Is there something you really miss abroad?
I miss banter, irony, rudeness and English humour.
Do you travel light?
No, I’m a terrible packer. I didn’t have a uniform at school and I would take things I might change into. Gawn [her husband] is very good at ‘Which shoes should I wear with this? Do I look fat in this?’
What’s your favourite destination?
Our cottage in Wiltshire.
What are your earliest childhood holiday memories?
Hayling Island and eating apples till I was sick. The first holiday abroad was to the South of France, but Dad [Sam Wanamaker] had to go back to Liverpool because an actor had been in a car accident. He’d opened a theatre there. We were in Mougins and I learnt to speak French.
Was it always your ambition to become an actress?
I think so. I didn’t think it was going to be as difficult as it is. My parents didn’t want me to do it at all. I went to art school but discovered that’s a very lonely business.
Did you fall in love with your dad’s friends?
We saw a lot of blacklisted people who were living in London. [Sam Wanamaker was blacklisted in Hollywood.] I just fell in love with the smell of backstage. When Dad first worked at Stratford, they rented a cottage and Paul Robeson used to drop by. And next door were Roy Dotrice, Ian Holm, David Swift – it was very romantic.
What was it like with both your parents being actors?
Mum didn’t really work very much here. She was a big radio star in America, before the blacklisting. She was the one who tried to control us, and Dad was going away all the time, once he got his passport back.
Did you get to meet all the Hollywood stars?
A couple of them – Yul Brynner, the people he’d worked with. They weren’t great social animals; he was working and I don’t think Mum was comfortable doing canapés.
How come your dad instigated the rebuilding of the Globe Theatre?
He couldn’t understand why something wasn’t there. It took him 27 years. He would cash in his first-class ticket if he was doing a movie and go steerage with his model of the Globe and the plans, trying to get money.
Was it hard to live with him?
For my mum, it was very hard. They sold the house in Highgate because Dad wanted to be in Southwark. Mum had to forget the double-door fridge freezer and cooked on a Baby Belling.
Are you still involved with the Globe? I’m an honorary president.
How close is the Globe to the real thing? I have no idea.
Weren’t you the first person to speak on the Globe stage?
Officially, officially… Mark Rylance was starring in Henry V. I was allowed to do the chorus speech when the Queen went. Dad would have been so happy.
How do you feel going there now?
I feel it was such an effort to get this up.
Do you prefer the stage to television and film?
Theatre work is much harder. You need a lot of stamina and also it’s relentless. But then film, television – you get no time to rehearse, and that’s why I never watch myself, because I can’t change it.
What’s the most exotic place you’ve ever filmed in?
The British Council tour in 1972 – taking The Birthday Party, Henry IV and Henry V – the first stop was Bangkok, then Kinabalu, Manila…
And the least exotic?
Basingstoke – we opened The Birthday Party there, with Harold Pinter in it.
Are there classical roles that you’re still longing to play?
I would have loved to play Juliet – or Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
When you were in rep touring, where did you stay?
I did a play in Dublin called Ah Well, It Won’t Be Long Now, and the digs were wonderful just because Mrs O’Shea was such a gas. Then you got digs with nylon horrible sheets – and one place in Manchester, there was no toilet roll, just newspaper, for four days.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Dad brought back a tin of chocolate-covered ants.
Do you have a go at the local language?
The only French I know is from when I was a kid. And in Italian I’ve got ‘Thank you’, ‘Excuse me’ – and swearing.
What’s your biggest headache?
The rules.
What is the strangest place you’ve ever slept?
In England, with one of those showers that just pee at you from all directions.
Do you have any travelling tips?
Try not to be intimidated by officious bastards. And, also, keep your sense of humour.
