The Street
Jodhi May plays Jean
Jodhi May makes no bones about it. She has rarely been as affected as she was by Jimmy McGovern's script for episode six of The Street.
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"It's such an incredible, really powerful screenplay," says the actress. "I was absolutely knocked sideways by it. It was quite simply one of the best pieces of writing I'd ever read. It blew me away."
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In the final instalment of this series of The Street, Jodhi plays Jean, a woman who is still suffering after a terrible crime was perpetrated against her family many years ago. She sees a possibility of finding some closure when she encounters Paul (Toby Kebbell), the man who committed the crime when he was a minor and has now been released from prison.
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The actress, who has shone in works such as Friends And Crocodiles, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, The Other Boleyn Girl, Tipping The Velvet, Daniel Deronda, Warriors, Aristocrats, and The Mayor Of Casterbridge, expands on what drew her to this piece.
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"It's such an unusual perspective on such crime. The idea of the victim and the perpetrator having a cathartic confrontation is really unusual."
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Jodhi, explains why she was interested to take on the role of Jean: "She's a fascinating character. She undergoes such a massive journey. At the start, she is a young woman whose life is cut short when she endures the horrors of this crime. She goes from that to an older, wiser person who is able to express exceptional compassion."
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The actress, who will soon be seen as Rembrandt's mistress in Peter Greenaway's biopic about the painter, Nightwatching, explains why she finds McGovern's characterisation realistic.
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"It's all so plausible. Jean's compassion for Paul comes from the fact that she identifies with someone who has also experienced a loss. That empathy enables her to reach out to Paul, although she quite naturally has a very complex mix of emotions towards him."
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Jodhi emphasises that this sort of ambiguity is what distinguishes Jimmy's work. "He's such a brilliant writer. Like life, his scripts are never straightforward. They contain a real emotional richness.
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"In this episode, he makes you aware that although Jean's words are compassionate, they are also vengeful. What she says to Paul is ambivalent, and Jimmy embraces the essential paradox of her emotions.
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"She says something that absolves Paul, but at the same time condemns him to feel the very same fear of loss that she has experienced. It's challenging work, designed to make people think rather than offend them. It's a tough subject and deals with a devastating event.
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"Jimmy deals with it with such integrity, emotional and ethical intelligence that it makes an immense impact. So many writers nowadays succumb to the pressure to be formulaic and beat about the bush.
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"But what I love about Jimmy's work is that he never pulls his punches. He always goes straight for the truth as he sees it. That's a rarity these days, and we need to cherish it."
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Jodhi will shortly be seen in a number of films including Flashbacks Of A Fool, playing Daniel Craig's childhood lover and alongside Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber in Defiance set in the Second World War.
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On 大象传媒 Two she can be seen as Einstein's wife opposite Andy Serkis in the 大象传媒/HBO production of Einstein And Eddington.
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