Sarah Parish takes a drag on an imaginary cigarette. 'Posh pissed English woman – that’s me, smoking,' she says, letting out a throaty laugh that sounds like a car engine turning over. At 57, the actress has carved out a niche playing women who wield enormous control and then start to lose it, from the sozzled editor in The Holiday to the formidable financier in Industry.
A New Stage Role
Parish is rehearsing for Eclipse, the first stage play by John Morton, creator of W1A and Twenty Twelve. Set in a Devon rectory kitchen, the play follows a brother and sister fixated on banalities while their father lies dying upstairs. 'It’s the last 24 hours of somebody’s life,' Parish explains. 'And it’s how families are with each other around death – the bad behaviour, the good behaviour, the revelations.' She insists it’s droll and full of observational comedy.
On Theatre and Arts Funding
Parish is passionate about the state of the arts. 'It’s so detrimental to life, to the way countries are run, to human beings,' she says of government cuts. 'To take money away from the arts – the one thing people need in terrible times.' She worries most about working-class kids losing access to drama and music in schools. 'The first things that get scrapped in schools are drama and music and arts. And if the outlets are not there for them, what are you going to do?'
She also weighs in on the debate about phones in theatres. While she understands Lesley Manville’s frustration, Parish is more lenient. 'These people have paid 200 quid to sit in the audience. I kind of go, this isn’t the precious memory you’re supposed to keep in your head. This is a bunch of actors going, “I hope you enjoyed what I did.” Personally, I don’t mind if somebody wants to take a picture of me.' She adds that it’s unforgivable to use a phone during a performance.
Career Highlights and Intimacy Coordinators
Parish’s role in Bancroft made her a household name. The ITV psychological thriller, in which she played a detective concealing a murder, was a huge hit. 'It snowed really, really heavily the day before it aired. It was January, nobody had any money, nobody was going out – and then Bancroft came along and got amazing viewing figures.'
In Industry, she played Nicole Craig, a predatory senior financier. The role’s most notorious scene required her to work opposite Harry Lawtey, 30 years her junior. Parish has mixed feelings about intimacy coordinators but was grateful for one on that set. 'In the Nineties, it could get pretty awkward. The director would go, “Right, and then you get to this bit, and then, you know, you just have sex.” I was like, “Blimey.”' She stresses the importance of young actors feeling safe.
Early Life and Career
Parish grew up in Yeovil, Somerset, the youngest of three in a musical household. She wanted to be a ballet dancer but forgot her kit for a Royal Ballet School audition. At 17, she moved to London, selling fake gold chains and cleaning flats while attending drama school. She felt like an imposter alongside Rada graduates. 'I don’t come from a famous family. I don’t come from London. I didn’t go to a posh drama school… I should have been a little bit more confident that I could do it.'
In the late Noughties, she tried pilot season in LA but found it exhausting. 'LA is a funny place. You never feel like you can relax. If you go out to a restaurant, there could be somebody there who could be a director. You’re always on point.' She also noticed sexism. 'Whenever I went over there, the guys were having a f***ing great time. But all the girls looked like they were about to have a nervous breakdown.'
Personal Tragedy and Philanthropy
After returning from LA, Parish and her husband, actor James Murray, lost their daughter Ella-Jayne at eight months old. 'You are living by your fingernails,' she said. 'And then it’s over.' They volunteered in orphanages in Cambodia and Vietnam before having a second daughter, Nell, now 16. They set up the Murray Parish Trust, now renamed Imagine This, supporting the mental health of seriously ill children. Last year, the King awarded them both MBEs.
The Future of Theatre
Parish believes theatre is more important than ever. 'We don’t have community any more. No one really goes to the cinema any more. Theatre is like cinema used to be. It’s just that community feel of sitting with other people and enjoying one experience.' She thinks about AI. 'Theatre could be our last chance of actually going to see a human being. They’re coming for your job. They’re coming for my job. And it’s terrifying.' She laughs. 'We’re all f***ed.'
'Eclipse' is at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre, from 8 May to 6 June.
