Actor Linda Bassett, best known for her role as Nurse Phyllis in the BBC series Call the Midwife, has reflected on her career of unconventional choices. Currently rehearsing Alexander Zeldin's play Care at the Young Vic, Bassett described acting as an education in human feelings, frailty, and rottenness.
Bassett, a peerless interpreter of playwright Caryl Churchill, began her trajectory with Churchill's Fen in 1983. She praised Churchill as non-invasive and generous in rehearsal, noting that her plays are distilled with no excess baggage. Bassett's understated magic has also enhanced works by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Wallace Shawn, and Ayub Khan Din.
The actor's path to theatre began at Sunday school, where at age four she stepped in for an older girl and performed in an Easter play. As a teenager, she ushed at the Old Vic during Laurence Olivier's era, recalling the power of Peter Brook's Oedipus production. She studied English at Leeds University for a year, spending most of her time in plays, and received a first in drama but nothing else.
Bassett's CV is remarkably free of poor choices, as she has turned down many roles. Despite notable film roles in East Is East and Calendar Girls, she is widely recognised as Nurse Phyllis in Call the Midwife, a role she played for over 12 years. She found it refreshing to learn how to be more matter-of-fact and practical, though she did not identify with the character.
In Care, Bassett plays Joan, a woman showing signs of dementia who believes she is only in respite care. The play addresses a pressing social concern and common personal experience, with Zeldin's work described as quietly devastating.
