's turned into an 18. And they said on there that the reason that it is a 15 is because they don't want a group of 15-year-olds to go to the cinema on a Saturday night to watch it, come out, chuck on the Doc Martins and shave their hair off, but that's not what the film promotes and that's why I'm so confused. I know some kids can be more immature than others, but I still think it's something that at 15, a person of that age could watch it, and could handle it and I think they need to see it. I think it's educational. You go to school, you learn about bloody Egyptians and Tudor times and WWI and II, so why not 1983. Do they know what the National Front is? Probably not, because it's probably something which they don't discuss in school. I can't remember ever, when I was in school, discussing that era. I only know now all of this stuff through talking to my family and doing the film. So it's a shame, a real shame.

'This is England' is released on Friday.

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