FIRST IMPRESSIONS: GWEN TAYLOR
What are you working on at the moment?
The Butterfly Lion, a play based on a book by Michael Morpurgo. I’ve played the part before, hopefully that means I did a good job the first time around.
When are you at your happiest?
My career is going the way I want it to, and I’m very happily married with a lovely family and nice home. I do find touring quite tiring but my husband, a writer, is able to come and look after me – we are two old codgers. I know all marriages do not thrive on being together all the time but ours seems to.
What is your greatest fear?
I have a touch of arthritis and I’m scared of it getting worse and not being mobile.
What is your earliest memory?
We lived in a village in Derbyshire during the war. I remember German bombers coming over and we all got behind the sofa – we weren’t aware of the danger. It’s silly really, because I don’t know what the sofa would have done for us.
What do you dislike about yourself?
I’m not very good at friendship. I meet people, I work with them, and I mean to keep in touch, but I don’t. My mother wasn’t very good at that either. We were four children, born during the war, and she made us feel that we couldn’t go and see people because there were too many of us and we’d be a burden.
What is your most treasured possession?
Two statues of priest figures. I saw them in a shop in Northern Ireland, which is where my husband comes from. This sounds so silly, but they said hello to me through the window and I had to have them. I feel they are protective in some way.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Undeserved arrogance. I don’t mind deserved arrogance because I think you have to have a little trace of it inside you.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m carrying a lot of weight up front. I’m now being offered parts for cuddly, fat old ladies. Luckily my husband doesn’t mind.
What is your all-time favourite book?
The Madness Of A Seduced Woman by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. It was the first time I’d read a book that no one had recommended to me.
Your favourite film?
The Misfits. I was a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, and I have the script. When Marilyn appears, Arthur Miller had written on it ‘Enter a golden girl’. That is the most beautiful welcome to a character you could ever hear.
Your favourite meal?
Spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Pope Joan – I’d love to know how she managed being a pope and being a woman. Also, Ernest Hemingway, Leonardo DiCaprio, to see how gorgeous he really is, and Johnny Depp.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I’m too happy to remember nasty things.
Do you believe in aliens?
No, but I believe in the power of the human brain. If someone sees an alien, that’s what they see.
What is your secret vice?
Salted cashew nuts – I just love them. We’ve got three jars in the kitchen; one has salted cashews in it, one has jelly babies and fruit jellies, and one has peanut M&Ms. Sometimes I eat the salted cashew nuts with jelly babies. It’s a taste sensation.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes, but not as much as I did when I was young.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Sorry.’ I have that English trait.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Staying as happy as I am; and working.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She died being loved.’
Gwen stars in The Butterfly Lion, touring the UK until 30 November: www.kenwright.com
The Butterfly Lion, a play based on a book by Michael Morpurgo. I’ve played the part before, hopefully that means I did a good job the first time around.
When are you at your happiest?
My career is going the way I want it to, and I’m very happily married with a lovely family and nice home. I do find touring quite tiring but my husband, a writer, is able to come and look after me – we are two old codgers. I know all marriages do not thrive on being together all the time but ours seems to.
What is your greatest fear?
I have a touch of arthritis and I’m scared of it getting worse and not being mobile.
What is your earliest memory?
We lived in a village in Derbyshire during the war. I remember German bombers coming over and we all got behind the sofa – we weren’t aware of the danger. It’s silly really, because I don’t know what the sofa would have done for us.
What do you dislike about yourself?
I’m not very good at friendship. I meet people, I work with them, and I mean to keep in touch, but I don’t. My mother wasn’t very good at that either. We were four children, born during the war, and she made us feel that we couldn’t go and see people because there were too many of us and we’d be a burden.
What is your most treasured possession?
Two statues of priest figures. I saw them in a shop in Northern Ireland, which is where my husband comes from. This sounds so silly, but they said hello to me through the window and I had to have them. I feel they are protective in some way.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Undeserved arrogance. I don’t mind deserved arrogance because I think you have to have a little trace of it inside you.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’m carrying a lot of weight up front. I’m now being offered parts for cuddly, fat old ladies. Luckily my husband doesn’t mind.
What is your all-time favourite book?
The Madness Of A Seduced Woman by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. It was the first time I’d read a book that no one had recommended to me.
Your favourite film?
The Misfits. I was a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, and I have the script. When Marilyn appears, Arthur Miller had written on it ‘Enter a golden girl’. That is the most beautiful welcome to a character you could ever hear.
Spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Pope Joan – I’d love to know how she managed being a pope and being a woman. Also, Ernest Hemingway, Leonardo DiCaprio, to see how gorgeous he really is, and Johnny Depp.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I’m too happy to remember nasty things.
Do you believe in aliens?
No, but I believe in the power of the human brain. If someone sees an alien, that’s what they see.
What is your secret vice?
Salted cashew nuts – I just love them. We’ve got three jars in the kitchen; one has salted cashews in it, one has jelly babies and fruit jellies, and one has peanut M&Ms. Sometimes I eat the salted cashew nuts with jelly babies. It’s a taste sensation.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes, but not as much as I did when I was young.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Sorry.’ I have that English trait.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Staying as happy as I am; and working.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She died being loved.’
Gwen stars in The Butterfly Lion, touring the UK until 30 November: www.kenwright.com