When we meet Julie Hesmondhalgh, she’s just as warm and friendly as you’d imagine.
Known for playing trans character Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street between 1998 and 2014, Julie’s passion for storytelling is clear to see as she talks about her current role in the James Graham play Punch at London’s Young Vic theatre.
The 55-year-old star tells us: “It’s a play about a man who killed another man with a single punch in Nottingham town centre, which is more common than you’d think.
“The parents of the victim engaged the perpetrator in restorative justice, and met him, and through that turned his life around – now they speak together in prisons and schools about toxic masculinity and violence.
“It’s an incredible true story, and it’s gone down in an absolute storm.”
Here, Julie, who is supporting the charity Arts Emergency through match-funding platform The Big Give’s Arts for Impact campaign, talks about challenging acting roles and family life…
Julie, what are your fondest memories of playing Hayley in Coronation Street?
“It was amazing. I never thought I’d leave. I’d taken some time off to do a play and it felt special – that exchange with the audience awakened something in me that I thought had died.
“I was so happy at Corrie and happy to just pootle along for the rest of my life, actually. Doing this play made me realise that there were other stories I wanted to tell.
“Corrie did me a massive favour by giving me a beautiful long goodbye because that set my soul for other work.
“It’s a wonderful place to work with the best people, a real family, and working with David Neilson for all those years taught me inordinate amounts.”
© PA Images via Getty ImagesYou’ve played several interesting characters in your career. Which have you enjoyed most?
“Oh gosh, it’s really hard to say. Hayley… what that character did for trans rights – and I know things are extremely bad for trans people again now – but at that time it was part of a national conversation, and I felt so lucky and honoured to be part of that.
“And Broadchurch happened at a time when there were big conversations going on about sexual violence and its portrayal on television.
“I think Mr. Bates was the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever been involved with in terms of its reach. Everyone watched it and everyone was talking about it, and it changed things. I know the battle is still going on, but I think if I hadn’t been in that, it would have broken my heart. That’s exactly the kind of work that sets me on fire.
“I’ve been really lucky to have been part of telling these stories.”
You have two daughters aged 20 and 23. What do they think about your career and are they following in your footsteps?
“My eldest is doing an MA in Paris. She’s living her best life, absolutely loving it, and studying Film Theory.
“Goodness knows what will happen afterwards, but we were in a position to say to her, ‘Do what you love’, and so she did Film and English at uni and then has gone on to do this.
“And my youngest is really different – she’s a little biker girl who works in a nursery and she’s loving that.
“So no, they’re not following in my footsteps, or their dad’s – he’s on the Corrie writing team – but they love it and they’ve grown up with it. It’s been normal for them to come and see plays and watch things that we’ve both been involved in. It’s been really lovely.”
© gettyYour husband is the actor and scriptwriter Ian Kershaw – do you work together creatively?
“He’s not an actor anymore but he was when we met. We worked together and he wrote a one woman play that we did in London and Edinburgh – we worked together all the time. I’m incredibly proud of what he does.
“He has a really interesting story because he’s a working class lad from Oldham; he was a joiner and he went to the theatre for the first time in his twenties because he liked [actor] Richard Harris in films and he was doing a play at the palace in Manchester.
“The next day he packed in his job as a joiner and enrolled on a drama course at his local tech.”
When you see him working on the Corrie scripts, do you miss being in the soap?
“I never miss it, because my life now is so full and interesting and varied.
“I love it when they mention Hayley. I watch it all the time and I still love it. There’s just so much humour in it, it’s just fabulous.
“[Ian] is very discreet, it drives me mad. I’ll look over his shoulder sometimes and he’s like, ‘Don’t look, you’re not allowed to know what’s happening!’ I love that I’ve still got a foot in the door there.”
You’re supporting the charity Arts Emergency, which helps get young people into the arts and humanities. Tell us more…
“I’ve been involved with them for a long time now, ever since they spread their wings and came to Manchester.
“I always described myself as someone who was state sponsored – I grew up in a time where I got a full local authority grant to go to drama school. They didn’t just pay my fees; they also paid my rent.
“It’s got harder and harder for young people from disadvantaged working-class backgrounds to access a life in the arts.
“There’s this divide. If you’re somebody who comes from a wealthier background, you’re four times more likely to be able to access a career in the arts, and it comes with all sorts of problems.
“There’s the expression ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. So if you’re not taking young people to the theatre, if you’re not running wonderful media courses, if people don’t know what those jobs are, then they can’t train towards it.
“Later on, barriers are unpaid internships and work based in London which precludes people from other regions because of travel expenses and accommodation.
“Also, huge fees in education are excluding huge swathes of people and this idea that there aren’t jobs in the arts, which is absolute rubbish. The creative industry in our country is one of the only burgeoning industries left.
“Arts Emergency was set up to try and shift the culture back to understanding that they are not soft subjects, there is a career in it, and also to create an ‘old boys network’ for people who don’t have one.
“It creates one-on-one mentorships with people in the industry – that could be fashion, architecture, film, television, and it’s been proven to create huge opportunities with young people.”
© Arts EmergencyWhat are your acting ambitions now?
“It’s funny because people always say, ‘Is there a part you’ve always wanted to play?’ and actually, I just love new writing.
“I love that things have consistently fallen in my lap, that have had something to say about the world.
“I love the work I do but having an impact beyond that is just my absolute happy spot. If someone comes to me with a play or a script that’s talking about things with a wider meaning, I just want to carry on doing more of that.”
About Arts for Impact
James Reed CBE, Chair of the Trustees of Big Give says: “There are over 30,000 registered charities working in the arts, culture and heritage space, and for many of them funds raised in this campaign could make the difference between being able to continue with vital work or having to abandon it.
“We have been contacted by many charities we work with and they are facing really tough financial decisions. This means that the campaign is even more important this year than ever before.
“Every pound donated by the public to the Arts for Impact campaign will be doubled through Big Give to help charities at this difficult time. It’s the perfect way to multiply your generosity.”
To learn more and donate, visit: donate.biggive.org/artsforimpact25
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