The Wylde Interview: Molly Windsor
THE NATURAL
SOME ACTORS SIMPLY HAVE IT. A QUALITY THAT’S HARD TO PIN DOWN. AN EFFECT ON CAMERAS THAT MAKES THE VIEWER SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE. MOLLY WINDSOR HAS IT IN ABUNDANCE. UNTRAINED AND UNAFFECTED, SHE STOPPED CRITICS IN THEIR TRACKS AT THE AGE OF 11 – AND SHE HASN’T STOPPED SINCE. INTERVIEW BY DAVID NEWTON
Photography by Lucia O’Connor-McCarthy / Styling by Yamine Daaboul
Sequin floral-print crêpe midi dress: Simone Rocha / Tri-colour hoop earrings: Bear Brooksbank / Ear studs throughout: Molly’s own
On a sweltering July day in South London, Molly Windsor is being shot for Wylde in a succession of beautiful – dare one say it, girlie – garments.
Our reasoning for this was that this compulsively watchable actress has been most often seen on screen in gritty landmark productions set in present-day, working-class Britain, and we couldn’t wait to see how she handled a bit of floaty luxe. Truth be told, Windsor’s talent would shine through a wardrobe of bin bags and/or potato sacks; she possesses a calm, watchful acting style that is magnetic, as well as unsettling. My first glimpse of this skill came with her role as one of the titular Three Girls in the BBC’s fearless, angry drama about the Rochdale child-sex-abuse scandal. The Guardian described Windsor’s performance as “beautiful, affecting, profound” and she went on to win the 2018 Bafta TV Award for Best Actress, at age 21. If that seems young to be delivering jaw-dropping performances, Windsor had already produced an equally devastating turn 10 years earlier as the confused 11-year-old Lucy in Samantha Morton’s heartbreaking movie The Unloved, about the injustices of Britain’s care system. A year younger than Jodie Foster was when she created her scandalous turn in Taxi Driver, Windsor’s character was forced to confront violence, crime and sexual abuse in the most soul-destroying, mundane way. It was almost a relief to see her recently, in Cheat, ITV’s miniseries, casting off the mantle of passive victim and flexing her muscles as vindictive, predatory student Rose, stopping at nothing to get what – and whom – she wants. What all these roles have in common is Windsor’s unique acting style: calm, unaffected, naturalistic. Go elsewhere for high drama and stylised histrionics; this actress is the real thing.
Phantom dress: Temperley London / Il Leone Earrings 2.0: Alighieri
Wylde: Am I right that you’ve never had any formal acting training?
Molly Windsor: Yes, I never went to drama school or did anything like that. When I was 11, I went to some drama groups, but they were just weekend workshops for kids to come together and do a bit of acting. I really enjoyed that, but I didn’t really take to drama at school, so it was always very separate for me. When I went to the out-of-school drama sessions, it was so much more fun. It wasn’t about ticking off boxes and doing exams; it was about connecting with other children, the communication, and working with other people and getting to understand them a bit. That was something I thought was really fun; I’d never done anything like that before. The Unloved was really my first experience on set, and it was something that I really liked. That was when I was: “OK, I want to keep doing more of this!”
What was it about being on a set that you liked?
I think it was a very specific environment and it’s kind of Marmite: you either love it or hate it. You’ve suddenly got this huge, massive team who are focused on playing pretend [laughs] and, looking at it like that, it’s quite silly, but actually it feels like magic. You’re all in this together, making this whole other world that people don’t know about. It’s such a collaborative process; I loved it.
Cotton shirt and black lace dress: Prada / Joker’s Game hoop earrings: Alighieri
Where did Samantha Morton discover you, when she cast you in The Unloved?
At the drama group in Nottingham; the Talent 1st Organisation – at the time it was called Rama Young Actors. It all took quite a while; at the first meeting I had, Sam was only just starting the process, and it wasn’t until a year later it happened. When you’re young, you kind of forget about all that stuff. I’m so lucky that that was my first job, because Sam really took me under her wing. From casting, right up until the screening of it, she looked after me and I was protected and treated very well, and that meant that I’ve got a happy outlook on the industry.
What do you think it was about you that she saw and made her want to cast you?
Because I cared so much about it. I really cared about Lucy; I really cared about that world. And I think it’s quite easy, when you’re younger, to get excited, because you’re so focused on these characters. Sam’s a brilliant storyteller, so straight away, from what she told me about Lucy’s world, I knew I wanted to do it.
Silk blouse: TOVE
How could you know about that world, at age 11?
Well, I think if you watch it now, with an older head, you can see the issues and the relevance. But at the time I couldn’t, because I was so young. Sam always described it to me as: “Lucy wants to live with her mum, but she can’t quite work out why she’s not allowed to. And she loves her dad, but things are a bit difficult.” And talking through who her mum and dad were to her, and who all these people were… I was similar to Lucy, in being that young, and it being a system that I didn’t really understand. So we never had to go any further than that. But, yes, I guess looking back now, you can see a lot more.
Didn’t you start when you were aged about three, in the public eye, walking in runway shows?!
A neighbour of mine runs a wedding modelling agency, so my brother and I had a few goes at that. We used to do things like poetry recitals and our mum encouraged us to do those sort of things. I liked the poetry; it was something that I took to because I liked telling stories. My brother was already doing it – he’s five years older than me – and everything that your brother does, you want to do!
Natasha bow-detail minidress: Molly Goddard @ brownsfashion.com / Earrings: Pilgrim
You’re still living with your folks in Derby, right? Do you think you’ll ever move to London?
I don’t know. I did a play in London at the start of the year and I get little bursts of living there…
Filming vs theatre: how drawn are you to either?
I think it’s one of those things; when the right script comes along, do you want to go for it? But for me, not living in London, I have to consider it as a very creative issue; to commit to it and do the same show every night, it’s got to be something that you really want to start.
Your back catalogue of work seems to give an impression of an actress who is drawn to difficult, even traumatic, subject matter. Could that be an accurate analysis?
It’s hard to say, when you care about a job so much, to imagine someone else playing that role. I think the first thing that you go on is your instinct, and ask yourself: do you feel protective over the role? If someone else was playing that role, how does your gut react to that? With all the things that I’ve done, I’ve been lucky to work with brilliant people; we’re all in it together and that’s important. For some of the jobs I’ve done that’s had to have been the case. Also, you have to want to tell a story, because it’s important, or you’re attached to it, and you think that story needs to be told.
Macy ruffled taffeta midi dress: Cecilie Bahnsen @ matchesfashion.com / Drop pearl earring: Pilgrim
I feel we are leading rapidly to discussing Three Girls, here. Did that role come to you, or did you hear about it and go towards it?
A mixture of things, really, because my agent acts on my behalf; she’ll go to meetings, and a lot of stuff that I’m not aware of. Shaheen Baig, who cast Three Girls, also cast The Unloved, and she’s been incredibly kind to me and completely understands me as an actor. I went and had a meeting with Shaheen and the director Philippa [Lowthorpe], and it was a really good meeting. We didn’t do any intense, horrific scenes; it was kind of to say hello and chat about the script.
What age were you then, compared to the girls being depicted in the drama?
I was 18, and at the start of the series they were 15. Four years went by in the drama, until they were 19.
Were the people who are depicted in Three Girls involved in the production at all?
The team were so brilliant, the safety of the girls and their families was a priority. It’s not something that we shout about, but the girls and their families were very involved in the making of the show; they got to come on to the set. It’s one of those things that’s so big you can’t comprehend.
Silk gown: Giambattista Valli / Cuff earring: Pilgrim
You’re already winning awards now; how does that feel?
Crazy! For me, it’s such a bizarre part of the industry. At the time of the Baftas, I was working on another job, so the rush of getting to the event, and all the press stuff going on, all that madness, and then all the team from Three Girls being there – we’d not seen each other for a while – then when Three Girls won Best Mini-Series, that was a shared moment of: “This is overwhelming, but wonderful!” Because we never made the series expecting awards, or any of that. With Three Girls, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at it as a piece of work; it’s something else. The whole experience with Bafta was overwhelming, but positive and brilliant.
What kind of production would you love to be in? I can see you in a costume drama…
Really? People do say: “You’ve got a period face!” [laughing]. It’s so hard to talk about dream jobs…
OK, let me rephrase that: what do you watch when you’re flicking through the TV channels?
The latest thing I watched was When They See Us. That was brilliant. Also, it’s not drama, but I’ve been watching Kathy Burke’s All Woman series; I’m loving that. I’d love to do a really great film. Something with someone like Michael Caine in it, or Judi Dench, or JulieWalters. That would be a dream. And I love Jessie Buckley.
Isilda ruched cotton midi dress: Roksanda @ brownsfashion.com
Would you say you had an acting style?
Yeah, I guess I’ve got my own sort of way in.
How would you describe it?
As in an acting style to watch, or to work?
As you’re on the inside of it… to work?
I like to do a lot of research, a lot of talking about the scene, to try and work out where it’s going, and the psychology of it. Then, when it comes to shooting, that’s when you have to trust you know a lot of stuff and forget it all completely. Sometimes I listen to music if I’m in a place where they’re having conversations about shots or angles. It’s quite nice to block out all that’s happening.
Sequin floral-print crêpe midi dress: Simone Rocha / Tri-colour hoop earrings: Bear Brooksbank / Ear studs: Molly’s own
What sort of music would you listen to in a moment like that?
It would depend on the job and the character. I generally have a playlist per job…
Really? What did you listen to on Cheat?
On Cheat there was a lot of Arctic Monkeys!
Who else do you like?
My favourite band is Black Stone Cherry. They’re like a Southern rock band from Kentucky. I saw them live and they were just amazing and it’s kind of been a love story from there. I also really love Sia and Bishop Briggs.
What do you think your acting style looks like from the outside?
For me, it’s painful!
We’re calling this whole feature about you The Natural. Is that a fair description?
That’s the goal! That’s very nice!
Hair: Fabio Nogueira @ Frank Agency
Make-up: Justine Jenkins, using Hourglass Cosmetics
Set design: Josh Stovell @ WIB Agency
Photographer’s assistant: Glen Arkadieff
Molly Windsor’s new TV series Traces airs Monday, 9th December on Alibi