The After Love best actress winner on her night of Bafta glory, advice for this year’s nominees and meeting heroes on the awards circuit.
Joanna Scanlan won the best leading actress award at the Baftas in 2022 for After Love, in which she played a grieving widow who discovers the secret life of her late husband. The UK actress most recently starred in BBC drama series Riot Women and was nominated earlier this year for a Screen Actors Guild award as part of the ensemble cast of Apple TV series Slow Horses. She is currently filming Marc Forster’s comedy feature Anxious People, opposite Angelina Jolie and Jason Segel, and will star in upcoming drama The Arrival by Olivier award-winning UK theatre director Bijan Sheibani.
How did you feel when your name was called?
It was shock, complete shock. Time slowed down, and walking up the steps was agony because I’d borrowed shoes that didn’t fit. But it was the most phenomenal punch of adrenaline I’ve ever had.
What do you recall from your speech?
I remember trying to make it dignified. When I was a little girl, I had elocution lessons that included extemporising on a subject, so I was back to when I was 13, being taught by Miss Betty Lowe. I was really having to hide my true feelings of terror and joy while not forgetting anybody, but I failed on that front. I forgot to thank my agent.
Where did you go that night after your win?
We went to the dinner but I couldn’t enjoy it because the BFI had said to me, “Listen, you’re going to be sitting on the same table as the DCMS [the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport] so you’ve got to schmooze them because we really need them to keep supporting independent film.” So I never left the table. I was being so good arse-licking the civil servant and minister that I never had any fun.
How about after the dinner?
I didn’t want to go to any parties so headed back to the Savoy with my husband, where we were staying. As we walked in, I saw a make-up artist friend of mine who was there for the Critics’ Choice Awards. She invited us into a studio that had been set up for the awards, which were happening in LA. In [the studio] were nominees from my category including Lady Gaga, Alana Haim and Emilia Jones so we ended up having a tiny, weird private party during the commercial breaks.
What did you do the next day?
My husband and I got Covid so we had to isolate. The Baftas is where we picked it up, for sure, so we were flat on our backs at home.
What would be your advice to nominees on the awards circuit?
Enjoy it. It’s hard to enjoy because it’s hard work, and you’re usually doing something else at the same time. It’s also a frightening thing because a lot of people want a piece of you. But there are loads of lovely things about it: wonderful other actors to spend time with, opportunities to meet some of your heroes. It’s a privilege to be part of that circuit.
Where do you keep the award?
I always hide it but my husband takes it out and puts it around the house. The current shelf he’s put it on is in the spare bedroom.
How do you keep it clean?
The bronze, or whatever it’s made of, seems to be self-cleaning. It’s like a fridge – it defrosts itself. I don’t need to do anything to it. It still seems to have that dull glow.
What sort of impact do you feel it has had on your career?
Huge. I don’t think I’d be doing this wonderful movie with Angelina Jolie and Jason Segel without it. You get put onto a different list that makes it possible for people to consider you for interesting projects. It’s massive.
Did you meet any of your heroes while on the awards circuit?
I remember sitting on a table with Col Needham, who started IMDb and knows everything about film. It’s meeting people like that, who I wouldn’t have had a chance to meet. With actors, you tend to have more in common, even if they are superstars. So, for me, it’s the likes of producers, directors or people like Col who are supporting our industry and making things happen. People who really understand and love film. They are the heroes to me.
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