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The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Maxine Peake: ‘I have a healthy balance of inferiority complex and slightly prickly ego'
Has your northern accent helped or hindered your career? Eluned51They do call a group of actors a 'moan' of actors. We like to have a good moan. When people hear a regional accent, they immediately make assumptions about your class, financial status and education. People generally think if you've got a strong regional accent, you can't do much else. Obviously there are amazing actors like Jodie Comer who smash that to pieces because people don't realise she's from Liverpool. But because I came out the traps with the northern accent it's probably helped. Do you ever suffer from impostor syndrome and think: 'Why are people so fascinated by me?' RealEdPhillipsI don't ever think people are – I think they are generally quite bored by me! Of course I have impostor syndrome. When you don't get a job, you can't help but think: 'Why didn't I get that job? Why don't they think I'm good enough?' So there's a healthy balance of inferiority complex and slightly prickly ego. What are your memories of filming Funny Cow? Michel3AmsterdamWe had such a good time because it was made with a bunch of friends. We managed to twist Paddy Considine's arm to be part of it. We had Stephen Graham, Christine Bottomley, John Bishop. All these amazing people, so it was quite colourful. I have always been fascinated by female comics' journeys through working men's clubs in the 70s, and the sacrifices and compromises they had to make. The material they were using was horrific, really. It was all about: 'How do you get noticed?' The answer was: 'If you can't beat them, join them.' The politics of the 70s seemed to come crashing down as we were filming it, with Brexit. So we wanted to do a bit of an exposé on British politics as well. Which political figure in the Labour party would you most like to play? NorthwichTomI've always wanted to play Ellen Wilkinson, but I'm far too tall because she was a little bullet: smallish stature, but mighty of heart and soul. I went to drama school with Sally Hawkins, and thought she could play her and I could be Nancy Astor, even though I have no interest in her [Conservative] politics. But they were great friends, which I always thought would make a fascinating drama. Did writing about and playing Beryl Burton in the BBC radio drama Beryl: A Love Story on Two Wheels inspire you to get on the saddle? HenleyRegattaI've always used a bike to get around. Once I started writing about Beryl, I joined a club and went on my first 50km ride and nearly died. But then I became addicted, and would go out three times a week and do 70 or 80km. So, yes, I was inspired by Beryl. I love the camaraderie and the freedom. It's like being a kid, getting on your bike with your pals. It's great. Would you like to do more nihilistic action hero stuff, like you did in Black Mirror? ColdCountyHome I remember an email came through saying: 'You've been offered Black Mirror, can you read the script quickly and let us know?' I said: 'I don't need to read it. It's Black Mirror. Count me in.' I loved doing it because it was the first time I had done anything remotely action based. I'd love to do something on horseback. Don't let the accent fool you: I used to ride a lot when I was younger. So I'd love to do a female western. What was your most memorable moment on the rugby field? scarletnoirGetting absolutely thrashed by Keighley ladies amateur rugby league team, and trying to not get too severely injured. Our trainer used to say: 'Women hold grudges.' If you made a high tackle, even accidentally, you knew revenge was coming your way. Could you persuade Craig Cash to reopen the doors of the Grapes for another series of Early Doors? TheSableHoundReturnsI have tried. We have all tried. We had such a great time. We just laughed from the beginning to the end of the day. It didn't feel like work. It really didn't. I shouldn't say this, but as you know, it was set in a pub, so we went out to an actual pub for a few drinks, then came back and filmed it on the set that looked like a pub. We are all still really close. We've had a few meet-ups and have said: 'Come on Craig, please.' We'd love to do it. But who knows? Line dancing with Diane Morgan in Mandy. Did you have prior experience or did you have to learn? mattyjjLuckily they just taught me on the day, so it was a new skill. That's my favourite screen death: being crushed to death by a disco ball. Only Diane Morgan could come up with that. We've been friends since drama school, so when she said: 'Would you come and be in this?' I was like: 'Absolutely. Why have you not asked me before?' What was it like working with Mike Leigh in Peterloo? bumble I wrote to Mike when I was at drama school, where I did my showcase with Sally Hawkins, a two-hander of the April De Angelis play, Playhouse Creatures. I said: 'We should write to Mike Leigh.' She said: 'Are you sure?' I said: 'We'll do a joint letter.' So we wrote to him and we got a call in, and the rest is history. He's brilliant. He loves actors. He has such a specific way of rehearsing and character development, but he's so thorough and – I don't know whether he'd like me saying – humble. There are no airs and graces about him. He's so passionate about what he does, and I just love the fact that he loves actors. Happy Birthday! How do you feel at 50? TopTrampWell, on my next birthday in two weeks, I'll be 51. I'm at peace with the fact that I'm middle-aged now. I'm embracing it. Turning 40 was more difficult. Now I think: 'I'm still here', and that can't be looked upon lightly. You narrated the Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division and New Order podcast. Top three New Order songs? CraigThePaigBizarre Love Triangle. True Faith. Temptation. I still remember getting Substance when I was a teenager at school. That album – even though it was a compilation – changed my life. I had it on double cassette. My mum would say: 'Go and set the table', and I couldn't hear her because I'd have it blasting in my ears on my Walkman. Words of War is on digital platforms
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Maxine Peake: ‘I have a healthy balance of inferiority complex and slightly prickly ego'
Has your northern accent helped or hindered your career? Eluned51They do call a group of actors a 'moan' of actors. We like to have a good moan. When people hear a regional accent, they immediately make assumptions about your class, financial status and education. People generally think if you've got a strong regional accent, you can't do much else. Obviously there are amazing actors like Jodie Comer who smash that to pieces because people don't realise she's from Liverpool. But because I came out the traps with the northern accent it's probably helped. Do you ever suffer from impostor syndrome and think: 'Why are people so fascinated by me?' RealEdPhillipsI don't ever think people are – I think they are generally quite bored by me! Of course I have impostor syndrome. When you don't get a job, you can't help but think: 'Why didn't I get that job? Why don't they think I'm good enough?' So there's a healthy balance of inferiority complex and slightly prickly ego. What are your memories of filming Funny Cow? Michel3AmsterdamWe had such a good time because it was made with a bunch of friends. We managed to twist Paddy Considine's arm to be part of it. We had Stephen Graham, Christine Bottomley, John Bishop. All these amazing people, so it was quite colourful. I have always been fascinated by female comics' journeys through working men's clubs in the 70s, and the sacrifices and compromises they had to make. The material they were using was horrific, really. It was all about: 'How do you get noticed?' The answer was: 'If you can't beat them, join them.' The politics of the 70s seemed to come crashing down as we were filming it, with Brexit. So we wanted to do a bit of an exposé on British politics as well. Which political figure in the Labour party would you most like to play? NorthwichTomI've always wanted to play Ellen Wilkinson, but I'm far too tall because she was a little bullet: smallish stature, but mighty of heart and soul. I went to drama school with Sally Hawkins, and thought she could play her and I could be Nancy Astor, even though I have no interest in her [Conservative] politics. But they were great friends, which I always thought would make a fascinating drama. Did writing about and playing Beryl Burton in the BBC radio drama Beryl: A Love Story on Two Wheels inspire you to get on the saddle? HenleyRegattaI've always used a bike to get around. Once I started writing about Beryl, I joined a club and went on my first 50km ride and nearly died. But then I became addicted, and would go out three times a week and do 70 or 80km. So, yes, I was inspired by Beryl. I love the camaraderie and the freedom. It's like being a kid, getting on your bike with your pals. It's great. Would you like to do more nihilistic action hero stuff, like you did in Black Mirror? ColdCountyHome I remember an email came through saying: 'You've been offered Black Mirror, can you read the script quickly and let us know?' I said: 'I don't need to read it. It's Black Mirror. Count me in.' I loved doing it because it was the first time I had done anything remotely action based. I'd love to do something on horseback. Don't let the accent fool you: I used to ride a lot when I was younger. So I'd love to do a female western. What was your most memorable moment on the rugby field? scarletnoirGetting absolutely thrashed by Keighley ladies amateur rugby league team, and trying to not get too severely injured. Our trainer used to say: 'Women hold grudges.' If you made a high tackle, even accidentally, you knew revenge was coming your way. Could you persuade Craig Cash to reopen the doors of the Grapes for another series of Early Doors? TheSableHoundReturnsI have tried. We have all tried. We had such a great time. We just laughed from the beginning to the end of the day. It didn't feel like work. It really didn't. I shouldn't say this, but as you know, it was set in a pub, so we went out to an actual pub for a few drinks, then came back and filmed it on the set that looked like a pub. We are all still really close. We've had a few meet-ups and have said: 'Come on Craig, please.' We'd love to do it. But who knows? Line dancing with Diane Morgan in Mandy. Did you have prior experience or did you have to learn? mattyjjLuckily they just taught me on the day, so it was a new skill. That's my favourite screen death: being crushed to death by a disco ball. Only Diane Morgan could come up with that. We've been friends since drama school, so when she said: 'Would you come and be in this?' I was like: 'Absolutely. Why have you not asked me before?' What was it like working with Mike Leigh in Peterloo? bumble I wrote to Mike when I was at drama school, where I did my showcase with Sally Hawkins, a two-hander of the April De Angelis play, Playhouse Creatures. I said: 'We should write to Mike Leigh.' She said: 'Are you sure?' I said: 'We'll do a joint letter.' So we wrote to him and we got a call in, and the rest is history. He's brilliant. He loves actors. He has such a specific way of rehearsing and character development, but he's so thorough and – I don't know whether he'd like me saying – humble. There are no airs and graces about him. He's so passionate about what he does, and I just love the fact that he loves actors. Happy Birthday! How do you feel at 50? TopTrampWell, on my next birthday in two weeks, I'll be 51. I'm at peace with the fact that I'm middle-aged now. I'm embracing it. Turning 40 was more difficult. Now I think: 'I'm still here', and that can't be looked upon lightly. You narrated the Transmissions: The Definitive Story of Joy Division and New Order podcast. Top three New Order songs? CraigThePaigBizarre Love Triangle. True Faith. Temptation. I still remember getting Substance when I was a teenager at school. That album – even though it was a compilation – changed my life. I had it on double cassette. My mum would say: 'Go and set the table', and I couldn't hear her because I'd have it blasting in my ears on my Walkman. Words of War is on digital platforms
Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Heads of State review — stupendously idiotic but eminently watchable
Who knew that the annual summits of intergovernmental forums and transnational military alliances could be so exciting? And yet only months after the popcorn flick G20 gave us the gun-toting US president Viola Davis breaking bones in a ballgown during a Cape Town-set shoot-'em-up, we're now over in Trieste for a Nato summit that serves as a backdrop for an all-action buddy comedy. The twist here is that the two bickering protagonists are the UK and US heads of state — although the better title would have been The Special Relationship (taken, alas, by Peter Morgan's Blair-Bush film from 2010). Idris Elba plays British PM Sam Clarke, a cautious, rule-abiding politician who's suffering a conspicuous Starmer-like slump in the polls and finds himself 'increasingly embattled' in Westminster. John Cena, meanwhile, is President Will Derringer, a crass US populist and Clarke's ostensible nemesis. Derringer is a former Hollywood actor who speaks from the gut and is effectively clueless on global politics. If only there were some sort of violent yet localised crisis that would plunge both men into action and allow them to learn the value of oppositional character traits and the fundamental importance of the Nato alliance while also snapping necks, machinegunning faceless henchmen and leaping from exploding helicopters over downtown Warsaw. Step forward Paddy Considine and a strangulated accent as Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov (he says 'Qui-yet yir math!!' for 'Shut your mouth'), a lethal psychopath nurturing a grudge against Nato who kicks off the nonstop narrative boom-bang-a-bang by blowing Air Force One out of the sky. • Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews It is stupendously idiotic yet eminently watchable. Elba is delightfully dyspeptic throughout and takes several potshots at the nonsense around him, noting wryly, 'I like actual cinema.' He shares credible romantic chemistry with Priyanka Chopra Jonas as an MI6 bruiser and former paramour called Noel Bisset — there was possibly a better movie in their story. The Russian film-maker Ilya Naishuller (Nobody) directs from a screenplay that's co-written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol) and pillories 'America First' politics while also hammering pro-Nato messaging. 'If Nato falls, there's no more backstop against despots and dictators,' one of Derringer's panic-stricken aides warns. Meanwhile, back in the exploding helicopter …★★★☆☆12, 116minOn Prime Video Times+ members can enjoy two-for-one cinema tickets at Everyman each Wednesday. Visit to find out more. Which films have you enjoyed at the cinema recently? Let us know in the comments and follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Heads of State review – John Cena and Idris Elba sell fun throwback Amazon comedy
Rather than give the world an escape, Heads of State, Amazon's throwback buddy comedy, thrums the tension in US foreign relations. Suicide Squad veterans Idris Elba and John Cena are redeployed in this gun show from Nobody director Ilya Naishuller, respectively, as the UK prime minister and US president at loggerheads. President Derringer, barely six months in office, resents the PM for not doing more to help him get elected. Prime Minister Clarke, a six-year incumbent mired in an approval ratings slump, has already dismissed the president – a swaggering former action hero – as a Schwarzenegger knockoff. After a joint press conference goes sideways and spoils the announcement of a Nato-supported energy initiative, the pair are forced on an Air Force One ride to help repair the PR damage – but it gets worse when the plane is shot down. As it turns out, the Nato energy thingy was cribbed from a nuclear scientist that alliance forces neutralized to head off the threat of another Hiroshima – and his father, a psycho arms dealer named Viktor Gradov (a rueful Paddy Considine), is bent on revenge. In fact, the two-hour film opens with Noel – a skull-cracking MI6 agent played by Priyanka Chopra – leading a covert strike on Gradov in the middle of the world famous Tomatina festival in Buñol, Spain, that turns upside down when she and her team are felled in the food fight. That botched operation – part of a wider sabotage, as we'll learn later – is top of mind when the president and prime minister bail out of Air Force One (under attack from without and within) into a Belarusian wood. From there, they must find their way back to safe harbor – not knowing whom they can trust when they get there, of course. All the while they're being chased by Gradov's hell-raising henchmen Sasha and Olga 'the Killers', whom Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Katrina Durden play like Boris and Natasha, but eviler. It's the kind of paint-by-numbers summer tentpole that would have drawn a crowd in 2013 – when Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down were doing serious box office numbers. The fact that Amazon MGM went straight to streaming with it, instead of doing an exclusive theatrical release first, speaks volumes about the state of play in the film industry – and, perhaps, the mixed reception for G20, their straight-to-streaming shoot-em-up about the female president who has to fight her way out of a global summit. But where a Bezos studio head could make the case that Viola Davis isn't a solo draw (even as her body of work suggests otherwise), the lack of faith in Heads' theatrical potential is beyond comprehension. John Cena remains one of, if not the biggest draw in professional wrestling, while popping up in everything from the Fast and Furious franchise to the Simpsons. Idris, star of big (Hobbs & Shaw) and small screen (Luther, The Wire), has been touted as a possible James Bond successor for a solid decade. Chopra is a Bollywood superstar who successfully pivoted to network TV and married a Jonas brother. Why did Amazon think this film wouldn't do well at the cineplex? They should've had more confidence in their leads, all three of whom meet the broad performance profile for a popcorn thriller. Elba in particular does a deft job of toggling from his Odd Couple chemistry with Cena (the exceptional actor-wrestler besides Dave Bautista who can really play the margins between tough and tender) to the romantic chemistry with Chopra (who gets to kick ass and take punches just like in her Quantico days). The rest of the cast delivers, too. Richard Coyle plays against his Coupling type as the PM's dour right hand, while Sarah Niles – with her resting 'bitch, please' face – is a study in quiet strength again as the president's top aide and best bud. Stephen Root, a hacker double agent, is always a treat. And Jack Quaid, fresh off playing lead in Novocaine, hams it up so hard in his handful of appearances as a CIA safe house watchman that he earns his very own end-credits scene. Throughout, Naishuller cooks up action sequences that leave plenty of room for pratfalls and one-liners. (The PM, a Royal Army vet, detonating a smoke bomb in his own face; puns are Noel's love language; etc) And the writing – a team effort between Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (Ghost Protocol) and Harrison Query (who also gets story credit) – has command. When two major characters went missing for chunks of the film (Chopra's was gone for nearly an hour), they would smartly bring them back with a snappy, Edgar Wright-style montage explaining where they had been. Bleeding hearts will keep watching for the sermon on Nato's value as a peace-keeping force, and maybe look away when it ends in a massive shootout. Fun, fiery and totally frivolous, Heads of State is a perfect summer movie with great potential for future sequels. (The end scene certainly sets that up.) But getting it to launch first in theaters next time might take a global coalition. Do we have the votes? Heads of State is now available on Amazon Prime
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Heads of State review – John Cena and Idris Elba sell fun throwback Amazon comedy
Rather than give the world an escape, Heads of State, Amazon's throwback buddy comedy, thrums the tension in US foreign relations. Suicide Squad veterans Idris Elba and John Cena are redeployed in this gun show from Nobody director Ilya Naishuller, respectively, as the UK prime minister and US president at loggerheads. President Derringer, barely six months in office, resents the PM for not doing more to help him get elected. Prime Minister Clarke, a six-year incumbent mired in an approval ratings slump, has already dismissed the president – a swaggering former action hero – as a Schwarzenegger knockoff. After a joint press conference goes sideways and spoils the announcement of a Nato-supported energy initiative, the pair are forced on an Air Force One ride to help repair the PR damage – but it gets worse when the plane is shot down. As it turns out, the Nato energy thingy was cribbed from a nuclear scientist that alliance forces neutralized to head off the threat of another Hiroshima – and his father, a psycho arms dealer named Viktor Gradov (a rueful Paddy Considine), is bent on revenge. In fact, the two-hour film opens with Noel – a skull-cracking MI6 agent played by Priyanka Chopra – leading a covert strike on Gradov in the middle of the world famous Tomatina festival in Buñol, Spain, that turns upside down when she and her team are felled in the food fight. That botched operation – part of a wider sabotage, as we'll learn later – is top of mind when the president and prime minister bail out of Air Force One (under attack from without and within) into a Belarusian wood. From there, they must find their way back to safe harbor – not knowing whom they can trust when they get there, of course. All the while they're being chased by Gradov's hell-raising henchmen Sasha and Olga 'the Killers', whom Aleksandr Kuznetsov and Katrina Durden play like Boris and Natasha, but eviler. It's the kind of paint-by-numbers summer tentpole that would have drawn a crowd in 2013 – when Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down were doing serious box office numbers. The fact that Amazon MGM went straight to streaming with it, instead of doing an exclusive theatrical release first, speaks volumes about the state of play in the film industry – and, perhaps, the mixed reception for G20, their straight-to-streaming shoot-em-up about the female president who has to fight her way out of a global summit. But where a Bezos studio head could make the case that Viola Davis isn't a solo draw (even as her body of work suggests otherwise), the lack of faith in Heads' theatrical potential is beyond comprehension. John Cena remains one of, if not the biggest draw in professional wrestling, while popping up in everything from the Fast and Furious franchise to the Simpsons. Idris, star of big (Hobbs & Shaw) and small screen (Luther, The Wire), has been touted as a possible James Bond successor for a solid decade. Chopra is a Bollywood superstar who successfully pivoted to network TV and married a Jonas brother. Why did Amazon think this film wouldn't do well at the cineplex? They should've had more confidence in their leads, all three of whom meet the broad performance profile for a popcorn thriller. Elba in particular does a deft job of toggling from his Odd Couple chemistry with Cena (the exceptional actor-wrestler besides Dave Bautista who can really play the margins between tough and tender) to the romantic chemistry with Chopra (who gets to kick ass and take punches just like in her Quantico days). The rest of the cast delivers, too. Richard Coyle plays against his Coupling type as the PM's dour right hand, while Sarah Niles – with her resting 'bitch, please' face – is a study in quiet strength again as the president's top aide and best bud. Stephen Root, a hacker double agent, is always a treat. And Jack Quaid, fresh off playing lead in Novocaine, hams it up so hard in his handful of appearances as a CIA safe house watchman that he earns his very own end-credits scene. Throughout, Naishuller cooks up action sequences that leave plenty of room for pratfalls and one-liners. (The PM, a Royal Army vet, detonating a smoke bomb in his own face; puns are Noel's love language; etc) And the writing – a team effort between Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (Ghost Protocol) and Harrison Query (who also gets story credit) – has command. When two major characters went missing for chunks of the film (Chopra's was gone for nearly an hour), they would smartly bring them back with a snappy, Edgar Wright-style montage explaining where they had been. Bleeding hearts will keep watching for the sermon on Nato's value as a peace-keeping force, and maybe look away when it ends in a massive shootout. Fun, fiery and totally frivolous, Heads of State is a perfect summer movie with great potential for future sequels. (The end scene certainly sets that up.) But getting it to launch first in theaters next time might take a global coalition. Do we have the votes? Heads of State is now available on Amazon Prime
