Brenda Blethyn has admitted she 'threw her weight about' on the set of ITV's Vera, but says she behaved better while filming the new adaptation of A Woman of Substance. The 80-year-old actress, who played Detective Vera Stanhope for 14 years, said the role of Emma Harte in the Channel 4 drama felt very different.
'It was quite nice to take the hat and Mac off. This is quite a different look,' she said. 'I kind of behaved myself on this more because on Vera I threw my weight about a bit. This is like a new thing - I didn't rule the roost on it.'
Blethyn, who turned 80 in February, also revealed she has suffered from imposter syndrome for most of her life. 'I've suffered most of my life from imposter syndrome - that's leaving me. I haven't got that quite so much any more,' she said.
The actress, who grew up in Kent with eight siblings, said she is 'devoid of ambition' and that her successful career was down to good fortune and being pleasant to work with. 'I mean, many people can play the part, there's loads of people. It's not just being good. I think I'm quite nice to work with. Who wants to work with someone horrible?'
A Woman of Substance, based on Barbara Taylor Bradford's best-selling novel, charts the rise of Emma Harte from a penniless Yorkshire maid to a powerful New York businesswoman. The new eight-part series airs on Channel 4, with Jessica Reynolds playing the young Emma.
