The prospect of playing an unconventional Victorian heroine on the margins of society attracted Jodhi May to the complex character of Mirah. Rescued from the depths of despair by the eponymous Daniel Deronda, Mirah must come to terms with her own identity, which eventually leads Daniel into a voyage of self-discovery. "Mirah is an outsider and she has a very layered and complex emotional journey," Jodhi May says. "What I find so compelling about the character is the way in which she belongs in the periphery of conventional Victorian society actually discovers her own sense of identity as an outsider within that context. "Rediscovering a way of expressing herself by using her singing voice is an important part of the character," she explains. "Essentially she�s been crushed by her father and her talent has been suppressed. With Daniel�s encouragement she quickly finds a platform for her talent when she is heard within his circle of friends." The task of playing such a complex character might be a daunting prospect for some actresses, but it�s something that Jodhi clearly relishes. She won a Best Actress award at Cannes at the tender age of 13 for A World Apart (which also starred Barbara Hershey, who plays the Contessa in Daniel Deronda). "Mirah challenges the other characters� moral perceptions. She is a fascinating catalyst in terms of how she affects all the other characters and challenges their way of seeing the world." Jodhi is convinced that George Eliot�s underlying message is relevant to a modern audience. "The society which she is writing about is something which is ruled by homogeneity, and she is very much exploring what it is to have an ethnic identity that does not fit into that society. I think all of those issues are totally relevant, to today, as much now as they were then." The articulate young actress admits she is a fan of George Eliot and her novels, many of which she read while she studied English Literature at Oxford. In fact, once she read the script she was immediately drawn to Davies�s "brilliant adaptation" of the novel. It is obvious that Jodhi enjoys working with the best in the business, and she does not hesitate for a moment when asked what she enjoyed most about the production. "I really enjoyed working with Tom Hooper," she says enthusiastically. "I think he�s fantastic, incredibly perceptive, insightful, thorough, and a very inspiring and talented director. It�s extremely stimulating as an actor to work with a director like that, who really does challenge you and who really is demanding." Jodhi also has high praise for her fellow cast members, with whom she says she got on "incredibly, incredibly well," but she singles out Hugh Dancy. "We had this sort of chemistry," she says, "and I really enjoyed working with him as an actor." The chemistry between Jodhi and Hugh probably has something to do with his dashing good looks, which makes Jodhi laugh. "He is a romantic lead," she says. "If he wasn�t, it would make it difficult." A theatre lover, she is currently appearing at the National on a new play by Christopher Hampton, The Talking Cure. The play, with a seriously academic plot, focuses on Carl Jung�s relationship with the first person he treated with psychoanalysis and also explores his relationship with Sigmund Freud. She�s also worked with Peter Brook on Carol Churchill�s Far Away, and did a stint last year at the Almeida on an early Chekhov play called Platonov. With such an impeccable list of credits, it�s no wonder Jodhi thinks she�s been fortunate, but in her characteristically understated way, she says: "I feel incredibly privileged to work on material that really pushes me as an actor. I feel lucky to work on the kind of projects that I�m working on at the moment." |
| Interview with Jodhi from BBC's Daniel Deronda webpage |