“ Their support and belief in me were what made me realise that you don ’ t have to go for the kind of jobs society says you have to go for .” ingenue : “ It ’ s notoriously hard to plan a career in acting ” she says , “ but I ’ d like to spend an extra year in the States and find my feet in the industry in the US . I might look at going to LA for a bit – we ’ ll have to see ”.
Interview
“ Their support and belief in me were what made me realise that you don ’ t have to go for the kind of jobs society says you have to go for .” ingenue : “ It ’ s notoriously hard to plan a career in acting ” she says , “ but I ’ d like to spend an extra year in the States and find my feet in the industry in the US . I might look at going to LA for a bit – we ’ ll have to see ”.
BBC dream
Ultimately though , Mary ’ s aim is to end up back in London - and top of her acting wish-list is to appear in a BBC period drama and do some Shakespeare with a touring company . She ’ s especially fond of strong female roles , and loves the move towards what she calls ‘ gender fluidity ’ in Shakespeare productions – as in casting women in traditional male roles . One of her bigger ambitions is to play Hamlet or even King Lear : “ I saw a great production of The Tempest in New York with an all-female cast , and that really inspired me ” she says . Hardly surprisingly , her strong female idols of stage anfd screen include the legendary Dame Judi Dench , Ruth Wilson who played Jane Eyre in the 2006 BBC production , and Carey Mulligan whose film debut in 2005 was as Kitty Bennett in Pride and Prejudice .
Mary explains that the appeal of acting is “ using my experiences to bring another character to life ”. “ I love that experience - it just makes everything else melt away ” she says . And she credits her supportive teachers at Ryde School for giving her the confidence to go for her dream . “ Their support and belief in me were what made me realise that you don ’ t have to go for the kind of jobs society says you have to go for . It ’ s not all about income or status – and as I ’ d never been the academic kind , I was never going to follow that kind of path .”
Bitter-sweet
Being back on the Island this summer has been bitter-sweet for Mary : “ It ’ s lovely to come home and be in the fresh air again , walk on the beach and cook in my mum ’ s lovely big kitchen with everything you can think of right there in the cupboard , unlike our shared student one ... but after being in New York , it ’ s difficult now to be back in a place where there isn ’ t a lot to do ”. Not that she ’ s been idly sitting around . The bar and restaurant shifts at the Wight Mouse have given her an alternative ‘ stage ’ on which to perform – as she points out , there ’ s a huge link between hospitality and acting . “ It ’ s great for observing characters , and noticing people ’ s little mannerisms , too ” she says . “ To be a good actor , you really have to be surrounded by people ”. And that ’ s what will drive her back this month to Manhattan , and the worldfamous Academy that has propelled the careers of such luminaries as Grace Kelly , Robert Redford , Danny de Vito and Anne Hathaway . There , her outdoor space won ’ t have a familiar view of The Needles – but when she needs a break from people and the frantic pace of life , she says she can make the most of a favourite park off Madison Square and head off to a quiet corner there with a book . “ It does get a bit intense sometimes ” she says , “ but when it all gets a bit much , I can just go and sit in the park and imagine I ’ m sitting looking at the cliffs from home on the Island . “ I was 10 years old when my family moved to the Isle of Wight from Southampton , but to me it will always be home , because it was where I became who I am ”.
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