Latest news with #DopeGirls
The Guardian
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Actor Julianne Nicholson: ‘I would have loved to have been a nepo baby but alas'
Julianne Nicholson, 53, was born near Boston, Massachusetts, and worked as a model before training as an actor in New York. Her screen credits include August: Osage County, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ally McBeal, I, Tonya and Boardwalk Empire. In 2021, she won an Emmy for her role as Lori in Mare Of Easttown. She recently played Samantha 'Sinatra' Redmond in Disney+ political thriller Paradise and is now starring as nightclub owner Kate Galloway in BBC One's period drama Dope Girls. Nicholson recently moved to the UK with her husband, British actor Jonathan Cake, and their two children. Your Dope Girls character is loosely based on real-life roaring 20s nightclub owner Kate 'Ma' Meyrick. What drew you to the role?The story is such a fascinating look at that period. Normally when we see the post-first world war years on screen, the men are returning home, the women are ecstatic and life moves forward. It wasn't quite as straightforward as that. Women had taken control in the men's absence. Now they had to readjust or rebel. And I loved playing a gang boss. Who wouldn't? Did you have your own clubbing days?I sure did. I moved to New York City in 1990 when I was 18. From age 18 to 24, I will admit there were some clubs. New York in the 90s was amazing. I have such fond memories of that time, especially because I got through it! Going out dancing still appeals but now I might have to find one of these daytime raves I keep hearing about. There's a scene in Dope Girls where you're stuck in a box with a rat. How did shooting that go? Surprising. The idea of rats disgusts me but I met the one we were using beforehand. Her name was Sniffs and she was adorable. She didn't feel like a rat to me, she felt like sweet little Sniffs. She scampered up and down me. I have a great pic of her standing up on her hind legs on my back. Maybe I should add 'rats' to the special skills section of my résumé. We're midway through the series on BBC One. What we can look forward to? Kate gets even naughtier. She's eventually nicknamed the Queen of Soho, which is cool. I should go to modern-day Soho and announce myself. Just show up outside the velvet rope and demand to be let in. What's it like doing sex scenes nowadays, compared with earlier in your career?Easier. Intimacy coordinators make everything clear and comfortable. A lot of times when you're watching sex scenes, it feels like people are acting it. It's fun to bring it alive and make it feel real, rather than an idea of what's pretty and sexy. I was also relieved that for both my sexy scenes in Dope Girls, I didn't have to actually kiss anyone. I'm not being precious or prudish, I'm just not into that. It feels more intimate somehow. Dope Girls was your first job since moving to the UK. How are you finding it here?We were previously in California, which was a wonderful place to bring up young children, but the threat of fire was becoming more regular. We were evacuating annually. We've moved to the Hampshire countryside. I cook on an Aga. People ride horses past our window. The daffodils are beautiful but your weather is so intense. You Brits talk about it all the time because it would weigh you down if you didn't. Are you relieved to be out of America since the change in government? There is a sense of relief. We're not having to deal with the daily oppression of the news and what the current administration are doing. It's suffocating when you're there. You can't look away. During the first Trump presidency, people who didn't vote for him functioned in a state of shock and trauma for the whole four years. It's worse now. I feel sad for the country. All that division. Paradise portrays an impending environmental catastrophe and your character is a powerful tech billionaire with influence over the US president. Was that accidentally timely? I'm sure that's part of the show's success. It's really entertaining and grabbing in its own right, but the state of the world adds a little extra frisson. It resonates with people in a different way right now. Did Kate Winslet really have to talk you into taking the part of her best friend in Mare of Easttown? I read the first few episodes and said, 'Nah, the priest did it'. But Kate assured me that the last episode would be amazing. I trusted her and she was right. At times I wondered if I was the killer, which annoyed me no end. I was like, 'If I have fucking signed on to a show where I murder my husband's young girlfriend, I'm going to be mad!' Luckily I had nothing to worry about. Do people think you're related to Jack Nicholson? They did when I was younger. I used to say that if I was, you would have heard about me a long time ago. I would've loved to have been a nepo baby but alas. Are good roles for midlife women still rare? I'm not finding that but I'm very much in the minority. Ageing is different for men. There's a different standard in terms of … well, everything. I'm lucky to be getting more interesting roles as I go but they're definitely few and far between. There are examples out there – look at Jean Smart or Allison Janney – but it's not the norm, sadly. What projects are in the pipeline ? A new thriller called The Amateur with Rami Malek. He's hugely talented. I'm hoping to go and see him in Oedipus at the Old Vic before it closes. I also did three episodes on the new season of Hacks. I can't tell you who I play but it's unlike anything I've done before. I go through a real transformation. Very physical, very outrageous. Dope Girls is showing on BBC One and is available on iPlayer. Paradise is available on Disney+
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Dope Girls' star Julianne Nicholson celebrates the 'punk rock' moment that sets off postwar drama
While most post-war movies and TV shows depict the women left at home as lost souls waiting for the men in their lives to return, the new show Dope Girls (on CTV Drama Channel, the CTV app and Crave in Canada) tells a different story about how women gained independence in wartime. Starring Julianne Nicholson, Eliza Scanlen, Umi Myers and Eilidh Fisher, the six-part series from Bad Wolf (Doctor Who) and Sony Pictures Television takes us to 1918 London, with the boom of Soho nightlife and the bohemian artist lifestyle. In the first episode we meet Kate Galloway (Nicholson), a recently widowed mother of a teenage daughter, Evie (Fisher), who was working at a butcher shop in an small village. That's until the men returned from war, going back to their jobs and bumping women back into their homes. But Kate finds out that her husband left her with a lot of debt, which leads her to London to reconnect with her estranged older daughter, Billie (Myers), in need of a place to stay with Evie. Billie works as a dancer in a nightclub, and while there's a lot of tension between her and her mother, including having a younger sister she never knew about, Kate persuades Billie to work with her to open her own nightclub, the 33. Meanwhile Violet Davies (Scanlen) becomes one of the first ever female officers in the City of London Constabulary police force, and gets assigned to investigate London's criminal underworld. That includes getting a job at the 33, but she ends up getting closer to the women at the club. Violet is also grieving the loss of her sister, who died from drugs, and she carries the guilt of not doing more to prevent her sister's death. Nicholson highlighted that a "huge draw" to be part of Dope Girl was that this series, created and written by Polly Stenham, allows the women's side of a post-World War One story to be told, where we see women taking up traditionally male spaces on screen. "The men are coming back and oftentimes we think of that as being purely love and reunion, but women have found themselves out of their homes, in the workforce, independent, and now they're all, for the most part, going back into the kitchen, into the home caretaking mode. And that sucks!," Nicholson told Yahoo Canada. "So it's fun to be able to sort of play in that world and show this other version of what might have been happening at the time." But one of the particularly fascinating story elements is this relationship between Billie and Kate, and how their relationship can move forward after being estranged for years. "Umi, who plays Billie, is such a talent and so strong and vulnerable at the same time," Nicholson said. "We don't explore necessarily the whole of their story on camera, but I had a very clear idea of leaving her, Kate always thought she would ... be able to come back for her, and her life circumstances changed, and she wasn't able to. And now it's all these years later, but it's been her big regret" "It's the final straw that pushes her back to her, but it's very complicated. I know Umi has shared that in Billie's mind, one of the reasons I left her was because she was not white, which is very hard to hear, and feel abandoned as she was. So it was a very rich history that they share, and I found it very moving to play those scenes with Umi and explore the potential of finding their way back to each other." A particularly impactful scene that really sets the tone for show broadly is one moment where we see Kate, Evie and Bille among the people in London partying on Armistice day. That includes one moment where Kate is in the fountain in Trafalgar Square, dressed in a blood-soaked outfit with angel wings. "It felt really special to be able to recreate, just using your imagination, thinking back to that time, that place, what it must have felt like on the day," Nicholson said. "It just felt very alive and very moving and very punk rock in a way that ... you feel throughout the rest of the series. It felt like a great and sort of exciting and abrupt way to jump into that part of our storytelling. I loved it." "I mean, come on, with wings, drenched in blood, it all came together for me. It was very exciting." But maybe even more beautiful than that image of Nicholson's character is the moment when Kate, Evie and Bille walk away from that scene together, with each of them looking like they've just been able to be released from any inhibitions. "It just feels so raw," Nicholson said. "I feel like so much of this show, just feels like people who don't have the energy to put on an act anymore." "It's about survival, and so it just gets rough immediately, and sort of carries throughout. Even for the good girl in the uniform." That "good girl in uniform," or as actor Scanlen described her, "good girl gone bad," is Violet. Scanlen highlighted that it was particularly interesting to explore her world as one of the first women in this traditionally made space of policing. "Violet's such a fun character to play, being part of the police force and during the war, because ... it wasn't until when the war ended that they were brought on as a kind of experiment," Scanlen said. "It was just a very interesting world for me to explore, interesting to think about women in that space, and how they used their femininity as a way to enter spaces that men couldn't necessarily do so expertly in plain clothes." But at the core of everything Violet does is this connection to her sister, and the grief of losing her. "For Violet, her sister was her whole world, and so I think a lot of what she does in the show is informed by her loss," Scanlen said. "And as much as she tries to convince herself that it's her duty to serve her country, ... but I think under the guise of that is regret and self-blame for what happened to her sister. It is the driving force for her." "It's a story of survival too. She's a lone wolf. She comes from Northern England to start a new life and have a future, and I think her moral compass is compromised many times in this show, but the North Star for her is her sister." With interesting characters and a strong group of women leading this story of nightclubs, drugs and gangs, Dope Girls is a riveting series worth watching.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Dope Girls' star Julianne Nicholson on the brilliant 'punk rock' scene that sets the tone for post-World War One London show
Created and written by the esteemed Polly Stenham, produced by Bad Wolf (Doctor Who) and Sony Pictures Television, Dope Girls tells a story of post-World War One London, focusing on the stories of women often left out of what we hear, and see, from that time. Starring Julianne Nicholson, Eliza Scanlen, Umi Myers and Eilidh Fisher, the six-episode series is centred around Kate Galloway (Nicholson), a recently widowed mother who leans into the boom of nightlife to establish her own nightclub. Meanwhile, Scanlen's character, Violet Davies, is one of the London Constabulary's first ever female officers, assignment to go undercover to investigate the city's underworld. This includes getting a job as a hostess at Kate's club. Speaking to Yahoo Canada, Nicholson and Scanlen spoke about portraying women making their mark on post-war, and a particularly "punk rock" scene in the fountain in Trafalgar Square that's a great way to establish the tone for the rest of the season. In Canada, Dope Girls air Mondays on CTV Drama Channel, and the CTV app, and is available to stream on Crave the next day. There's something um that I think comes through, I think right from the beginning is so core, which is that we're getting to see women. In traditionally male spaces in a traditionally male centered timeline and time frame in history, um, was there something particularly attractive about being able to take on a story that is going to show people, I think, a different side of this time period than we're used to seeing? Yeah, it was a huge draw to sort of show the women's side of the story. You know, the men are coming back and oftentimes we think of that as being purely, you know, love and reunion, but You know, women have found themselves out of their homes, in the workforce, independent, and now they're all, you know, for the most part going back into the kitchen, into the home caretaking mode. And that sucks. Um, and so it's fun to be able to sort of, um, play in that world and, and show this other version of, of what might have been happening at the time. Violet's such a fun character to play, um, being part of the police force, and during the war, because there were no men. Um, women did volunteer at the police force and then it was until when the war ended that they were brought out brought on as a kind of experiment and um. Yeah, it was I I think it was a just a very interesting world for me to explore, interesting to think about women, um, in that space and how. They used their femininity as a way to enter spaces that men Um, couldn't necessarily do, uh, so expertly in plain clothes. Julianne, I have to ask about that really kind of brilliant scene, um, in the fountain in Fowler Square, because I think it's such a beautiful moment. I loved that volume stage stuff, that's what they call volume stage, I was reminded today, and it's basically like a great big IMAX screen. I mean, it's like 40 ft tall and wraps around the whole room. And it really just brought a different level of energy to everything. I mean, it felt really special to be able to recreate. I mean, just using your imagination, thinking back to that time, that place, what it must have felt like on the day. So to be able to have these incredible sort of background supporting artists, having these full on stories around us. Um, it just felt very alive and very moving and very punk rock in a way that I feel like you feel throughout the rest of the series. It felt like a great and sort of Um, exciting and abrupt way to to jump into that part of our storytelling. I loved it. I mean, come on, with wings drenched in blood, like it was all, it all came together for me. It was very exciting and just like visually, it was so cool. Yeah. I also even like you like walking out of that scene with, you know, Billy and your daughter, I think is also such an interesting moment and just how they carried themselves after. I was like, oh, this whole moment is phenomenal. I know, I, I love that too, where they just feel like. I, it just feels so raw. I feel like so much of this of this show just feels like people who who don't have the energy to put on an act anymore. It's about survival and so it just gets rough immediately and sort of carries through throughout. Even, even for the good girl in the in the uniform, exactly. Um, as you, I think for your character, something that's really interesting, and I was really kind of interested in figuring out and finding the, the hooks was, um, this kind of, um, clear trauma relationship she has to what happened with her sister, which I think is an interesting kind of element to add. She's someone who You know, feels this desperation to kind of serve in the way that she wants to, but she has this kind of other element that in some ways, um, her superiors kind of use against her in some ways, in some capacities in some moments. And what was it like to have that really interesting kind of element of of her past to be able to kind of use to inform some of the character? Yeah, I think that, I mean, Violet, for Violet, her sister was her whole world and so I think a lot of what she does in the show informed, is informed by, Her loss and um. As much as she tries to convince herself that it's her duty to serve her country. I think also, I'm sure that women at the time too, didn't feel like they had the same opportunities to kind of like serve their country too. She feels a, she feels a certain patriotism for her country. Um, but I think under the guise of that is uh. Uh, regret and, um, self blame for what happened to her sister. Um, so it's, yeah, it is the driving force for her and. Yeah, it's a story of survival too. She's, she's a lone wolf. Julian, for you, um, your character and Billy's relationship is obviously very interesting to see how that develops and this need for Kate to kind of come back and say, You know, kind of like I need to stay here. I need your help. It's like, this is the only place she has to go and to see that interesting relationship and Billy kind of explore this mother that left and she lost contact with. Can you tell me a little bit about really being able to kind of dive into that kind of interesting element of the character? Yeah, one of the things I love about the show is how it dives into the diversity of Soho in that time and, you know, different. You know, different walks of life, different ages, different sexual preferences, different color of skin. Like that was a very beautiful world to explore. And um Umi, who plays Billy is such a talent and so strong and vulnerable at the same time. And it's a very, you know, we don't explore necessarily the whole of their story on camera, but we had a very clear, I had a very clear idea of of leaving her. Kate always thought she would come back for her, be able to come back for her, and her life circumstances changed, and she wasn't able to, and now it's all these years later, but it's been her big regret. She thinks about her in my mind every single day. And so it's, it's the final straw that pushes her back to. Her, but it's very complicated. I know Umi has shared that in Billy's mind, one of the reasons I left her was because she was not white, which is very hard to hear and feels, you know, abandoned as she was. So it was a very rich history that they share, um, and I found it very moving to play those scenes with Ui and explore the potential of finding their way back to each other.
The Guardian
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Dope Girls review – the dodgy accents could give Peaky Blinders a run for its money
The Peaky Blinders comparisons have been flying around ever since filming on Dope Girls began, so it sounds as if the BBC was hoping that it might have a successor on its hands. Certainly, there are some superficial similarities between the two. Dope Girls is set in 1918 and deals with the aftermath of the first world war, as the surviving men return. But here, it's the women who are in the spotlight, as the female workforce of the past four years suddenly find their newfound social status has been relegated once again. In mood and tone, however, it is less a return to Small Heath, and more of a predecessor to Cabaret. Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) is a businessman's wife and wartime butcher, who falls on hard times after a family tragedy. Destitute and homeless, she heads to London, where Armistice Day is looming and the party of the century is about to kick off. With the help of a bright dancer named Billie (Umi Myers), who is as talented as she is troubled, Kate finds her way into the clubland underworld of Soho, where she spies the potential to apply her previous workplace-based knowledge, and sets the ball rolling on building a new empire of nightlife. Joining Kate and Billie is Kate's daughter Evie (Eilidh Fisher), who begins the series at a fancy boarding school where she is bullied for being from 'the slums' – ie she is not landed gentry. Little Women's Eliza Scanlen is Violet, a young woman from the north of England taking part in 'the Female Experiment', in which 10 women are recruited as the country's first ever female police officers. Geraldine James, who has been the cherry on the top of a strong female ensemble cake ever since Band of Gold in the 1990s, plays Isabella Salucci, the matriarch of an organised crime family who soon finds herself entangled with Kate's new venture, and not necessarily in a female-solidarity sort of way. Created and written by the playwright Polly Stenham, with Alex Warren, it is a theatrical affair from the off. It opens with a flash-forward to Kate, soaked in blood and wearing angel wings, frolicking in a fountain in Trafalgar Square; there are plenty of moments when it all goes a bit like a Florence + the Machine video. The first episode establishes how she got there in the first place, but as it must cover a lot of ground, the early mood is skittish and unsettled. It also includes the copious use of Heartstopper-style text graphics, to annotate and explain some of the scenes. One particularly egregious example read 'Paaaaaaarty!' over the start of, well, a party. I didn't love it, but perhaps it is an attempt to win over a younger audience. The show finds more confidence when everyone has been moved into position and the fireworks are finally allowed to begin. As Kate looks to make the most of what life has thrown at her, Violet must prove herself as a police officer by going undercover with Soho's dancers, criminals and thieves. Both harbour huge secrets that will inevitably be exposed. It's impossible to root for one over the other, even though they are technically opposing forces, because both are outsiders, and desperate in their own ways. The timing does feel a little unfortunate. The problem with suggesting it as an heir to Peaky Blinders is that Steven Knight, that series' creator, has just released another period crime drama, A Thousand Blows, which is also (partly) about female gangs in London. It is set about 40 years earlier, but it, too, deals with outsiders creating their own criminal economy, and women who seek or possess power beyond the levels expected of them. Its energy, however, is bigger and bolder; it spends more time on the story and less time searching for a beautiful angle. A wag might argue that what Dope Girls shares most with Peaky Blinders is a tendency for all accents involved to go wandering around the globe, before settling somewhere, anywhere, in the UK. But that would be impolite. Dope Girls takes place in a busy period, historically, and crams in clandestine same-sex affairs, the 1918 flu pandemic outbreak, spiritualism and empire, among many other ideas. All of this creates a hectic, sometimes fussy scramble. But Dope Girls is in no way a bad series. Its ambition is entertaining, and it is hard to get bored, especially when the crime really gets going. If it is skewed towards a younger audience, then it certainly doesn't skimp on the brutality or the gore: limbs are severed, tongues are removed and eaten, and you wouldn't want to guess where a hairpin ends up. It is fun, gory and lively, then, if a little too in love with its own reflection. Dope Girls aired on BBC One and is available on iPlayer
Telegraph
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Geraldine James: ‘I used to think, ‘Sit down, Meryl, and let someone else have a go!''
The British actress on her violent new BBC series, Dope Girls, prioritising family over Hollywood – and losing out on parts to Streep
