queenjulialovesmaggiesmith:

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, I had read the book. And I have always been intrigued by (Trevor Howard’s) writing. He always writes in a very interesting way about women, I think. And it just happens to be a wonderful part. And that is what attracted me to it.

HBO
So, tell us about Emily. Who is she? How would you describe her?

MAGGIE SMITH
She has had a very - desperate childhood; a very - unhappy childhood, and has found herself in a very strange place, at a very young age. She’s one of these sort of women who have - in spite of all that - struggled through. And she has a great warmth, which was incredibly lacking in her own childhood.

She is aware of the fact that she was brought up in this dreadful way. And I think therefore, in a curious way, feels extremely - generous, having been so deprived of all love and any possible warmth. She is a very giving person.

HBO
That’s one of the great joys of the story that we discover throughout. But for you as an actress, how did you get to the heart of her?

MAGGIE SMITH
I think if you read the script, I think it’s very clear, the character of that woman. As I say, this terrible, terrible childhood, and this warmth and spirit that comes through all the time. I think because of the great deprivation she had herself, she is very aware of that loss.

HBO
What’s the hook for you in the character?

MAGGIE SMITH
I don’t think there was a particular hook. The whole thing. I mean, the fact that it was William Trevor. The fact that it was Hugh Whitemore (the screenwriter). It was all kinds of things. All the other people who are going to be in it.

Those are the things that attract an actor, you know? You don’t look at the part and think, “Oh, this is something I want to do, because of this, that and the other.” It’s a whole accumulation of things.

HBO
So the story, then, could have been called “Strangers on a Train.”

MAGGIE SMITH
It could have been called - anything. If it would have been by that writer, it would have been intriguing.

HBO
What kind of a person is she when you first meet her in those moments, before the accident?

MAGGIE SMITH
She is a great romantic. That is how she exists: in a kind of imaginative world, because the world that she knew was just so harsh and dreadful. And she just goes through life embroidering and making up stories about whoever she meets, or whoever she sees.

She just happens to be in this railway carriage, and is making up these things in her head. But, in actual fact, after the accident - then it’s much more complicated. She sees how very - very different it is. The romantic ideas - are not the truth. And it just all gets alarmingly changed.

HBO
Why does she invite them back to the house? Is it a selfish motive? A loneliness?

MAGGIE SMITH
No, I don’t think it’s a selfish motive. I think it’s just such a terrible, terrible thing to happen. And the fact they were together, and that they are the only survivors, and she does have this house in Umbria, I think it’s just a normal reaction. Because she is a very warm and generous person. And they are not allowed to go home; they have to stay there until the police have been through the whole thing.

HBO
And through being forced together and having this bond, they become a family almost?

MAGGIE SMITH
Exactly.

HBO
What kind of household does Emily then have there?

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, she has nothing, except Quinty - who has been with her since she was about 16. So, she knows him - from a long, long time ago. And I think she lives in sort of isolation.

And her company is - is her writing. And I think that when she had this opportunity to have her house in Umbria full of - of life, I think it was a great joy for her.

HBO
Particularly touching, of course, was the relationship between Emily and Amy.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yes.

HBO
Did that speak to you as a relationship to develop, and the heart of Emily?

MAGGIE SMITH
Yes, because I think that parenthood was many, many miles from her mind - from Emily’s mind. I don’t think she had ever entertained that. So I think that this child coming into her life, is what makes her go back to the horrors of her own childhood - and realizing that this must not happen to this enchanting child.

HBO
And one of the strengths of her is that it’s not just about that. She has relationships; rich relationships with each of the survivors.

MAGGIE SMITH
I think so, yes. Because apart from the fact that she started off with very romantic ideas of all these various people, the truth of their lives hits her. Then it’s - it’s a very different matter.

HBO
But it’s interesting, isn’t it, that although she is a dreamer and romantic - in the end, it’s her that’s right, about the relationships. Those dreams she had.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yes, but I think often dreams in romantics can be right. I think they - can be.

HBO
Now, you don’t need any advice, after three Harry Potters - and the third one you are working on now.

MAGGIE SMITH
[LAUGHTER]

HBO
But working with children, with Amy. How did that relationship happen?

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, I thought she was quite astonishing, because she had never - ever worked like this before. Never been near anything in any remote way, cinematically.

But, she has this wonderful directness. And also what she has, which is - one of the most difficult things to acquire - is great simplicity. She is just - so straightforward and honest. I mean, what you see is what you get. And the fact that she looks like an angel is all to the good. [LAUGHTER] She is an enchanting, enchanting child.

HBO
An enchanting, enchanting countryside as well.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yeah. Well, that’s true.

HBO
The countryside is almost an extra character.

MAGGIE SMITH
That’s true.

HBO
I have seen you in certain things like “Tea with Mussolini,” and I know how hot it can get on location. But, presumably - as an actress - it’s much better to be at a real Italian villa than on a sound stage.

MAGGIE SMITH
Oh, absolutely. I wouldn’t deny that for a second. But I have to say, I don’t know how people work in those extremes. I think it’s extraordinary. I don’t know which is worse - be it very hot, or very cold. I mean, while I was doing it, well, I think my son was struggling through shackles in Greenland, [LAUGHTER] or wherever the hell they were. So I don’t know. But those extremes are hard.

HBO
What was the atmosphere like on the set?

MAGGIE SMITH
I think it was absolutely fine. In actual fact, it’s - it’s difficult for me to know, because I have very, very rarely played a part of this size. I mean, it’s a long time since I have. So, when you are that involved, it’s - it’s a very difficult thing because most of the films I do are cameo parts. So you drift in, and drift out.

But this was very, very involving. And it’s - it’s a mixture of things. It’s extremely tiring, on the one hand. But it’s very much more satisfying to do that because you really feel involved. You feel part of the whole thing. I hate this sort of drifting in, and being introduced to people, and not knowing who anybody is. This way, you do.

HBO
And, of course, the atmosphere on sets, always comes from the top - from the director, Richard Loncraine.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yeah. He is very, very easy. And very kind, and very thoughtful.

HBO
A lot of interesting scenes in the film - with Chris Cooper -
MAGGIE SMITH
Yeah.

HBO
- as Mr. Riversmith. How did that work out, between the two of you?

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, I am a great admirer of Chris. I think he is just a terrific actor. So, it was a great thrill to work with him. And I thought he was just terrific. It’s just a wonderful performance - this sort of distant creature. It’s wonderful.

HBO
One of HBO’s triumphs, of course, is to pull Ronny Barker out of retirement -

MAGGIE SMITH
[LAUGHTER]

HBO
- so he could be next door.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yeah. Yeah.

HBO
And obviously, he enjoyed it. He came back to work.

MAGGIE SMITH
Yeah.

HBO
How was that?

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, it was lovely for me, to work with Ronnie, because about the very first thing I did was with Ronnie. I was playing a Chinese boy. He was playing some mad Chinese guy. And it was in a production of “The Letter,” the Somerset Maugham play. I think I was about 16 then. But he was in school with my brothers. So, I have known Ronnie - for a very long time. It was wonderful to work with him there.

HBO
And Timothy Spall, as well.

MAGGIE SMITH
Oh. He is - he is just divine. He was wonderful, because he was so - so calm, and so enigmatic, you know? Always frantic things happen, you know? And he was always so calm. I just love that, when somebody is so professional, and they say, “Oh, that’s fine. We’ll just do it again.” Wonderful man.

HBO
You were saying that this is one of the biggest roles on screen you have done in some time. Do you think there are better roles for women around now?

MAGGIE SMITH
Oh, I don’t know. Everybody has always said that. But all I meant was, it’s very, very hard to play these small parts. People are very dismissive of cameo parts. But as a matter of fact, they are quite hard. But it’s intriguing to be that involved; to be day after day after day there with the crew, who were there all the time.

That what’s so extraordinary. The unity is there - day, after day after day after day. And you are aware of the amount of work, and the huge dedication that goes on towards the piece.

HBO
You have played so many strong women roles, and as you said, many of them cameos. Why do you think cameos are so difficult to play?

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, I think they are hard because you are very much an outsider. It’s like walking onto any set, or going to any theater that you are not involved. And you just don’t feel that you belong. And that’s not a very pleasant feeling. [LAUGHTER]

HBO
Well you belong here, Maggie.

MAGGIE SMITH
Well, yes, I do. But this is - this is different. Yes, I do. I do belong here.

HBO
So, with Emily under your belt, so to speak - and that experience of working full-time - is that gonna change, do you think? When you pick up a script now?

MAGGIE SMITH
No, I think I am sane enough to realize, that this won’t happen again. And that was what was so wonderful about it, to have this opportunity to do it. These parts don’t grow on trees, that’s for sure. But I am very grateful that I was given the chance to play it.

HBO
And so are we.

MAGGIE SMITH
[LAUGHTER]