Miriam Margolyes doesn't fear being cancelled
The 84-year-old actress has faced a backlash for her criticism of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza but she believes she has a responsibility to speak out and try to instigate change, and she doesn't worry about the consequences for her career.
She told The Guardian newspaper: 'People say: 'You're just an actor, for f***'s sake, shut up.' Well, that is a point of view. I don't happen to share that.
"I think that if you have a chance to make an impact for good, to change things, then you should. I think it's an absolute requirement, and people don't, out of fear sometimes. They are afraid of being cancelled. You can't cancel me!'
Miriam tries to use her age to her advantage - but admitted there is no reason why people "should" listen to her.
She said: 'If somebody p***** me off, I'll say, 'Now listen to me, I'm 84!' But I don't see why they should!'
The Harry Potter actress is returning to the Edinburgh festival for the second year running with a new version of her show, which is based on the characters of Charles Dickens, and she admitted it isn't a hardship for her because she enjoys it so much.
She said: 'I'm very lucky. There's relatively few people of my age still working.
"[There is] nothing like a live audience. It's like a kiss, it's a caress.'
'I just enjoy doing it so much. My favourites like Mrs Gamp, Miss Havisham, I think I'm a perfect person to give voice to these amazing creations of which there were very many. So it's a bit of a w***, really."
However, the actress did not that life on the road can be tiring these days.
She said: 'I'm gathering my powers and I will deliver, but it is a struggle.'
And while she has an "immediate feeling of joy and competence" when she steps out onto the stage, Miriam admitted that hasn't always come naturally.
Asked if she's always felt confident during a live performance, she replied: 'No, it has come with time. What I am conscious of now is that people know who I am and that is really relatively recent.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Perth Now
Horror author Stephen King brands Donald Trump's presidency a 'horror story'
Stephen King has branded US President Donald Trump a "horror story" who he wants to see leave the White House in disgrace. The acclaimed horror author - whose books include The Shining, It and Carrie, among many others - has nothing but total contempt for President Trump and his right wing politics. King, 77, would like to see Trump's second term in office end with an impeachment. Asked in a reader interview with The Guardian newspaper what he would write if he had to invent an ending for Trump's America, King replied: 'I think it would be impeachment – which, in my view, would be a good ending. I would love to see him retired, let's put it that way. The bad ending would be that he gets a third term and takes things over completely.' 'It's a horror story either way. Trump is a horror story, isn't he?' Misery writer King has been an outspoken critic of Trump, 79, and used his X account to brand the White House incumbent a "spoiled child". Posting on the social media platform, he wrote: Deep down in his heart, I believe Trump knows he's an incompetent a**hole. "Trump is like a spoiled child. When he doesn't get his way, he throws a tantrum." Trump has been impeached twice by the House of Representatives, but acquitted by the Senate on both occasions; first in 2019 for obstruction of Congress and secondly in 2021 after the Capitol attack that occurred on January 6 with the House of Representatives charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection" due to his allegations of election fraud. In September, the movie adaptation of King's short novel The Long Walk is released starring Mark Hamill, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang and Charlie Plummer. Set in a dystopian alternate version of America ruled by a totalitarian regime, Hamill plays the Major, a military commander who oversees an annual and gruelling walking competition. Star Wars actor Hamill - who played Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker in the sci-fi franchise - previously spoke about how his role as the Major in The Long Walk is 'unlike anything [he's] ever done before' in his career. During an interview with Discussing Film, Hamill, 73, said: 'Well, he's amoral. I mean, for you to be able to do what he does … he's got to be some kind of sociopath. 'There's no sort of backstory for him, but you know he's a really troubled person. And sadistic and … just all those terrible things.'
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Attractive, stylish, devoted to the boss': Are fictional EAs doing more harm than good?
In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly describes her assistant Andy Sachs as 'fetching'. She fetches her boss' coffee, her lunches and her dry-cleaning. She even manages to fetch an unpublished Harry Potter manuscript for Priestly's daughters. While Sachs may no longer be Priestly's 'fetching' assistant in the highly anticipated sequel, which premieres in May 2026, she will arguably always be remembered as the person without whom her boss could not function – the unsung hero of Runway magazine. Sachs is in good company. Many other executive assistants have crossed our screens, characters who toggle between being a professional right hand and a personal life coach every day of the week. Decades before Sachs, there was Radar O'Reilly from M*A*S*H, the company clerk who was one step ahead of his commanding officer's needs – and the arrival of casualty-filled helicopters. On the big screen, Miss Moneypenny is perhaps one of the most famous office admins in film history. Secretary to James Bond's superior, M, at MI6, she appeared across several Bond films, though she was normally seen flirting rather than filing. More recently, Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway from Mad Men constantly had to navigate the murky waters of a male-dominated 1960s advertising company in the period office drama, while Simone in Netflix's Sirens often behaved more like a daughter to her boss than an assistant. Some of these characters are put through the wringer more than others, but they all share an overarching similarity: they're not ever quite given their due. It turns out that's not just the case on screen. 'We still battle the 'you're just an assistant' line,' says Candice Burningham, a Sydney-based executive assistant who has been in the business for more than 20 years. 'But we're not 'just' anything. We're business partners, we have major influence on business decisions, we have insight in business and we create real impact.' Many people are also unaware there are distinct types of workplace assistants, she says. A personal assistant is more likely to do things like make dinner reservations or organise gifts on behalf of their boss, while an executive assistant may operate as more of a business partner. There are instances in which these roles sometimes overlap, Burningham says, but film and TV tend to depict them as entirely blended.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
‘Attractive, stylish, devoted to the boss': Are fictional EAs doing more harm than good?
In The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly describes her assistant Andy Sachs as 'fetching'. She fetches her boss' coffee, her lunches and her dry-cleaning. She even manages to fetch an unpublished Harry Potter manuscript for Priestly's daughters. While Sachs may no longer be Priestly's 'fetching' assistant in the highly anticipated sequel, which premieres in May 2026, she will arguably always be remembered as the person without whom her boss could not function – the unsung hero of Runway magazine. Sachs is in good company. Many other executive assistants have crossed our screens, characters who toggle between being a professional right hand and a personal life coach every day of the week. Decades before Sachs, there was Radar O'Reilly from M*A*S*H, the company clerk who was one step ahead of his commanding officer's needs – and the arrival of casualty-filled helicopters. On the big screen, Miss Moneypenny is perhaps one of the most famous office admins in film history. Secretary to James Bond's superior, M, at MI6, she appeared across several Bond films, though she was normally seen flirting rather than filing. More recently, Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway from Mad Men constantly had to navigate the murky waters of a male-dominated 1960s advertising company in the period office drama, while Simone in Netflix's Sirens often behaved more like a daughter to her boss than an assistant. Some of these characters are put through the wringer more than others, but they all share an overarching similarity: they're not ever quite given their due. It turns out that's not just the case on screen. 'We still battle the 'you're just an assistant' line,' says Candice Burningham, a Sydney-based executive assistant who has been in the business for more than 20 years. 'But we're not 'just' anything. We're business partners, we have major influence on business decisions, we have insight in business and we create real impact.' Many people are also unaware there are distinct types of workplace assistants, she says. A personal assistant is more likely to do things like make dinner reservations or organise gifts on behalf of their boss, while an executive assistant may operate as more of a business partner. There are instances in which these roles sometimes overlap, Burningham says, but film and TV tend to depict them as entirely blended.
