Harris Goes To Parisactor on dating the wrong men, finding her voice, and becomingThe Crowns Princess Margaret.

Harris Goes to Paris.

Its much more wholesome.

Lesley Manville in 1984 next to a picture of her in 2022 in a patterned black outfit with a red sash

Its nice to do a film thats a crowd-pleaser.

Right from the onset, the audience is avidly rooting for Mrs. Harris and her Dior Dream.

And so was Manville.

Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson) kindly accompanies Mrs. Harris (Manville) to the Dior showcase

What a wonderful character she is.

I loved the fighting spirit of her, the actor remarks.

My heart bleeds for her because shes really pushing forward and trying to make the best of her life.

A Dior Dream: Mrs. Harris longs for couture gowns that are deemed to be above her station

Departing the show after two years, she began to make a name for herself on stage.

The actor honed her craft by performing in plays such as Caryl ChurchillsTop Girlsand ShakespearesAs You Like It.

You learn so much by being on stage, Manville tells me, fondly recalling those early years.

I ask Manville how she feels about joining such a prestigious drama.

I had a very long time to gloriously prepare for it and read all the books.

You realise the whole thing is a centre of excellence.

The track record of that series is formidable.

I dont have to impersonate her, thats not what the show is about.

I read many books about her, and it kind of sunk in by osmosis.

The mum-of-one has been married twice.

Her first marriage to fellowactor Gary Oldmanended three months after their son, Alfie, was born in 1989.

The pair divorced in 1990, with Oldman marryingUma Thurmanlater that year.

Take me back to 1984, where was home for you?

I was living in a maisonette in Chiswick, London.

I was really having an amazing time working with brilliant directors and writers.

I was also doing the odd bit of TV here and there.

What was your view on love and relationships at that age?

I was flitting around, doing what 20-somethings do.

Youre hopping from one to the other, and thinking, Is this person right?

Mrs. Harris has grand dreams of going to Paris and buying herself a Dior dress.

What was your biggest dream back then?

I also wanted to have a good career, but not in a horrible, ambitious way.

I just wanted to carry on doing the work I was doing.

I certainly wasnt looking for 15 minutes of fame.

I appreciated that my career, even then, was a slow burn.

And I couldnt be more glad of that.

Thats the best way for it to be.

Let your success come gradually, because youve earned it.

Nowadays, so many people are pressured.

Youve mentioned your work in film and TV.

In 1985, you had your first listed credit in the filmDance With A Stranger.

At 28, were you thinking about making a name for yourself on the big screen?

There was much more of a theatre culture around.

At the time, I loved my career, but in hindsight, Im even more grateful for it.

Comparing it to what young actors have to go through today, I dont envy them one bit.

Did you consider yourself to be emotionally fulfilled?

I wasnt unfulfilled, lets put it that way, and I wasnt troubled, thankfully.

Ive always been quite a logical, clear-sighted person.

Looking back, what was your biggest challenge at 28?

Id been lucky enough to earn some money through telly, so I had my own place to live.

It was much easier to do that [buy your own home] then, I hasten to add.

I was very lucky in that way.

What social issues were you campaigning for in 1984?

I also went on the picket line, which was pretty scary.

I didnt like it very much.

The Royal Court Theatre is famously left-field, so a lot of the work I was doing was politicised.

I didnt go to university and, at first, I kind of felt out of my depth there.

I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to begin with.

I didnt feel that, intellectually, I was up to the standards of the people around me.

But in a way, my time at the Royal Court was very formative and felt like my education.

What was the soundtrack to your 28th year?

Always a lot of Motown, thats been a constant.

And I remember singing along toKate Busha lot.

And if I needed to have a good cry, Id stick on a bit of Barbra Streisand.

What advice would you give to your 28-year-old self?

Dont put up with so much crap from boyfriends.

I hadnt found my voice with boyfriends [then] to say: Enough.

Trust me, Ive found it more recently.

I had to learn that very slowly.

This article was originally published onJuly 18, 2022