Now starring in The Visit at the National Theatre, the actor talks about work ethic and success without compromise
Lesley Manville is, at 63, at the top of her game. Nominated for an Oscar for her part in Phantom Thread and now doted on by
Hollywood, she returns to the National Theatre to star in Tony Kushner’s new version of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s tragicomedy The Visit.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt said the leading lady in The Visit was a “wicked creature, and for precisely that reason must not be played wicked”. Do you agree? How are you approaching the role?Claire Zachanassian was damaged as a teenager and never got over it. She comes back to her home town, which Tony Kushner has relocated to upstate
New York – a fictitious town called Slurry based on north-west New York state, around the shores of Lake Erie. She left home as a 16-year-old orphan. Now, she is back as the world’s richest woman. The townsfolk think she has an open heart and will improve the town’s fortunes, but she has returned for revenge. The question of her wickedness is a delicate one. It is vital to understand her. She is highly intelligent, dark and witty and during the course of the evening her soul is laid bare.