Actor Julia Brown, while working on the series, World On Fire, could relate to the real life stories of loss and conflict from World War II, recalling her grandparents’ experiences.
Who is Lois?
Lois, the character that I am playing, is a 21-year-old working-class girl from Manchester, who lives with her father, Douglas and her brother, Tom. She works in a factory during the day but is passionate about singing and has another night job as a singer in a band. She works in two shifts in order to keep paying bills for the family. She’s an everyday working class girl who wants to pursue her passion.
What’s Lois like as a performer and a singer?
Lois is a jazz singer and sings with her best friend Connie in a band called the Victory Vs. It is her one passion in life that she allows herself to indulge in because it’s a form of escapism for her. She’s always keen to put on her best performance. She likes connecting with people through her songs.
How would you describe Lois’ relationship with her family?
Lois’ relationship with Tom is quite difficult at times because they lost their mother at a young age. Lois was 14, prior to that they were best friends and inseparable but with their mother’s death, Lois had to take on the role of mother in the house because of which their relationship suffered. Her dad, Douglas, suffers from PTSD and he struggles when the war begins, coping with memories coming back to him. She is trying to keep the ship afloat for the family, but also misses that sibling relationship she used to have with her brother when they were younger.
What made you select the script?
What’s so lovely about Peter’s (Bowker) writing is it’s not overstated. It’s about the themes of family and love, and watching how peoples’ lives can change so dramatically due to various circumstances. There is something so beautiful in that because his writing is through humour, which illustrates the fragility of some of the relationships. I think that’s a lot more relatable for today’s audience because they can just observe these characters as normal people with normal relationships.
Peter described it as honouring ordinary people who did quite remarkable things at an extraordinary time in the history. Is that something that resonates with you?
The characters don’t seem to be complicated. They don’t notice their own resilience because they’re in the circumstances and they have to get on with things. Individually, they all do their bit in a different way and don’t consider themselves to be heroes. For people of my generation, it would be quite easy to separate ourselves from that time, however, when you watch Peter’s characters come to life, you can actually recognise yourself in them because they’re just everyday people living their lives. They confront adversity with grit, humour and that sense of having to work through things to get to the other side. Just like we do today.
Tell us a bit about Lois and Harry’s relationship and where they are when the story begins?
When the story starts, Lois and Harry are in this fiery, passionate and innocent relationship. Peter explained to Jonah and I that the pre-context to the story is that they have maybe met at a political rally. They come from drastically different backgrounds. However, they share this passion for politics that draws them to each other and Lois encourages his rebellious streak.
How was it working with Jonah Hauer-King?
It was such an amazing experience. He is a really warm and kind person. When we sat down for our first rehearsals together, he came to the table with so many ideas and we were able to create a backstory together. Peter (Bowker) was quite open with us and allowed us to almost create our own love story. It was so important getting that rehearsal time beforehand to build the right chemistry.
What is Lois’s relationship like with Harry’s mother, Robina (played by Lesley Manville)?
Lois’ relationship with Robina is not an easy one because they come from such different walks of life. Robina looks down on Lois and doesn’t think she is an appropriate match for her son. Whereas, Lois always sticks up for herself and doesn’t really care what Robina thinks because she knows her own worth. She knows that the bond she has with Harry is a special one. So she doesn’t let Robina take her down.
Harry has obviously kept his two worlds apart until Jan turns up. What happens at that point?
For Lois, the first few months of the war are obviously nerve-wracking. All of the characters are desperately trying to figure out what their life is going to look like. Lois gets separated from Harry so she’s lost. When Harry brings Jan back to Manchester, Lois starts to wonder why he has a small child in tow. There are little clues in some of the things that he’s saying. She goes through all the scenarios in her head without wanting to grasp onto the worst one, which is the fact Harry might have found somebody else.
Did you have to learn many songs for filming?
I was so excited as I used to sing when I was younger. The songs are beautiful and I recognise them from my grandparents and the modern takes of them over the years. I started with a month of rehearsals working with the brilliant musical director, Matt Smith. To begin with, we spent time focussing on finding Lois’ style and because I’d never sung jazz before, Matt was trying to teach me how to free up my voice and use decorations. Then we started tackling the songs and it has opened up a whole repertoire of music for me, which was really fun.
What is your favourite song?
My favourite song is Dream A Little Dream. The funny thing about that was when I auditioned, they asked me to sing a snippet of a song that I liked and I sang that one because my granny used to sing it to me when I was younger. She sang during the Second World War as a young girl and it was crazy and lovely that when I finally got the part and the script, in which I got to perform it.
Were any of your family a part of the Second World War in any way?
Both set of my grandparents were present during the World War II. On my mother’s side, my grandfather was in the Home Guard and he lived on a farm while my father’s side, my grandfather was in Ireland. It’s been incredible to get this job and have all these stories coming through from my grandparents from both sides. When I met Peter (Bowker) after I got the role, he showed me photographs of his family and the real life people that some of the characters are based on. It was such a wonderful feeling to think that some of these stories were coming to life. There will be so many people around the country who will be able to relate to the characters and remember stories from their families too.
Can you tell me a bit about Lois and Connie’s friendship?
Peter told me that Lois and Connie are loosely based on his grandma and her best friend. It was really special to understand that this was a real friendship at the time, especially between a White woman and a Black woman. They’re both so bubbly and a great support system to each other. Lois doesn’t have many friends and Connie is the one person that can see right through her, she knows everything that’s going through her head because she knows her so well. To see them working together in the factory, and then at night, transform and sing on stage, is very exciting. Yrsa Daley-Ward, who plays Connie, is just a wonderful person. I could really find a great friend in her.
What sort of conversations did you have about creating the look for Lois and what’s it like wearing these beautiful costumes?
Our costume designer, Nic said all along that he wanted me to be comfortable in what I was wearing and to feel like I am the character. Adam Smith, our director, was also involved in the choices and it was so important that she had her two looks. It’s simple and understated. At the time, fashion wasn’t disposable and it wasn’t cheap. Women probably couldn’t afford to have very many outfits. They’d maybe had three dresses and a few cardigans in their wardrobes. When she goes to see Robina and is trying to impress her, Lois wears a spotty two-piece. It’s as if she’s trying to fit in with Robina’s surroundings and background. Her performance dress is the most beautiful emerald green tight ballgown and a chance for Lois to be sexy and embrace her elegance. She uses that as a tool on stage, especially when she’s feeling more vulnerable. Nic made sure that we wore pieces from the 1930s, and they were all originals sourced from Paris. It was wonderful to wear real pieces from that time.
(The show streams on SonyLIV from August 14.)