MAXINE Peake almost turned down her latest TV role, even though it was being filmed on her doorstep.
The Salford-based actress had previously auditioned for other parts in
The Street (BBC1, tonight, 9pm) and not been successful.
“I’m going to be brutally honest now,” she says during a break in filming for the penultimate episode of Jimmy McGovern’s award-winning series.
“When they rang up with this, I was going to tell them to stick it right up their backside because I’d auditoned that many times for it. I thought, ‘Oh, forget it.’”
Former Shameless star Maxine changed her mind when she found out that the episode would also feature Stephen Graham as alcoholic Shay.
“I went, ‘Right. You know when I said – tell them to stick it? Can you tell them that actually I didn’t mean that,’” she smiles. “I’m such a massive fan of Stephen’s work and that is the reason I’m doing it.”
Bolton-born Maxine co-stars as Shay’s ex-girlfriend Madeleine who turns up out of the blue to tell him he has a 16-year-old son called Otto.
The Down’s Syndrome teenager is played by Leon Harrop, a student at New Bridge School, Oldham, one of several youngsters who travelled from all over the country to audition for the role.
Series producer Matthew Bird recalls: “Two of them came in from the same school in Oldham and we just thought they were brilliant. Leon has been fantastic.”
Maxine comments: “I’m completely in love with Leon. He’s just a little star and so unfazed. I think he’s got a good future in front of him.”
Last seen in BBC1’s acclaimed Occupation, Liverpool-born Stephen says: “I remember having a pint with Jimmy about six years ago. I said to him, ‘I’d love to work with you.’ And he replied, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll happen.’ So good things come to those who wait. I only had to wait six years.”
He describes Shay as a “lost soul” who descends into booze after an armed robbery at his betting shop. “I read a lot of books about alcoholism and I know one or two people who used to be alcoholics. With Shay, it’s just a case of just constantly topping himself up.
“All of a sudden, from nowhere, Shay finds out he’s got a 16-year-old son. He goes round to all the people in the boozer boasting, ‘My son’s a boxer. Talking Olympics.’ The idea of a son gives Shay hope and he tries to get himself together.
“But when he sees his son has Down’s Syndrome, that sends him on a rapid downward spiral. He can’t deal with it, so he drinks more and more and tries to pretend that Otto is just not there.”
Filming difficult scenes between the two characters was made easier as Stephen and Leon got on so well off camera. “Leon is a lovely lad. We instantly hit it off.
“He’s a Manchester United fan and he gave me loads of stick about Liverpool. I brought him a Liverpool top with ‘Otto’ on the back. The next day he brought me a Man U top with ‘Shay’ on the back. In front of everyone in the canteen, he made me put it on.
“He’s a smashing lad, a real credit to his parents. He’s also a fantastic actor – he took his performance as Otto to a different level. At first Shay hates Otto, and that was difficult to play.
“But because of our great off-screen relationship, Leon accepted it was just acting. He was so receptive to everything I did. There were no problems at all. It was a beautiful thing to make. He will go far.”
Next Monday’s episode of The Street will be the last ever. It closes a TV chapter, with the team behind the Salford and Manchester filmed drama made redundant by ITV, which makes the series for BBC1.
It’s a tough time for television drama, even for respected actresses like Maxine, who also takes the lead this autumn in the return of BBC1’s award-winning Criminal Justice, as well as filming a guest role in one of ITV1’s new Marple films.
People often assume that writers, directors and producers are beating a path to her door. But that’s not how it works. “Of course I audition, usually about four or five times for a part,” she explains.
“Some jobs years ago, they’d have said, ‘Oh, it’s a couple of scenes, will you come and do it?’ Now you have to go and audition and the video has to go round. The cleaner, everybody, has to have a look at it before they can say yes.
“There’s competition for parts. Everybody wants to do good stuff because good scripts are so few and far between.”
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