Julie Walters

Speaker 20:00

Hello, I'm Kirstie Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Disc's Archive. For rights' reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in nineteen eighty five, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:30

This week, our castaway is the actress Julie Walters. Julie, could you endure loneliness?

Julie Walters0:36

Oh, not for very long, I don't think.

Presenter0:38

How much does music mean to you?

Julie Walters0:40

Well, I haven't got a huge collection of records, but it is important. I mean, I listen to the radio every day. It's important I mean, all these records that I've chosen, I don't have any of them.

Presenter0:50

It's icy, yeah.

Julie Walters0:51

I know that sounds mad, but they're still all very special to me for various reasons.

Presenter0:56

Yeah.

Julie Walters0:57

And so I don't actually listen to my records very often. I keep losing them, that's why I haven't got all of these.

Presenter1:01

Do you play the piano or the guitar or anything like that?

Julie Walters1:03

Yes, I play the piano but by ear I haven't got a piano anymore, but we had a piano at home.

Presenter1:08

Do you sing?

Julie Walters1:09

Yes, I love her sing.

Presenter1:10

Have we heard you sing? Have you sung on television?

Julie Walters1:13

Yes, with my friend Victoria Wood, I've done the signal.

Presenter1:14

Of course, yes, I was forgetting your reviews.

Julie Walters1:15

Real.

Julie Walters1:17

Yes.

Presenter1:18

So you're musically experienced and you play records.

Presenter1:22

What's the first one?

Julie Walters1:23

The first one is by two women called The Weather Girls, and it's called It's Raining Men.

Presenter1:31

What does this mean to you?

Julie Walters1:32

What I think is really funny is the thought of all these hundreds of men raining through the air. I mean, do you imagine the awful mess they'd make. I mean, it's all right. These two girls that sing it are absolutely huge, so they'd be all right in the situation.

Speaker 41:50

I've got to say all the f

Speaker 41:52

Live history.

Speaker 41:55

It's gonna start raining there. It's raining there. Hallelujah, it's raining there.

Speaker 42:06

Yeah.

Speaker 42:07

I'm gonna go out, I'm gonna let myself get

Speaker 42:11

Apple don't let so many

Presenter2:16

It's Raining Men by The Weather Girl.

Presenter2:19

You come from Birmingham, Julia, is that right?

Julie Walters2:21

Yeah.

Presenter2:22

One of a big family?

Julie Walters2:23

Now I've got two brothers.

Presenter2:24

Were you bright at school?

Julie Walters2:26

Well, I thought I was. The fact that the teachers didn't is another matter.

Presenter2:29

What do they know?

Julie Walters2:30

What do they know? Um well

Julie Walters2:32

I wasn't academic, really, no, and um I was, in fact, asked to leave.

Speaker 42:37

You were.

Julie Walters2:38

I know. Yes, please don't

Speaker 42:39

Why?

Julie Walters2:40

Yeah.

Speaker 42:40

Why?

Julie Walters2:40

Well

Speaker 42:40

Yeah.

Julie Walters2:42

Mainly because I was never there, I suppose. That was the main problem.

Presenter2:45

Doing.

Julie Walters2:46

Well, there was a cake shop that sold tea and coffee on the local ice. I was usually in there with my friend.

Presenter2:48

Local hydrogen.

Presenter2:50

Yes.

Julie Walters2:51

Disgusting.

Julie Walters2:53

Matters of, I don't think I better discuss them on this program.

Presenter2:56

Of some importance to you at any rate.

Julie Walters2:57

And that yeah, it's great important.

Julie Walters3:02

Well, I went and did nurses' training, and um I did that because, first of all, my mother wanted me to be one, and secondly, I'd been accepted because I'd been for an interview. We all went for interviews for various things, and so that's what I ended up in nursing, and I wa I was there sort of by mistake, really.

Presenter3:20

Did you find it rewarding?

Julie Walters3:22

Yes, I did. Oh, I loved it. I loved all the eating of grapes and merch.

Presenter3:25

Chatting with the patients.

Julie Walters3:27

And the washing and I liked all the junior nursing activities. I loved all of that.

Presenter3:31

But you didn't finish the course.

Julie Walters3:32

No. Mainly because it wasn't my decision. It wasn't really what I wanted to do. I was doing it for the wrong reasons, and I thought I've got to do what I want to do now.

Julie Walters3:41

And so I decided to get her out.

Presenter3:44

What was your ambition? What did you want to do?

Julie Walters3:47

Well, I wrote to Crossroads. I don't know whether you can call that an ambition.

Speaker 43:52

And that's the only thing.

Julie Walters3:53

and asked them if I could come down there and show them how to do a Birmingham accent. Oh God, I hope there's nobody listening from Crossroads. But um this was some time ago, everybody, this is nineteen sixty six. And um whoever wrote that didn't even sign the letter, but they wrote back. Anyway, and I was very proud of the letter.

Speaker 43:59

But um

Speaker 44:01

Yeah.

Julie Walters4:07

Saying, well, it was a difficult accent, and thank you, but we're full up, we don't need anybody at the moment. So I wanted to be an actress, but I didn't know anything about the theatre, I didn't know.

Presenter4:16

You were good at imitations, weren't you?

Julie Walters4:17

Yes, and it came from this obsession with people and that I I suppose I always thought that other people could handle situations better than me and that they had the key to how you coped with life, that I didn't have it. And so I was always watching them and how they did things. And I suddenly realised I could impersonate people and and that then I was encouraged to do it at home. You know, my brothers would say, Oh, go on, go on, do Auntie So and so, you know, do Auntie Kathleen Oh go on, do Mrs. O'Neill at school, you know, do her and all and then I suddenly thought, Oh, I like this. And then that desire sort of went and I became more interested in what people were thinking when they were in these situations, whatever the situation might be, if it was just buying a cup of tea, whatever, you know, th that sort of approach. And from that I became interested in acting. Yeah.

Presenter4:57

Yes. Did your parents encourage that?

Julie Walters5:00

No. Well, my father didn't mind. He just wanted me to do whatever I thought was right. He did left it up to me. But my mother went completely bananas when I told her I was going to be

Julie Walters5:09

I had to get my brothers in to protect me from her. Oh, may the great God look to me and know what have we rared?

Presenter5:15

Your mother's artist.

Julie Walters5:16

Yeah.

Julie Walters5:17

I'm glad you spotted the axe.

Presenter5:20

Well, how did you set about it? I mean, you were getting no encouragement, obviously, at home.

Julie Walters5:24

No. My mother wanted me to stay in nursing because it was safe and quite right. I quite understand that. But well, I didn't know what to do. So my brother both my brothers encouraged me and said, Well, look up drama schools and that kind of thing. I didn't know what to do. I looked up drama in the telephone directory.

Julie Walters5:39

And I got something called the British Drama League.

Presenter5:39

Something called

Presenter5:42

A very worthy institution.

Julie Walters5:43

They were very snooty to me, I have I'm here to tell you, Roy. They were and they said, Well, you'd just better go to drama school. I said, Yes, I know, that's what I want to do.

Presenter5:45

I mean

Julie Walters5:50

And they said, yes, well, write to one Auntie who shall I

Julie Walters5:53

And that they actually were saying I ought to go to university. I said, Well, I can't, I've only got four O levels, I can't go. And then they were even more suited, and I felt terrible after that.

Speaker 25:58

Renego eaten m

Julie Walters6:01

But then I had a boyfriend who was at Manchester Polytechnic, he was doing sociology, he wasn't doing drama, and he said they do a drama course, he wouldn't reply, so I did.

Presenter6:09

Right.

Julie Walters6:09

And that was it?

Presenter6:10

Good. Well, that's reached us to a turning point in your career, so let's have another record.

Julie Walters6:15

Oh, well this one oh, this is called the Harlem Shuffle. This takes me back to nineteen sixty six to the Locano in Birmingham, which was just a wonderful time. I used to go with my friend, and my mother always thought that I was staying the evening round at my friend's house, and her parents thought she was spending the evening round at my house, and of course it wasn't. We were down in Birmingham at the Locano, dancing to Bob and Earle.

Speaker 46:36

Real

Speaker 46:37

Yeah.

Speaker 46:38

You slide to the limo Yeah, how low can you go?

Speaker 46:46

Come on, baby. I don't want you to stumble now. Just screw it right here to the heart of the shovel.

Presenter7:02

Bob and Earle, Harlem Shuffle to take us all back to the Locardo Birmingham. So you went to study drama at the Manchester Polytechnic.

Julie Walters7:10

Yeah.

Presenter7:10

Yes.

Julie Walters7:11

Oh, I loved it. I loved it because it was like getting into the right gear. Do you know, I feel as if I'd been driving a car in the wrong gear uphill all my life until I d started doing that. It was one and suddenly, oh

Presenter7:22

How long did you do at the Polytechnic?

Julie Walters7:24

I did three years w a teaching course and then I did a a sort of post diploma year at um the Stables Theatre.

Presenter7:30

What's the Stables Theatre?

Julie Walters7:32

Well, it's not in existence any more, but then it was um a course. It's a tiny theatre and that used to be an old stables. It's really lovely theatre, which was owned by Granada Television.

Julie Walters7:41

And it was run by the University of the Polytechnic. It was a year course, and you were able, as students, to function as a proper company. It was great.

Presenter7:48

It's great.

Julie Walters7:50

Student administrators and student designers, and everybody, student directors, and actors, and

Presenter7:54

And then it was a question of writing letters and sending expensive photographs and trying to get your first professional engagement.

Julie Walters8:00

Oh yes, that's right. But I was very lucky. I wrote about two letters, one of them being to the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, and I was called immediately because somebody had to come out of something. And I went along and did auditions, most of which I'd written a well th they were sort of set audition pieces, but I'd changed them all to suit myself, thinking naively that the person interviewing me was Jonathan Price, who's the actor, Jonathan Price.

Presenter8:21

Yeah.

Julie Walters8:22

would not have seen the place, and of course he had. But luckily he had a sense of humour so it got in.

Presenter8:27

The Liverpool Everyman a very enterprising theatre.

Julie Walters8:30

Hmm.

Presenter8:31

Was Jonathan Price running it?

Julie Walters8:32

Well, Alan Dosser was really running it, but he'd just had a huge hit with the Beatles musical, John Paul, George, Ringo and Burt, and he was having a rest. So Jonathan Price was having a bash at directing at that time, and he took me on.

Presenter8:44

Which productions there do you me remember among the first ones you did?

Julie Walters8:48

The first thing I did when I was there was pub shows. Well, I mean you could never forget those really,'cause they weren't exactly easy pubs, you know, and the bottles were flying and nobody'd paid to see the show either. Oh, it's the long airs from the everyman's used to get that kind of thing, you know.

Presenter8:55

Uh

Presenter9:02

What sort of shows did you give them?

Julie Walters9:05

Now how to describe them, really? Well the first one was called Flash Harry. They were written by the company. You know, and there was and you'd just go in and do your party piece and add anything you liked. I used to do Shirley Bassey impersonation.

Presenter9:16

You were learning the hard way.

Julie Walters9:18

Well yet you really have to survive.

Presenter9:21

and then eventually you trod the actual boards of the stage.

Julie Walters9:25

Yes. And the first play I did was Funny well, a a part on the Christmas show was Funny Peculiar. That's what brought me down to London. And I did that with Richard Beckinsale here in London.

Presenter9:35

And then there was an early Willie Russell play that came to the West End.

Julie Walters9:39

That's right.

Julie Walters9:40

Yes, Breeze Block Park. Yeah, it's very funny.

Presenter9:43

What was that about?

Julie Walters9:44

It was about these two families who lived on um a council estate in Liverpool and one of them lived up the posh end, you know.

Julie Walters9:51

And the other lived down you know, the other end was a bit rougher and they lived they were two sisters, comple always vying with one another and extremely snobbish and aspiring and social climbing and and it was what that did to their families really.

Presenter10:03

As well as imitations, you've always had a very good ear for dialect.

Julie Walters10:07

Sometimes, yes.

Julie Walters10:09

Thank you, thank you, Roy.

Presenter10:10

Not a bit, Julie. What's your third record?

Julie Walters10:12

What's your th

Julie Walters10:13

My third record is called New York City Serenade and um it's by Bruce Springsteen. It's hugely long actually so we can only hear a bit of it.

Presenter10:21

Why do you choose it?

Julie Walters10:22

Well, because it's the Everyman days, and it reminds me of everybody there, and it was a wonderful time, and uh nothing's ever been like that since, really. And it just reminds me of the company.

Speaker 410:37

He's down by the railroad track

Speaker 410:44

Sitting low.

Speaker 410:47

In the back seat

Speaker 410:49

I'm Miss Kirandal.

Speaker 410:57

Diamond jacket

Speaker 411:00

She's

Presenter11:03

Bruce Springsteen, New York City Serenade.

Presenter11:07

Julie, where did you meet Victoria Wood?

Julie Walters11:09

Well, Victoria and I met in a review that we were doing at the Bush Theatre in London, and it was called In at the Death.

Presenter11:16

And you began doing your double act.

Julie Walters11:18

Well, what happened was she came in one day while we were doing this review. She came in to do the show and she said, um

Julie Walters11:25

Somebody came to see the show last night and they've asked me to write a play. I said, Wouldn't it? She said, Yes, I'll write a part for you in it. And she did. She called the character Julie Walters.

Presenter11:37

Lack of imagination.

Julie Walters11:38

Reluctantly, she called the character Julie and the boyfriend Dave Walters.

Presenter11:41

Was it ever done?

Julie Walters11:41

What's it

Julie Walters11:42

Yes, it was called Talent. We did it on television. And that's how we started and then we did the follow-up to it and then she wrote a film for television and we did that and then the series.

Presenter11:51

Then the reviews, little

Julie Walters11:52

Yeah.

Presenter11:53

Two Girl Reviews

Julie Walters11:54

That's right.

Presenter11:54

Right.

Julie Walters11:55

Yeah.

Presenter11:56

Record number four.

Julie Walters11:57

Oh, record number four. It's JJ Kale and it's called After Midnight. And I like it because he's just so completely laid back. I mean, I've never known anybody like him. I mean yet he's and he's terribly shy. When he does concerts he likes to play behind the curtain.

Julie Walters12:13

I just love this after midnight, you know, as you all hang out. I think it's a scream I love.

Speaker 412:18

After midnight.

Speaker 412:20

We gonna let it all hang out.

Speaker 412:28

After midnight

Speaker 412:30

We're gonna check looking shot

Speaker 412:37

We're gonna cause talk and suspicion Give an exhibition

Speaker 412:42

Find out what it is, only

Presenter12:46

After Midnight by the shy J. J. Kale.

Presenter12:53

Now you'd been in the West End with Willie Russell's Breezeblock Park.

Julie Walters12:57

You're

Presenter12:57

You came in with another Willie Russell play.

Julie Walters12:59

Yes, I did. It was called Educating Rita.

Presenter13:02

And this was for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Julie Walters13:04

Yes, I know.

Julie Walters13:05

Well, what happened was that when we were doing Breeze Block Park, the Royal Shakespeare Company commissioned a play from Willie, and I think they actually expected a huge sort of musical, a bit like John Paul, Georgringo and Bert, you know, so some big blockbuster that they're going to put on in it. In came this little two-hander and they had it for ages and it was sort of passed around and nobody's going to do it and then suddenly they got in a whole team of people we were all got in from the outside to do it basically.

Presenter13:29

Did they try it out cautiously?

Julie Walters13:31

We did it at the warehouse, and I thought, Oh, this'll be nice. I'd love to work at the warehouse. Just three months, how pleasant and, you know, much better than a long run, I was thinking. And of course I feel as if I've been doing Educating Ritter all my life.

Presenter13:41

It transferred?

Julie Walters13:42

Yes, went to the Piccadilly and I did it for s about seven months, but it ran for two years.

Presenter13:47

Well, a a a lovely West End play, not expensive, just two characters.

Presenter13:51

And how early were the film rights sold?

Julie Walters13:54

Well, I was still doing it, so it was quite early on. End of eighty eight beginning of eighty one, sometime around there. Lewis Gilbert rang me up and said, Oh, I am filming director, and uh

Presenter14:00

Yeah.

Speaker 214:00

Uh

Julie Walters14:04

I've a seen your player, and I'd like you to play the part. I said, What? I could admit that you're joking. We knew that somebody'd been in.

Presenter14:10

So you went with the film rights, really?

Julie Walters14:12

Well, no, because then he said the thing is that um we haven't even got the money or anything for the film yet, and it's highly likely that the people who put up the money will want a star to play it. And he was right, because when he went to America they wanted Dolly Parton. Well, I'm sorry, Roy, but I couldn't possibly compete in certain regions anyway.

Speaker 414:27

Yeah.

Julie Walters14:28

And um she couldn't possibly do a Liverpool accent.

Julie Walters14:33

They wanted her and he said no, and this was an American came back and eventually got all the money himself and rang me up and said, I've got the money, dear, you've got the part.

Presenter14:42

Had he got the leading man?

Julie Walters14:43

Yes, Michael Kane said he'd like to play it.

Presenter14:45

Michael Kane. Well, that that was good box office insurance.

Julie Walters14:48

PS

Presenter14:49

Did you find it very difficult changing your technique, having played that part so long on the stage, to scale it down for the film cameras?

Julie Walters14:56

There was a year in between doing it on stage and doing it on film, so I thought I'd probably have got rid of the performance, but no, no, they're like an old recording at the back of your head.

Julie Walters15:04

You know, action and out it comes. All the same old things and mannerisms were coming out from on stage which you can't have on film.

Julie Walters15:12

You know, because on stage you need to sort of project the truth, whereas on film it's under a microscope, and and so I did have to remember and be reminded to get rid of a lot of things, and that was a great effort. There were days when I thought.

Julie Walters15:24

Really wish I'd never done it before.

Presenter15:26

Yeah.

Julie Walters15:26

Yeah, correct.

Presenter15:27

Let's have record number 5.

Julie Walters15:29

Well, record number five is Not a Day Goes By, and it's Carly Simon, who I wasn't so keen on, really, until this album, which is called Torch. It came out of her break up with James Taylor.

Julie Walters15:42

I think it's beautifully produced, for one thing, and the records are also heart-rending, and I love that. I love a good weep and all of that kind of thing, and this especially.

Speaker 415:50

Not a day goes by

Speaker 415:56

Not a single day

Speaker 416:02

But you're somewhere a part of my life.

Speaker 416:08

And it looks like you'll stay

Speaker 416:12

As the days go by

Speaker 416:18

I keep thinking.

Presenter16:20

Carly Simon singing Not a Day Goes By for a Good Weep.

Presenter16:26

They sent you on a nice world tour to promote the film of Educating Reader, didn't they?

Julie Walters16:30

They suddenly did.

Presenter16:31

That lost to being very rewarding. Where did you go?

Julie Walters16:33

Oh, everywhere. Well, we started out in Los Angeles and New York, and we went to the Film Festival in Toronto, and then we went to Australia and New Zealand.

Julie Walters16:45

It was absolutely wonderful. I loved it. I loved all that. And then we went to Scandinavia.

Julie Walters16:49

We also went to Amsterdam and then we went back to America and did all the major places like Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago.

Presenter16:55

Were they working you very hard? Were you doing television and radio all day long, bits and pieces?

Julie Walters16:59

Yes, all day long, one interview after another. And everybody asks the same questions. There were five I can't remember the number there were five classics. And in the end I'd go to press conferences and say, Look, please, just point your tape recorders this way, would you? And I'd say, Michael Payne was very nice to work with, yes, he's a very professional man, but I'd get through them all very quickly.

Presenter17:16

But I guess who the multi-

Presenter17:18

Yes, yes. You gave them different answers sometimes.

Julie Walters17:20

Yeah, sometimes they'd make up one or two things just to get them thinking, you know.

Presenter17:24

Now, there you were. You'd done one film. This was your first film, and you had an Oscar nomination. That must have been.

Presenter17:29

Rather a surprise for you. A gratifying one.

Julie Walters17:31

Yeah.

Julie Walters17:32

Oh yes, it was. Yes, the Oscars were extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it in my life. I've never seen it.

Presenter17:38

You went out for the ceremony.

Julie Walters17:40

Yes, and

Julie Walters17:42

Well, I mean, it's so different from here, because here you read about BAFTA the day it's on, you say, Oh, it's the BAFTA Awards tonight, do you know what I mean? But there they were talking about the Oscars from the September before, and they they happened last April. They're talking you know, for six months before people were preparing and talking about them and

Julie Walters17:58

I mean, and there were people camping outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion where they hold them for days before it was like the royal wedding, nearly.

Presenter18:06

Hmm.

Speaker 418:06

Uh

Julie Walters18:06

There were so many and

Julie Walters18:08

It was like the second coming. I'd have

Presenter18:11

Yeah.

Julie Walters18:12

Huge red carpet and thousands of limousines and all.

Presenter18:15

Well, you didn't get an Oscar, but you did have a nomination for your first film, and you were given the Golden Globe. What's a Golden Globe, please?

Julie Walters18:23

Well, actually, as we're in England, I can tell you it's a rather ugly looking thing, which is marvellous for keeping windows open when the sash cords broke.

Presenter18:29

Yeah.

Presenter18:30

Who gives it?

Julie Walters18:31

Oh no, they were lovely to me actually. It was the Hollywood Foreign Press. And I had a great press conference with them, it was really good. And I hosted the awards as well. It looked as if it was a fix. Yes, and I watched.

Julie Walters18:43

I tried to crack a joke which they didn't like and I said, when I went up to get it, I said, It's not a fix, I said, because they sent my ten dollars back.

Julie Walters18:51

The f

Presenter18:51

Yeah.

Julie Walters18:51

Come on.

Presenter18:51

Uh

Julie Walters18:51

There was silence. As apparently, a few years before, somebody had actually paid for an award, so of course it went down like you know.

Presenter18:51

There was silence, as apparently

Presenter18:57

A lead balloon?

Julie Walters18:58

Oh yeah, they didn't like it at all.

Presenter18:59

Goodbye.

Presenter19:01

Another record, number six.

Julie Walters19:03

Oh no, this is a record called I Can't Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles, and I'd always loved it all when I was a teenager, and then I suddenly heard that it was John Lennon's favourite record. So whenever anyone asks me what my favourite records are, I always pop it in. But I do love it.

Speaker 419:18

I can't stand the rain.

Speaker 419:22

It's my window.

Speaker 419:26

Bringing back sweet memory

Speaker 419:30

Bewander High

Speaker 419:34

Do you remember?

Speaker 419:38

How sweet it used to be.

Presenter19:49

Can't Stand the Rain by Ann Peebles. Now your first film and you'd had an an Oscar nomination. How do you follow that? You're not going to take any old job after that.

Julie Walters19:59

What did I do?

Presenter20:00

You turn down, for example, you turn down a big budget Bert Reynolds film.

Julie Walters20:04

Oh, I did yes, I did. Well, I can tell you, I'd arrived in New York for the beginning of this mammoth tour, upselling educating reader, and there was a script from Bert Reynolds, and I thought, well, here we go, everybody.

Presenter20:11

I'm selling

Julie Walters20:16

Here I am in New York, script from Bert Reynolds. You know, this is absolutely wonderful. And then I read it, you see. So that's boiled everything.

Julie Walters20:25

It was not for me, it hasn't come out yet.

Julie Walters20:27

I better not talk too much about it because it will come out. But it was a burt rushing about beating everybody up and having very quick affairs with lots of women, of which I was to be one.

Julie Walters20:36

But oh anyway, the stories don't really not matter.

Presenter20:37

So you can't leave it there.

Julie Walters20:40

What they'd asked me to play was this you'll never believe this this upmarket American, very classy, stock market whiz kid.

Presenter20:49

Yeah.

Julie Walters20:50

And I said to Bert I met him Bert, as he is affectionately known to myself and lots of other people, I expect I said to him

Julie Walters20:57

Bert, I said, this is this is a Candice Bergen sort of argument, which it is. She's it's that sort of woman. And he said, Yeah, well, you know, it'd be what we want is a bit of cross-casting or something and thought we've certainly got that, because the script was so boring they thought it'd be interesting to have somebody completely wrong for the part, and that might jip the script up a bit. I thought, why don't you just get a good script?

Presenter21:18

Instead of which you came back and played at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in Tom Stoppard's Jumpers with Tom Courtenay. Now that wasn't a bad

Julie Walters21:25

Tom

Presenter21:27

Box office attraction, was it?

Julie Walters21:29

No, it wasn't.

Presenter21:30

The three names

Julie Walters21:31

I know, it was great fun. And it's a wonderful theatre, the Royal Exchange. It's completely unique, Russell. There isn't anything.

Julie Walters21:38

And it's a

Presenter21:38

And it's a very good play, of course. And one advantage, one recommendation is you have a free meal with every performance.

Julie Walters21:44

God, that's right.

Julie Walters21:45

And I edit every hat.

Presenter21:47

Yeah.

Julie Walters21:48

No one could believe that that

Presenter21:49

Did they vary the menu, I hope?

Julie Walters21:50

No it was a tin of stew and mash and beans. Well, I loved it. Even on Maturday days I managed to eat both.

Speaker 421:57

Yeah.

Julie Walters21:59

It was great.

Speaker 422:00

Yeah. Uh

Julie Walters22:00

I used to try and make Tom laugh while he was doing his speeches, putting lots of pepper on him.

Presenter22:04

Yes, he doesn't get a meal.

Julie Walters22:06

No, he doesn't get a meal, but he's very easy to make laugh. He's wonderful.

Presenter22:10

Is he?

Julie Walters22:10

Yeah.

Presenter22:11

Having rejected Bert Reynolds's offer to make a movie, you did accept to play in a new film we haven't seen yet. She'll be wearing pink pajamas. A rather rough film.

Julie Walters22:22

Pretty rough, yes.

Presenter22:23

Tell me about it.

Julie Walters22:23

Yeah.

Julie Walters22:23

Well, it's a mountain adventure course, that's what it's about. And it's about the first women's one. And the writer, Eva Hardie, actually did the course herself, and that's what made her want to write the play. And it's about these eight women, and and they're all very different, with all different aspirations and all sorts of things, and and they're all there for a different reason.

Presenter22:41

Did you do your end stance?

Julie Walters22:42

Yes, we did all our own sons, mountain climbing and we had to turn over in canoes and have canoeing accents. Well, I loved it.

Presenter22:48

I'm sure you did. It was on that film that you played a practical joke on the technical crew. Tell me about that.

Julie Walters22:55

We did. We d well, it was wonderful. What happened was we had this shower scene coming up. And the sh scene is a bit like the after football or after a rugby shower or bath scenes. You've just been through a lot of very physical things. That that was the scene was about that. But we were in the hotel one night and the the sound boys were there, the people who were in charge of the sound and they were laughing, Oh, it's the shower scene and all of this and we were going, Yes, yes and they were saying how unfair it was that we had to actually stand there having a shower with no clothes on and act and everything in a tiny room with a group of men watching and and and have to act as if there was nobody there and all of that and be completely uh uninhibited and

Julie Walters23:30

Everything he was saying, yeah, yeah. Anyway, they said, Well, really, everybody in the room should have no clothes, and then there would be no problem. And we said, Well, yes, absolutely, that's it, yes, if only.

Julie Walters23:38

Anyway, a bit later on we d we'd all had a cup of gin and ton.

Julie Walters23:43

And we were also doing we'd had one or two equity matters had had arisen anyway during the course of the filming. So we said, why don't we say that we've found in the equity rule book this rule that if a certain amount of people appear in equity then and we said yes, but they never believe it. And we said, yes, but what if we said it was a new rule brought out by um we could make something up and we made up the women's committee in equity which doesn't exist and if we got somebody to impersonate a high-ranking official at equity and to ring up the producer or get the producer to ring him we were trying to work it out. One of the actresses Pauline Yates is married to Donald Churchill the actor and he's also a playwright and um she said Donald would do it she said he could do an impersonation of Peter Pluvier. Sorry

Presenter24:24

The equity boss.

Julie Walters24:25

Yes. I'm sure Peter doesn't mind. Anyway. So he did, and we left a little note in the in the producer's pigeonhole saying Ring Peter Puvier urgently and with Donald Churchill's phone number on it and he did and he said that this had been passed. He said he was terribly sorry. He thought it was a ridiculous motion. He said, you know, these lunatic feminist women, but, you know, what can we do?

Presenter24:42

But what was the rule?

Julie Walters24:44

The rule was that during uh the filming of or I can't remember exactly how they worded it, but they worded it very well. They said that if a group of women had to appear naked during a scene in in any film, then the same number of crew, starting with the director, first assistant, cameraman

Julie Walters25:00

had to do the same. Well, the next day you believe it and never questioned it. The next day was brilliant. We went in and there were all these people in in corners trying to negotiate fees to take their clothes off, members of the crew. It was wonderful and they did, the cameraman did, and

Speaker 425:02

You believe it?

Speaker 425:14

Oh, they didn't count.

Julie Walters25:15

The director didn't, but the cameraman did and the sound crew did. We got pictures of these people with headphones on and no clothes.

Presenter25:19

He got pictures of

Presenter25:25

Oh, that's marvellous.

Julie Walters25:26

How's that?

Presenter25:29

Ha ha ha ha.

Julie Walters25:30

Yeah.

Presenter25:31

Right now, bringing things up to date, you're in a rather tough American play by Sam Shepard called Fool for Love, which opened at the National and has now moved to the Lyrick Theatre in the West End.

Presenter25:43

It's rather a growling part to play, isn't it?

Julie Walters25:45

Yes, it's very, very physical and very emotional. I mean it's gruelling in every way and I wear high heels.

Julie Walters25:52

There are some nights when Ian Charlson, my friend, throws me across the stage and I'm like Minnie Mouse in those shoes, you know, and I think I'm never going to stop. And if ever the bed's in the wrong place, and the and the flat isn't in front of me, you know, the side of the stage, I'd go careering off into the audience.

Presenter26:05

It's the most solid set I've ever seen and you're bouncing each other off the walls.

Julie Walters26:08

Yes. It's got steel braces. It had to be because we did a run for the technical crew, and one of the actors, David Troughton, has to make this huge entrance, and he's a big lad, you know, and he came on bringing the door with me.

Speaker 426:19

The incredible hull.

Julie Walters26:19

The incredible hole.

Presenter26:20

Yeah.

Julie Walters26:20

Yeah.

Julie Walters26:21

With this door on his arm like a handbag, it was very funny. So they knew they had to.

Julie Walters26:26

Put the steel at the back of the

Presenter26:27

Yeah.

Presenter26:29

Record number seven.

Julie Walters26:30

Oh, record number seven is also off the Carly Simon album Torch, but this time it's a Kogie Harmichael.

Presenter26:38

Kirgy R. Michael, yes, one of my favorite composers.

Julie Walters26:39

It's gonna like

Julie Walters26:41

I'm terrible with the spoonerisms. I've been quite good today. Yes. A hoagie car, Michael. And it's called I Get Along Without You Very Well. I think it's very appropriate if you were on Desert Island, don't you? I'd have to feel that. I get along without all of you. Very well, thank you.

Speaker 426:53

Except when soft rains fall.

Speaker 426:58

And drip from leaves, then I recall

Speaker 427:03

Thrill of being sheltered in your arms, of course I do.

Speaker 427:17

But I get along without you.

Speaker 427:21

Very well.

Presenter27:24

Carly Simon, again, I get along without you very well.

Presenter27:28

Now that last film, Julie

Presenter27:30

Must have uh toughened you for a desert island existence. Could you look after yourself?

Julie Walters27:35

I don't know. I like to think that I'm a survivor, but

Julie Walters27:39

But my sort of survivor isn't quite the same as that.

Presenter27:42

Could you rig up a shelter? Are you good with your hands?

Julie Walters27:45

No, I'm not, but I've got a certain amount of drive to survive. I think I probably could get a shelter together.

Presenter27:50

What about food? Ever done any fishing?

Julie Walters27:52

No. I can't imagine trying to jump on them in the water and things like that.

Presenter27:56

We'd have to live on roots or something. You a good cook?

Julie Walters27:59

I haven't cooked a meal since nineteen seventy nine.

Presenter28:01

Was that good?

Julie Walters28:02

I think it was egg on toast.

Presenter28:05

Yeah.

Julie Walters28:06

I can cook, actually, yeah.

Presenter28:07

Mm-hmm.

Julie Walters28:08

But I'm not terribly interested in cooking. If I'm hungry I want to eat now, so I go around and get takeaways. I can't be doing with putting things in ovens and

Presenter28:16

Would you try to escape? Would you build a raft? Try and get off the island?

Julie Walters28:19

I think I'd be more terrified of being lost at sea.

Presenter28:22

No, well I'm going to put you down as a C minus for Castaway.

Julie Walters28:26

Uh

Presenter28:27

Let's have your last record.

Julie Walters28:28

Oh, my last record. Well, it's Billie Holliday's. I think she's wonderful. And it ain't nobody's business if I do,'cause it ain't.

Speaker 428:36

My man ain't got no money And I say take all of mine honey

Speaker 428:46

Ain't nobody's business if I do

Speaker 428:56

If I give him my last nickel

Speaker 429:01

And it leaves me in a pickle.

Speaker 429:06

Ain't nobody's business if I

Presenter29:11

Billy Holiday, it ain't nobody's business if I do. If you could take only one disc, Julie, which would it be?

Julie Walters29:18

I think I'd get along without you very well. I think I'd take that.'Cause I'd have to believe that, I think, if I was stuck on an island.

Presenter29:23

Carlis Iman.

Julie Walters29:24

Yeah.

Presenter29:25

and one luxury to take with you, one object of no practical use that would give you pleasure to have around.

Julie Walters29:30

I don't know whether I'm allowed this, you know. But I would want a telephone system set up. If I promised I wouldn't tell anyone where I was. I don't think I'd have to talk to people. All my relationships are conducted on the telephone.

Presenter29:41

I'll tell you what we'll do, Julie.

Julie Walters29:43

Yeah.

Presenter29:43

A telephone, yes, but rigged so that you can only talk to one person. You'll have to choose the person.

Julie Walters29:50

I've got to choose them now.

Presenter29:51

Not now. No, no, no, no. But when you get there, you may have changed your mind by the time you get there.

Julie Walters29:55

Yes.

Presenter29:57

And one book you already have the Bible and Shakespeare.

Julie Walters30:00

I think this is the most difficult thing of all, but I think I'd take the Magus, John Fowles.

Presenter30:05

Right.

Julie Walters30:05

Pierre.

Presenter30:06

We'll see that that's there for you. And thank you, Julie Walters, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Julie Walters30:12

Thank you.

Presenter30:13

Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 230:21

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.