Transcript of Episode 28: Louise Brealey
The Baker Street Babes Podcast
Transcript, Episode 28: Louise Brealey
Recorded 03/06/12
Released 23/06/12, Transcribed by Melanie Fletcher
Kristina: So, how do you feel being here at Collectormania?
Joanne: That’s weird. [about being recorded]
Kristina: (laughs) I’m just getting reactions! Are you having a good time?
Joanne: Yes. We’re about to meet Loo Brealey. I’m fine.
Kristina: Yeah. Super exciting — I love Louise Brealey. How about you, Ardy?
Ardy: I am freezing my fucking feet off. (much laughter)
Kristina: It’s really cold here.
Ardy: Yeah…
Kristina: Really cold, really cold.
Ardy: Yeah, I bribed Joanne with a cookie earlier and then she snuggled up to me for a bit but, yeah. It’s no long-term solution, is it?
Kristina: No, it’s not.
Ardy: So yeah, but Louise Brealey is here, so, exciting times.
Kristina: It is exciting!
Ardy: Apart from — oh and I bought four badges, but apart from that there’s nothing much exciting going on here.
Kristina: (giggling) Not a whole lot’s going on. (background laughter) You have anything to say?
Maria: Apart from that it’s cold, yeah, it’s fun. We have roof-dancing stormtroopers, several R2-D2s–
Kristina: We’ve met some listeners, which is cool.
Maria: That is true.
Kristina: And a Dalek!
Maria: We made out with a Dalek.
Ardy: I think a Dalek makes up for a lot of things.
Kristina: Yeah.
Maria: We just met Jack Sparrow.
Ardy: Yes.
Maria: Well, I say meet–
Ardy: There is a distressing lack of pizza baguettes here.
Joanne: And we had an awesome Fem!Croft.
Maria: Yes, true, true.
Joanne: Our umbrellas touched.
Kristina: Yes, I liked her umbrella pin a lot.
Joanne: And their scarf was pretty cool, as well.
Kristina: Yes, very pretty. Is that warm stuff? Please come back!
Maria: It looked like it! Please come back!
Kristina: We’re press!
(laughter)
Kristina: For some reason I think this makes us entitled but it really doesn’t. Okay.
Joanne: Yes, Curly is certainly confusing press and VIP at these events.
Kristina: This is the only moment I get to be somewhat VIP. It’s not even. I don’t wanna forget it. Okay, I’ll turn this off.
[BREAK]
(Darth Vader breathing)
Kristina: Have you had a good day today?
Darth Vader: Yes, it’s been very, very hot. (laughter) How about you? Did you get something on your programs here?
Kristina: Mmm, no.
Darth Vader: More importantly, have you had a good day today?
Kristina: Yes!
Maria: A cold one.
Kristina: It’s cold.
Ardy: Are you recording this?
Kristina: I am recording this. (laughter)
Darth Vader: Did you travel far?
Kristina: London.
Maria: Germany.
Darth Vader: Okay.
Kristina: Germany’s a bit far. (laughter)
Maria: Farther away than London. That’s good.
Kristina: Yeah, no, we do a Sherlock Holmes podcast, so, Darth Vader, do you like Sherlock Holmes?
Darth Vader: I do indeed.
Kristina: Awesome!
Maria: Very good! Good to know!
Kristina: Everyone, you have heard it from us first.
Maria: Breaking news!
Darth Vader: Anything Junior’s in, I like. (laughter) Trivia question — what horror film was he in? As a young man?
Kristina: Wait, what?
Darth Vader: Trivia question — the guy who plays Iron Man?
BSBs: Yeah?
Darth Vader: What horror film was he in — it was a number one.
Maria: Robert Downey Jr.?
Darth Vader: Yeah.
Maria: In a horror film?
Darth Vader: Number one, in a sequence.
Kristina: Gothika?
Maria: No, he wasn’t in that.
Kristina: Yes he was.
Maria: Was he?
Kristina: He was in Gothika.
Maria: Oh, was he? I forgot.
Kristina: It was before his last cocaine binge.
Maria: Yeah, that’s true. Horror film. (pause)
Darth Vader: Need a clue?
Maria: Yep.
Darth Vader: Burnt face.
Maria: Oh, he was not in Mike Myers — was he in Halloween? No, no, in the other one — Nightmare on Elm Street?
Darth Vader: He was. Number one.
Maria: Oh, Freddy Krueger. Was he one of the teenagers? Oh, sorry. We’ll let you get back to your–
Kristina: Our interview’s ready. (background noise, interspersed with Louise saying “Hello” and someone saying “I didn’t know”) Sorry, sorry, sorry — we were interviewing Darth Vader, just because.
Maria: Wow. We just learned that Darth Vader likes Sherlock Holmes.
Kristina: He does!
Louise: (laughs) Oh, great, that’s good to know. Good old Darth.
[BREAK]
Kristina: Oh, did someone bring you Quavers?
Maria: That’s adorable.
BSBs: Awwwww!
Louise: Great. Is that yours or mine, ‘cos mine looks exactly like that — look.
Kristina: Ah. It’s the cool one to have. (laughter) It’s the highest rated on Amazon.
Louise: I just emptied my entire incredibly impressive bag within a bag (laughter) but let’s not waste any more time on me and my matching tape recorder– go on, shoot.
Kristina: This is sort of, like, your first big fan event, isn’t it? Yay! We have matching recorders. Super exciting.
Louise: Yes it is, it’s my first fan event of any description — and it will be my last. (laughter)
Kristina: Oh, my God, you’re too cold.
Louise: One time only. No, no — yeah, it’s extraordinary, and just really nice. Although I did get a bit of a sore face in the photo shoot, which was just… walk here, stand there, smile…smile…smile. And yeah, sixty-seven smiles — sixty-eight, sixty-eight smiles in a row. Extraordinary. Anyway, no, it’s great, it’s cold but it’s very nice. I’ve got a hot water bottle between my legs and everything’s all right. (laughter) Everyone seems nice — I’ve had two little people dressed up as Molly, one really mini person with a fake sort of hair ponytail, she was so sweet.
Kristina: How precious!
Louise: And the best, the best was her badge. She’d deliberately taken a hideous photograph of herself, because the badge on my coat on SHERLOCK is absolutely ghastly. So this beautiful little child had this terrible photo of herself, with these really, really wrong glasses, so she’d gone all, all the way.
Kristina: Awww, precious.
Maria: Do you know anything about season 3?
Louise: I don’t, actually. All I know is that I’ll be back — and so will Rupert and Una and Benedict. And Martin. Yes, no, I don’t know anything — they’re writing them as we speak. I do know things, I’m not telling. (laughter) See how good my acting was there. My amazing acting.
Kristina: Molly just started out as a really small part, and she’s sort of grown into this giant — so many fans are just completely heartstruck by Molly Hooper. What’s your reaction to it — did you expect it at all?
Louise: No, not at all. I did my day on the third episode, ‘cos we had to shoot all of my scenes in one day because I’d been doing a play. So I did my day, had a wonderful, magical day, then went back to London. I don’t know. I kind of hadn’t realized how important the character is in that episode because I just hadn’t really thought about it. It was like, “That’s a nice scene, and that’s another nice scene,” and I hadn’t really thought it through. And then when I watched it, it was like, “Ohhhh.” But yeah, it was staggering, the reaction was absolutely amazing and completely exceeded — I didn’t even have any expectations, because I did the first season and that was great, everyone really liked it, which was obviously gratifying and just a great thing to be a part of. And then — I dunno, just the writing, I suppose, just made Molly mean something more than I think she did the first season. I might be repeating myself but I think people identify with her because she’s an ordinary girl in an extraordinary position. She works with this…freak. (laughter) This wonderful, beautiful freak, and you know, I think it’s terrific because she’s the sort of — I don’t know if you’re all too young for DIRTY DANCING, but there’s this sort of —
Kristina: I’ve seen DIRTY DANCING!
Louise: The idea of this sort of extraordinary man — well, it’s not necessarily that way round, I’m just being ridiculous — but she’s the sort of, you know, she’s Everygirl, isn’t she? With her ordinary face and her ordinary, you know, thing. And she’s the audience’s way in, the female audience’s way in, I think. She’s not threatening — she’s the girl next door. So I’m really surprised, but also I’m really happy that they like her, I think it’s great.
Maria: Everybody loves her. Everybody was just really sorry, but just the first – “…okay.”, everybody just fell in love with Molly.
Kristina: I think we’ve all been there — that person we’ve been completely smitten with, and then it goes into, “Even though I know how much of a dick you are, I’m going to be completely infatuated with you.”
Louise: Well, I think the thing is, also, it’s like love makes fools of us all, you know? Who hasn’t been an idiot when you’ve been smitten? I know I have. I mean, I’m not like her at all, but I think when I really like someone, I’m perfectly capable of blundering around making a complete tit of myself. And I think that’s the thing — people have underestimated her because she takes a lot of shit from him. But the fact is that what was obviously delightful about the last series was that you realized she’s not an idiot. She’s quietly taking it all in, and yeah, she’s there. I dunno, I just feel really lucky. It’s like a miniaturist sort of portrait of her because she’s barely in it, really, but that’s just not any sort of an issue. It’s the most wonderful part I’ve played on telly, no doubt, and yet it’s sort of tiny, so it’s a real tribute to the writing because you get, there’s a real journey.
Kristina: There is.
Louise: And as I say, when I did my day I hadn’t really thought it through. I just thought, “Oooh, this is nice. This is nice to have a lovely scene in stuff about–” Oh, I think I’ve a break in my hot water bottle. I feel like I’ve wet myself. (laughter)
Kristina: Oh, dear!
Louise: (laughs) I’m sorry, we’ve had to suspend the interview because Louise Brealey wee’d herself.
[BREAK]
Kristina: So many gifts! See, everyone adores you to pieces.
Louise: Oh, that’s nice!
Maria: What I find really interesting is that Molly is obviously not a character that Arthur Conan Doyle had written. Were you nervous about trying to fit in, or were you just being there because it’s modern anyway?
Louise: I hadn’t a single thought about canon. I was just given a part to play and I tried to make her as truthful and full and real and human as possible. I didn’t really think about Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m really pleased that they invented her — I think they’re pleased that they invented her now. They weren’t sure originally, and now they’re happy. So yeah, it’s great, and no, it didn’t trouble me in the slightest, because it’s not the book. It’s something new, isn’t it? So I think there’s room for — I mean, I feel very flattered that I’m the only one that’s not in the books, actually. I mean, obviously that means that I am prime fodder for the chop at some point because I’m not in the books, but you know, that’s an occupational hazard down in the mortuary. (laughs)
Maria: You’re kind of turning into — I mean, your character now is sort of in the Holmes canon, it kind of belongs there now.
Louise: Oh, thank you very much.
Kristina: So do you have any backstory for Molly that you sort of made up? Or is it just whatever’s on the page for you?
Louise: Um, do I have any backstory? I just think the writing’s so good, I just go with what’s…it’s just all there. I mean, yeah, obviously, you try and…sorry, I’m slightly distracted by the sound of Darth Vader’s breathing. (laughter)
Kristina: He’s, like, lurking right outside.
Louise: He’s breathing down my neck. Did I do any research? No, I didn’t even do anything like run around a mortuary with a mortuary person. Although when I was there I got to chat to the real mortuary workers and talk about how quickly a post-mortem happens, how much time it takes, and how people’s lungs are black even if they don’t smoke if they live in a city. Got my wellies on and had to look down the drains and wished I hadn’t. And there’s all sorts of things like chef’s knives and brains in buckets — it’s great. Did I do any research on who she was? Not really — I mean, they did that website, didn’t they, about kittens and GLEE and stuff. I just feel like that’s there for people to enjoy if they want to. In my head, she’s…she’s kind of a hopeless case.(laughter) No, she’s not. She loves cats. So no, I didn’t really–
Kristina: Fair enough.
Louise: I just think it’s all there. It’s like a blueprint — you just have to try and say it with feeling. No, I don’t know anything about her — who is she? I don’t know how old she is, I don’t know where she’s from. I dunno — I quite like that, though. I quite like that it’s all open to people to make that bit up if they want to. Yeah, I think they’re so imaginative, the fans and everything — I’m always getting told who she is and what she means. And I think that’s great, ‘cos then there’s room for the audience, isn’t there? You can write on her what you want (pause) not literally of course, that’d be weird.
Joanne: What do you enjoy the most about playing Molly when you’re on the set?
Louise: It’s just great to be part, genuinely to be part of that team, actually. Because even though I’m not in it very much, I feel very much like I’m one of them. And that’s just a really nice feeling.
BSBs: Well, for us you are. (laughter and agreement)
Louise: It’s just…coming back, the first season…we’ve done it three times because of course we did the pilot. And each time you go back, it feels it’s kind of more wonderful because the show has grown in people’s estimation and in their hearts, and you just feel like the writing’s a joy to say, and the team who make it are a delight. And it’s very family — Sue and Steven are obviously married, the executive producer and writer, and so there is a genuine sort of…it’s a nice place to work, SHERLOCK. People are good, they have good hearts.
Kristina: I think that’s why the show does so well because everyone loves doing it. And you can just tell that, in the production.
Louise: Well, the boys don’t have to come back, you know — they’re enormous, they’re absolutely massive, they don’t have to come back. I think it’s an indication of how dear the show is to them, and those characters are to them, that they want to come back despite the fact that they’re megastars and make another series. And I think if it was an unhappy set or in any way an unhappy experience, you wouldn’t see them for dust. So it’s just obvious. The material is so brilliant, too — you really don’t get, you know, once in a blue moon you get to read something that’s as good as that.
Kristina: So, we really only have one more question — we asked on Twitter, but everyone just asking things we’d already asked you. But pretty much everyone just wants you to know that they loved you to pieces, they love you and they think you’re awesome.
Louise: That’s nice, isn’t it?
Kristina: It IS nice!
Louise: Could you tell them how lovely, charming, attractive and likeable I was without the bright red nose and the little old lady drip?
Maria: We’re asking you for a picture, but, like, one where we’d all be really dorky? Could we do that?
Louise: (bravely) Do with me what you will! (laughter and discussion about handling the camera)
Kristina: Oh, just one last question — if you could have tea with anyone from SHERLOCK, who would you want to have tea with?
Louise: You know, Rupert Graves comes straight to mind… Graves, Graves, Graves! (laughter) Um, yes, of course, Rupert, Una and Rupert. And — it’s favoritism, it’s awful, Rupert, Una, Rupert, Una. We’re going to have tea next week — oh, my dream’s come true. (laughter)
BSBs: Thank you so much, good luck for series 3 and everything else you do. Enjoy your Quavers!