Julie Graham has spoken to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about This City Is Ours season two and her deep attachment to Liverpool.
Although the 61-year-old hails from Glasgow, she feels closely connected to Liverpool, as the two cities are often considered sister cities. Graham credits this bond as the reason she is able to convincingly play a Scouser in the BBC drama.
Playing a fierce matriarch
On portraying a fierce matriarch, Graham said: "Liverpool, like Glasgow, is a matriarchal society. [Show creator] Stephen Butchard would have ignored those women at his peril."
Graham is one of a few members of the This City Is Ours cast who do not speak with a Scouse accent away from the screen. She credited the local cast and crew for helping her master the accent.
Mastering the Scouse accent
On how she approached the Liverpool accent, Graham said: "It helps having most of the cast and crew from Liverpool. I had an amazing voice coach as well."
She expressed relief that her accent has been well received, adding: "It's a difficult accent to get right and it's the accent you want to get right. Because you don't want to upset Scousers."
Embracing Liverpool's welcome
Graham also spoke about how the city has embraced the show, saying: "Everybody is so welcoming and, if they take you to heart and love you, then it's the best place to be because Scousers will let you know if they don't like you."
She also discussed the iconic House of Bamboo scene, revealing she knew it would become a viral moment when she first read it in the script. Graham said: "I had a meeting with the director after I'd read the script. And I said to him, 'Please don't cut the dance scene.'"
