Rebecca Grant, Actress & Artist

Joining me this week on the Friday film club is actress and artist Rebecca Brown, that she is starring in a new drama coming out soon from the producers of line of duty show trial. And she's also got a new art exhibition in the Brett galleries in Midhurst. So do check that out. And we took a lot more about that during the shove, as well, as well as fun, again, some of her favorite and maybe not so funny.

It's a great interview. So, um, do listen and as always follow us at the front field club across the social media and share the show. Hope you enjoy.

So Rebecca, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.

Yeah. Thank you. Uh, so obviously, uh, you, you know what the questions are and we're going to dive into those in a minute, but before we do, um, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you're up to because, um, there's, there's a whole bunch of stuff, right?

Well, I've um, first of all, we have show trial coming up.

Uh, on the 31st of October, that was announced just yesterday. And I play an barrier. One of the barristers from episode three, four and five, it's a five-part episode, and it's a pretty much a who done it, but it's the same producers as the line of duty after. So it's quite exciting and I've just launched my lock down collection of artwork.

I'm an artist as well. And that's at Bret galleries from the 1st of November, 1st of November. Yeah, that's right. Cause I sing and we've just had our first phase of my play on free to call it funded script development. And I'll be working on that from February with a brilliant emerging Latin American writer, some co-creating that with her.

This is this, this kind of blows my mind to be honest, because you've got, you've got TV. You've got, you've got the play. You're an artist as well. You've got a family. How, how, how, how do you do all of that?

Well, it's completely bonkers and sometimes filled with anxiety and we had to get money for. You know, the amount of childcare.

Sometimes you have to book, but you really do juggle and it does reap the rewards eventually, like at the moment, in order just to do this, I've had to pump charge backs at the age when your beautiful children are age two and four, apart from playing constantly and feeding them constantly. There's nothing else you can do.

You can't even make yourself a cup of tea or sit down, or if you sit down, that's a complete. If you breathe out and relax for a second are not allowed to do that. So, yeah. It's I suppose, I suppose I'm just so I'm so passionate. I'm just, I'm just incredibly passionate. The creatives I work with and the work that we do and the stories we tell, and it just makes me feel fulfilled and others fulfilled.

And I just want to bring that happiness with people or stories to other people. And when I'm not doing that, I find I'm really not on my purpose. If you know,

Um, yeah, I, I totally get that. And, um, so you've done quite a lot of stuff in your career. What's been the real sort of highlight for you so far.

Oh goodness.

May more Masha trial was very exciting. That was a big, a nice. Step into a different caliber of filmmaking, I would say. Um, but I've done so much. Other filmmaking work has been incredible, but this was, I think because line of duty was such a success. Um, it was like, wow, I'm Boston, that world world productions.

So that was really exciting. And, you know, Holby city being offered that when I was younger, it was very exciting in my, in my twenties. And, uh, and my first Meston show was, um, really exciting as well. You know, because I wasn't even, I wasn't even 20, I was still a teenager. So being offered that, working with Andrew Lloyd Webber, um, the such a thrill it's, it's the creative buzz.

It's funny because people think, oh, fame and fortune and this and that. There's nothing to do with that. And in terms of the kick I get out of it, it's the great buzz I get out of it. Right.

So, um, what, what came first? Was it the sort of stage work or was it that sort of TV work that really got you into, into.

Well, I grew

up, um, I grew up with a very creative family. My grandfather was an artist and I was always inspired by him. So I, you know, I painted quite early on, but my, but then my mom sent all of us three children to dance school. So, you know, we were doing ballet tap modern jazz from very early age and doing drama festivals as well.

So we were doing a lot of musical theater from the age of like five up until. 16 when I started auditioning for stuff. So it kind of kicked off all at once as it does, you know?

Yeah. And so the art is kind of a bit more left field, you know, I get kind of, you know, the performing arts, they all kind of like blend into one another.

But what, what was the point that you thought, you know what, I'm going to be an artist as well. I actually

want it to be an animator when I was like five or six. Let's do lots of cartoons at very young age and I loved it. Um, but then more paintings after that. So yeah, it's something I've always done really alongside my acting career because I enjoyed the performance arts as well.

Uh, and we'll, we'll talk more about your show a bit, a bit later in the episode, let's say I say your show, your, uh, the, the many things you've gotten, including your, your art show. But let's dive into some of the questions. So as a ways, the same six questions, I ask all my guests to find out a little bit more about who you are through what you watch or don't watch.

Uh, so let's go straight in with, what is your favorite film of all time? Oh God,

can I make it to go on? Yeah. Okay. This is very relatable to show trial. So I would say counted Monte Cristo. Funny enough, which does James frame, the reasons John, um, kind of mod and he's in show trial and also 12

angry men.

Nice. Okay, too. We haven't had anything close to those choices before, so that's. That's very interesting. Why

I just loved when I worked on one floor of the cookies nest, they introduced me to 12 angry men, and I just loved the simplicity of it. The drama of the different characters. It was just a very in depth, colorful.

Full of personality, piece of work and how impactful that was and counted Monte Cristo for completely the opposite reasons, how colorful and beautiful and fantastic, and how meaningful the messages as well between Dante and this jealous kind of overlord that just wanted to kill him because he was jealous.

And it was just a really beautiful story between good prevailing over evil, you know, for the right reasons.

Yeah. Yeah. And two great choices. And, uh, so when was, when was the first time you saw those films and, you know, because I always think that's really important to how it affects you.

Um, I think that's all count of Monte Cristo, like in my twenties and yeah.

Uh, 12 angry, 12 angry men, mid twenties as well. Yeah. Fair enough. A lot of my decisions there after

definitely to, to enter the spectrum there, um, Which I, I kind of means I think the answer to the next question, I can't even begin to predict what is your least favorite?

Got am I going to get into trouble if I say this?

Okay. Because my background is danced. I know so many incredible talented dancers and actors, and nothing comes close to singing in the rain and that level of expertise and rehearsal and technique and all the toil and trouble that comes with dancing. I think my least favorite is lalala.

Oh.

I know it's a wonderful film, but the trying to be silver screen Hollywood and the wonderful actors be looking at gene Kelly and ginger Rogers, and you see them perform that dance and the technique and that acting their performance is all a hundred percent.

And that's the level I try and work out myself. It's like, oh, I just want to see the joy in your eyes when you're doing this timestamp or, you know, the twinkle in your eyes and the strength in your thighs when you're doing a timestamp like gene Kelly, do you know what I mean? There's something there's a, there's a feeling from within that.

There's a pro Hollywood dancers back in the fifties had, and. There are people out there who do have that, but they're just not exposed. And I would love to do a dance musical for TV. Absolutely love that. Yeah. In fact, I was booked for a film opposite. I'm not Liam Neeson. Who's the other actor in love.

Actually the rock star, no naive. I'll cost is like to do a dance routine as a solo Western, this film, I couldn't do filming shadow trials.

That's disappointing to me because I, I completely get your reasons. Actually. I do get it. And I think there's something when you look at. Incubator sort of gene Kelly films, like singing in the rain, you know, the, the, the performance, you know, the classic performance to singing in the rain is, is relatively simplistic and versus a lot of the sequences in Lala land, but there's, it's got that, that kind of sparkle to it because it's all just, it's like watching theater in that moment.

Um, and there is something definitely very magical about that, but why I love about Lala land is it, it's not really trying to do that. It's more, I, in my opinion, it's sort of more paying tribute.

Yeah, I suppose I understand. I think that's a good point of view and I think that's a truthful point of view, but I, I suppose because I really miss, I miss that, that level of dance alongside acting, alongside singing that I'm away.

I'm waiting to see that level again and yeah. Where the lead actor. I have that twinkle in their eye. And I don't know, it's, there's a cheekiness. There's like, I know your game, but I know your game. And then keenness to it rather than sometimes there's heavy. Somberness that we've gotten ourselves into, but I know what you made.

I know praying pay, paying tributes. I just miss that Hollywood. I want to see more of that. And I, it, on the day, maybe I'll work on it one day, you know, there's a script of a short film, which I want to produce, which I want to make, which has those elements in,

you know, nice. Well, hopefully, hopefully that gets made.

Cause I do think, I think films like that, they're built around the, the performance and I think that's possibly the thing that's been lacking in Hollywood that we just don't have. Those performers at the top, at the moment, you know, that the kind of the gene Kelly's the Fred and Ginger's, and maybe that's what it needs.

It needs someone to kind of step up and be like, here I am. And, uh, and start doing those, those roles again.

Yeah. Yeah. Because other worlds are being done. You know, other roles back then are being done. Psycho roles, more dramatic roles.

Fair enough. I guess. Uh, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on Lala land, but, uh, I, I, can I get your reasons?

I do get your reasons.

Um,

so the next question I have for you is which film or TV character do you most relate to?

Well, I would say, I would say Fredy Frida Kahlo as a creative, uh, forward stroke, Selma Hayak. And I suppose, because she was the only character. That looked like me growing up and yeah, I related to her because of her suffering growing up, you know, I suffered terribly from extra asthma.

The hospital was my second time growing up. So I always had to kind of go to my art in order to find some solace. And yeah, I found that with, um, Selma Hayak portrayal of Frida Kahlo and Frida Kahlo in general

and as well. Yeah. And I think that's, um, that's definitely one of certainly until, uh, more recently when.

I think the film industry became a little bit more inclusive of non white, non British kind of roles. I think Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo was one of the best, uh, non-English speaking performances, I think I've seen.

Wow. Yeah,

it was. I mean, I think she really, she really set the bar and maybe I think, you know, because of the types of films that, that, um, Has done before and after that, maybe just kind of stands out a lot.

I think it's a fantastic performance. And, um, I think anyone trying to honor Frida Kahlo has some big shoes to fill and because of what Selma

did. Yes. Yeah, she did. She did a fantastic job. Fantastic job for filling their shoes. Absolutely.

Yeah. Interesting, interesting choice. So tell me more about your exhibition is that it's otherwise home it's it's, it's an exhibition.

Yeah,

it's an exhibition it's launching on the 1st of November and it's all my locked down paintings. So my grandfather father, he was a prolific artist in the south of France. And I was also always very inspired by his works and he did lots of boats and I decided to do a load of paintings during lockdown on these boats in isolation.

If someone sent me a load of boats from the 19 hundreds from. Regata. And I decided to do all these colorful boats, but in kind of isolation in the middle of the sea. And I did six of those large scale. And then I did a painting that was inspired by a painting when I was done that I'd done when I was 16.

And this painting was a yellow brick road, part of yellow brick road series. It was a competition for prince Charles, his 50th birthday. And, um, he, the brief was to paint a painting in Britain in its 21st century. So I did that and I was chosen as one of 50 young artists up and down the country and I represented Notting him.

Um, so we were all invited to see prince Charles, uh, what was up, was up in Hampton court, palace. And. Then remote painting with him and the princess trust. And so that painting is up alongside a locked down painting of the same series, the eloquent road series, and that larger painting is called humanity unplugged alongside the original.

Britain and its 21st century, which also has a yellow brick road. So you know, this idea of idealism and finding out the truth. And so those two paintings are up large-scale in Bret gallery. So, yeah, that's going to be up indefinitely and I'm, I'm thrilled about it because was it, wasn't easy to move with paintings during lockdown with God, with a small family.

Yeah. So that's going to be up as well. That's

amazing. I always have so much admiration for people for painters. I can't draw. I can barely draw stick men. And so it's just something I can't do and respect a lot that

I just, one thing that I've, I've never been able to understand is with, with painting is where do you start when you have that blank canvas in front of you? Where do you start?

You see shapes, don't you. So you use a pencil to outline a general shape, and first. Outlined first, it's the largest shape you see?

And then the second largest shape, and then you go into detail and then once you've mapped out those objects, because they're just shapes at the end of the day and you just draw what you see, then you add, you know, the undertones of the colors and this does it as a technique with the colors, but it's still again, Use your instinct with that, but it's just about training the eye to look and then drawing what you see, not what you think you see, but what you actually see.

Interesting. And have you, have you ever made like a huge blunder when you've been like halfway through a painting?

No. No, really. I've done a couple of paintings. We've actually got bored and I've become an uninspired. By whatever this stuff is, and I've stopped it. There was a couple at home, which I'm like, I need to paint over it again or continue it and finish it.

Yeah. That's what I mainly do.

Fair enough. So going back to film, if your life was made into a movie, what genre would it be and who would play you?

Okay, so it would definitely be, definitely be. Vintage silver screen. Well, it would, it would be, it wouldn't be like cheesy musical. It would be a musical that had good drama and.

credibly beautifully vintage,: 1950

Overall.

I think a lot of people are going to be I'm deviating that name.

It's a very interesting choice.

Okay. Let me think

overall. Okay. Fair enough. And what, so every, every musical, and especially those classes. Kind of golden age musicals have always have that one big number, that huge number, what would yours be set to, but what would be that point in your life? That, which that big number and takes place

and my forthcoming groundbreaking role, which hasn't occurred yet, that, that role, the us.

Well, I felt all my toil and trouble and auditions and juggling were bloody worth it.

That is an exceptional plug for whatever excuse we have to reshare this episode in the future. So that's a fantastic answer.

In TV, musical, that was, I don't know, something fruitful and fun, almost, almost French. And you know, like Parisian,

here's a side question for you.

Uh, if, if you had your choice and a commissioning editor come to you and say, right, we're definitely gonna make this whatever you want. And you could pick a movie musical to sort of serialized into a TV drama that you starting, what would.

Do you know what it would be? My play that I'm developing on Frida Kahlo.

I want to make that into a TV and it will have song and dance, but not in a way that we know it was musical. It would be, it would be, you know, like how without the sadness, it would be how they miss approached the music. It would be an organic way of approaching the music and the dance. And. Um, it wouldn't be obviously, as you say, an existing musical, but it would be the play that I'm working on and that would.

Yeah. Tended to the six part

musical. Yeah. I love that. And Joel, I think that there's, there's such a challenge to doing something like what Les Miz does. And I think it's really under appreciated where the singing and the speech just kind of flows seamlessly, um, sort of in and out, uh, because it's, uh, it's a phenomenal state show and I actually quite liked the film as well.

So if ever you do that, I'll be, I'll be the first one figuring out.

Great.

What Ms. Half-ass. Uh, so next question. What is your most nostalgic film?

I think English station. Cause I was like, what do you mean by nice started? Like makes me feel like, yeah, the English patient or the secret

garden. W w what is it about the English patient?

Because that's, it's an odd choice, but nostalgic film,

you don't know. I just found something quite nostalgic about. Yeah. I didn't know what it is about it. I think because it's set in world war two or one, I remember the music and the scenarios. I just found it quite nostalgic. Why

it's fun. I think it's one of those that I think, um, it's it, I think it's often just the feelings that, that are film like that can elicit rather than, you know, I think it can be hard to pimp.

Interesting. There's definitely been a theme with the films that you've gone for. It you've got really like classic, like old school.

And also I think because, and I need to watch more art house-y movies of which there are many incredible ones, but, you know, I think because there's been a formula discovered now films are following this formula because it works and works and works makes money. I suppose. I'm kind of missing the beauty and the magic of the classics, I

guess.

Yeah. That's a fair point. You're right. I think that when there's, when there's less kind of rules, uh, it allows for a little bit more creative autonomy, I guess. And, and when people were still kind of defining the rules back then it was easy to do something different than,

and the feel good factor, like count of Monte Cristo and the magic of that.

There's a magic and feel-good factor, which I crave the resolve that I crave that, you know, A lot of films out there. There's some great films out there, but there's so many fascinating films, like incredible psychological thrillers. But I think, I think we could do with a lot more of a feel, good resolve with a hell of a lot of magic.

I think that,

I think that's a, that's a, an excellent sentiment as well. So what then, what was that moment in your life that you thought. I'm going to be an actress. I'm going to be a performer. My mum

used to see it. My mum used to take me to see a lot of Agatha Christie plays at Nottingham theater, all that was one of the turning moments as well.

And I really loved seeing what I was looking at and I want it to be up there. And, um, I suppose looking at movies and it sounds really crass, but like the never ending story as a little girl. Princess with a crumbling rule around room around her. You just want it to be her. Um, but also when I started learning Shakespeare, I was about 10 and I was starting to recite Shakespeare and, you know, doing Juliet in my early teens.

I, I really connected with. And, you know, I wanted to, I wanted to do more of that and be part of that classical text, that magic stepping into other people's roles. And I, the, the spirit of play, which what, Ruth, I think there's what took me on that journey, into acting. The feeling of the spirit of play is what that

helped me do.

Do you think that. Um, this, this element of snobbery, because you, you touched on Shakespeare and my, my memories of like learning English literature and kind of dabbling in drama as a child was, you know, you had to learn Shakespeare and do that and do like that, the high end stuff. Um, do you think there's still that, that little bit of snobbery and kind of going into acting?

I don't know whether it's. I mean, there is different types of snobbery, but slobbery in terms of, I think, no matter what your background is, I feel like nowadays there's more of a respect despite your background. If you're going to do Shakespeare, you need to understand the rhythm and the texts like I could do with more practice with Shakespeare, because I haven't done it quite well.

I think despite your background, there's a bit more respect that even if you didn't go to drug school or dead or whatever background you came from, if you can learn and understand the text, then that's fine. There is a little bit of. Like sometimes you won't be even seen for sex Shakespearian roles if you haven't gone to trial.

Yeah. I, I get that and I guess that's, I guess that's kind of why I was, I was sort of getting at, and, uh, there's an art there's, there's a definite art and, and there's a difference when you watch a performance of Shakespeare. There's, there's a, there's a, a noticeable difference in the sort of delivery and the performance it's it's I can't put my finger on it, but.

Yeah, no, you were watching Shakespeare, even if you didn't know what you were watching.

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah.

Um, yeah. Um, which I guess kind of brings me onto my final question, which is the exact opposite of, of Shakespeare probably. Uh, what is your guilty pleasure?

What is my guilty pleasure? Okay. So I'll have to watch a lot of cartoons.

And it really is very, very difficult, but, um, I mean, what kind of guilty pleasures are there in film? Oh, I didn't answer this one very, very well. Oh God. I suppose I've gotten a slight inclination towards story. Because it's the only cartoon I can relate to because I'm going to one of the voiceover artists called Jim Masterman and I, my guilty pleasure is at least trying to pick out his voice.

Okay. Fair enough. And I can't say I'm very well versed on children's, uh, TV, but, um, that's an interesting one. Uh, what is story box stole?

We class. Oh, surely you know that

one,

I've learned a lot about the planets, you know? Yeah. I've learned a lot about planets. Can't tell you anything right now. Cause I've forgotten, but yeah, storyboards, check it out. It's like an American TV series and it's for educational purposes and my, my son loves it and I'm so grateful about that because it's educating.

Eliza and definitely the most out there answer. We've had it for guilty pleasure. So I appreciate that. And, uh, I guess before we let you go, tell us again, where can people see you connect with you and visit your exhibition?

So if you want to know what's going on, you can go to my social media site on Instagram, which is Rebecca Grant official, or you can go to.

Rebecca grump.co.uk. It's best to follow me on Instagram and I'll be out on show trial from the 31st of October from episode three, I play Nisha barrier in that also acorn TV is coming out in December. Um, the Queens of mystery series where I play Natasha young, uh, Surgeon. And my exhibition is that on the 1st of November at Brett galleries in Midhurst metasearch is lovely.

So I hope that makes sense.

Yes. Amazing. So if anyone is in around, Midhurst check that out and I can't wait to watch shows so trials, there we go. Thank you so much for doing this and answering those questions. It's been great having you on the show. Thank you so much. Thanks. That's it for this week of the Friday film club.

Thanks for listening. And remember you can rate and review us on all good podcast platforms. Also do reach out to us on social media at the Frye film club on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And if you want to be a guest in a future episode, do drop us a message on social media or email Liam at half-court dot com.

Thanks for listening.