Sally Hawkins

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Birthday:

27 April 1976, Dulwich, London, England, UK

Height:

157 cm

Sally Hawkins was born in 1976 in Lewisham hospital, London, England, to Jacqui and Colin Hawkins, authors and illustrators of children's books. She is of English and Irish descent. Hawkins was brought up in Greenwich, in southeast London. She attended James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1998. Hawkins' theatre appearances include Much Ado About Nothing (2000), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2000), Misconceptions (2001), Country Music (2004), and David Hare's adaptation of Federico García Lorca's play The House of Bernarda Alba in 2005. Hawkins made her first notable screen performance as Samantha in the 2002 Mike Leigh film All or Nothing (2002). She also appeared as Slasher in the 2004 film Layer Cake (2004). She played the role of Zena Blake in the BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel, Tipping the Velvet (2002) in 2002. Her first major television role came in 2005, when she played Susan Trinder in the BAFTA-nominated BBC drama Fingersmith (2005), an adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel of the same name, in which she co-starred with Imelda Staunton, as she had in Vera Drake (2004). Since then she has gone on to star in another BBC adaptation, Patrick Hamilton's Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky. Hawkins appeared in three episodes of the BBC comedy series Little Britain (2003), in addition to Ed Reardon's Week on BBC Radio 4. She has also contributed to the BBC Radio 4 series Concrete Cow. In 2006, Hawkins returned to the stage, appearing at the Royal Court Theatre in Jez Butterworth's The Winterling. In 2007, she played the lead in a new film of Jane Austen's Persuasion, and followed this with her critically acclaimed performance in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008). Questions and a minor controversy arose when Hawkins was not nominated for an Academy Award for her performance as Poppy. It was the first year since 2000-01 that the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was not nominated for an Academy Award, and the first year since 1995-96 that no one from the category was nominated. During 2006 she also made uncredited appearances in Richard Ayoade's Man to Man with Dean Learner where she played various uncredited roles from Personal Assistant to Wife of Steve Pising in various deleted scenes included on the DVD. Hawkins' 2009-10 films included Desert Flower (2009), Never Let Me Go (2010), and Happy Ever Afters (2009). In November 2010, she appeared on Broadway as Vivie in Mrs. Warren's Profession. In 2011, Hawkins appeared in Submarine (2010) and had a supporting role in the film adaptation of Jane Eyre (2011). Show less «

You only do good work when you're taking risks and pushing yourself and failing really badly.

[on her part in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)]: Oh, I don't even know if I made the final cut. It was one day many years ...Show more »

[on her part in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)]: Oh, I don't even know if I made the final cut. It was one day many years ago. I was still in drama school. A friend was working on it and got me in. I was in a huge audience scene. We were replicated about a thousand times. I wore a chiffon costume. It was quite a look. And I saw Ewan McGregor. He would not remember me. I never told him. I just passed by him. He was playing football, and I was on my way to set. I was just an extra in the village. I got paid 100 quid, I think. Show less «

[on Cate Blanchett, her co-star in Blue Jasmine (2013)]: I was very lucky with Cate. She's incredible, and she's a theater actress as well. ...Show more »

[on Cate Blanchett, her co-star in Blue Jasmine (2013)]: I was very lucky with Cate. She's incredible, and she's a theater actress as well. She thinks and works - I'm flattering myself by saying this - in a similar way as me. She comes from that training and we had time together in New York to get to know each other. Luckily, she was performing "Uncle Vanya" to great acclaim. That was the first time I saw her in the flesh. Then we had time to just talk and unravel the script. That was invaluable for me. It created such grounding. Show less «

I love Woody Allen because you are there to work and do your job. There is no time for the pleasantries. There's no time for chit-chat. I li...Show more »

I love Woody Allen because you are there to work and do your job. There is no time for the pleasantries. There's no time for chit-chat. I like that. He is very right to it. I never thought that I'd be lucky enough to work with him once let alone twice. He's incredibly precise and economical with his words. He doesn't want to hang around. He's sometimes incredibly specific. And sometimes he just lets you get on with it, and he steps away. He works incredibly economically and fast, and he doesn't smooth it over. Does that make sense? He doesn't tell you, "Oh that's amazing." Show less «

My family went to Universal Studios and did a Star Trek video spoof. My mum and dad were Klingons. I was Mr. Spock with the ears, and my bro...Show more »

My family went to Universal Studios and did a Star Trek video spoof. My mum and dad were Klingons. I was Mr. Spock with the ears, and my brother was Captain Kirk. It's one of my most treasured possessions. Show less «

Every movie has a bit of magic in it. Even if it's just for a beat.

It's outrageous how women in the film industry are paid less than men all the time. I went to a very good school where we were encouraged to...Show more »

It's outrageous how women in the film industry are paid less than men all the time. I went to a very good school where we were encouraged to be as independent and strong as we liked and it was quite a shock when I got out into the world to discover how women were patronized and undermined in the workplace. (2010) Show less «

I loved working with Nigel Cole on [Made in Dagenham (2010)], but I have to say that now that I think about it, considering what the movie h...Show more »

I loved working with Nigel Cole on [Made in Dagenham (2010)], but I have to say that now that I think about it, considering what the movie has to say, wouldn't it have been great if 'Made in Dagenham' had been directed by a woman? That would be a real sign of progress, wouldn't it? Show less «

Normally I'm the sweet little thing.

I'm not a model, and I don't want to be.

I doubt also I could do anything else. My skill set is limited I would be useless at most things! Truly. Acting I get. Mostly. And as long a...Show more »

I doubt also I could do anything else. My skill set is limited I would be useless at most things! Truly. Acting I get. Mostly. And as long as I am still paid to do it I will keep going... I will keep going until I am kindly and politely asked to leave! Show less «

[on Poppy Cross in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)] It's weird because a lot of men couldn't stand her, whereas women really liked her. At least they ...Show more »

[on Poppy Cross in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)] It's weird because a lot of men couldn't stand her, whereas women really liked her. At least they said they did. Maybe they were just lying. Show less «

But I'm not a female lead. I don't play romantic heroines, and that's a good thing because they tend to be very dull parts. (July 2006)

[on the Oscar for Best Director in 2010] It outrages me that it took so long for a woman to win the award, and that it was so unprecedented ...Show more »

[on the Oscar for Best Director in 2010] It outrages me that it took so long for a woman to win the award, and that it was so unprecedented that everyone had to make such a fuss over it. It's infuriating the way men dominate everything, from TV in the UK to indie films to studio pictures. It really bugs me. Show less «

When you say something with a smile, it makes the world a happier place and everyone appreciates it.

I'm a real romantic.

[on the most important lesson that life has taught her] Go live it. Grab it. But be very kind on the way.

[on her character Mary Brown in Paddington (2014)] Mrs Brown's quite an iconic figure in her own right, in that she brings Paddington into t...Show more »

[on her character Mary Brown in Paddington (2014)] Mrs Brown's quite an iconic figure in her own right, in that she brings Paddington into the family and adopts him. She's a character who you hope everyone will relate to and love. She's got to be all-embracing and something children recognise and feel safe with. Show less «

But actually you never know whether a film is going to get made. And then the money comes, and then it's all incredibly quick.

[in 2011] Of course, I would love to have that one iconic lead role, and every actress wants that, that's the ultimate, really. ... You do w...Show more »

[in 2011] Of course, I would love to have that one iconic lead role, and every actress wants that, that's the ultimate, really. ... You do wanna find that role that defines you or that you can be really passionate about. I hope that still happens (laugh), I really do. Show less «

[on what artists inspire her] This is almost impossible to answer as I am inspired by so many and all! You are influenced by everything if y...Show more »

[on what artists inspire her] This is almost impossible to answer as I am inspired by so many and all! You are influenced by everything if you are creative. Everything and everyone becomes a source of inspiration from artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Mondrian, Tracy Emin [sic], Pinter, Charles Dickens, Samuel Beckett, William Blake, Arthur Miller, Edward Lear (etc to friends or people you meet) From Elgar to Coltrane to Bjork! [sic] Music is a huge source of inspiration too. Show less «

I'm nowhere near interesting enough for the press to make up stories about. Which is pretty wonderful in this position. I'm not a fan of int...Show more »

I'm nowhere near interesting enough for the press to make up stories about. Which is pretty wonderful in this position. I'm not a fan of interviews. I find I never get across what want to get across and things be slightly twisted [sic] or said in a way that you think you didn't say them. So golden rule - never read interviews. Show less «

Someone once wrote I had dyslexia as a child. Then that gets repeated, rather like a Chinese whisper. It's true I had trouble with words. Bu...Show more »

Someone once wrote I had dyslexia as a child. Then that gets repeated, rather like a Chinese whisper. It's true I had trouble with words. But acting out stories, realising I could improvise, opened up a whole new world. I would just like to say that I can read. Show less «

I love working and I love doing lots of things and a variety of things. It keeps your mind active...and you don't end up worrying about just...Show more »

I love working and I love doing lots of things and a variety of things. It keeps your mind active...and you don't end up worrying about just the one thing. When I chew things over or analyze too much, that is when I can trip myself up. I work on a more instinctive level and it was good to completely throw myself into something else. Show less «

And I'm the sort of person who prefers to disappear into roles. I know how naff that sounds but I do, and besides, I'm not interesting. I'm ...Show more »

And I'm the sort of person who prefers to disappear into roles. I know how naff that sounds but I do, and besides, I'm not interesting. I'm dull! Show less «

All good stories have a sense of reality [but] we can never really represent reality or else it'd be incredibly dull on film.

[on characters affecting her real life (May 2011):] I try to be quite disciplined about that, actually. Invariably, your work life has an ef...Show more »

[on characters affecting her real life (May 2011):] I try to be quite disciplined about that, actually. Invariably, your work life has an effect - if you've had a bad day it can just bleed into your home life, you take it home and go over it in your head and torture yourself. But the characters I really try to leave behind, so when I step out of their shoes, I step well and truly back into my own. I have to, really, because otherwise I think I'd simply drive my friends and family mad. And I do that anyway, for so many other reasons, that I have to try to at least spare them this! Show less «

[on how whenever she gets nervous, she starts to talk (September 2010):] I just can't help myself. But is it good for me? You say something,...Show more »

[on how whenever she gets nervous, she starts to talk (September 2010):] I just can't help myself. But is it good for me? You say something, things you would rather forget, and then they are out there. It makes me anxious and I don't know why people are interested in me anyway. If I had my way, I would rather exist in a little hole and not speak to anyone. Show less «

I like eccentricity in people. I think it's something to be celebrated. My favourite kind of people are that way.

I was brought up with a fantastically bright, strong-minded, independent mother [Jacqui Hawkins], and quite shocked by how I was treated as ...Show more »

I was brought up with a fantastically bright, strong-minded, independent mother [Jacqui Hawkins], and quite shocked by how I was treated as a young woman. Even on the bus. And the subtler it is, the more undermining and dangerous it can be. Show less «

I don't find [publicity] easy and when you have someone who's difficult, it just clams me up. I'll know that they want an easy interview to ...Show more »

I don't find [publicity] easy and when you have someone who's difficult, it just clams me up. I'll know that they want an easy interview to pigeonhole me, or for me to come out with these amazing soundbites. But I can't do that, I'm not that kind of person. And I don't want to be, really. Show less «

[on how her Irish accent is:] Pretty good. I'm half Irish.

[on the things she's been offered to play (November 2014):] Sometimes you can pick and sometimes you can't. Sometimes there's a plethora of ...Show more »

[on the things she's been offered to play (November 2014):] Sometimes you can pick and sometimes you can't. Sometimes there's a plethora of things, but sometimes it just depends what's about. Show less «

Well my favourite elevenses would be a cup of tea, milky cup of tea, with custard creams, and I quite like Marmite on anything, preferably a...Show more »

Well my favourite elevenses would be a cup of tea, milky cup of tea, with custard creams, and I quite like Marmite on anything, preferably a crumpet. Show less «

[on what she thinks is the key to a happy marriage (October 2011):] Well if I was married, I'd be able to offer more insight. I'll be stabbi...Show more »

[on what she thinks is the key to a happy marriage (October 2011):] Well if I was married, I'd be able to offer more insight. I'll be stabbing in the dark with this answer (laugh) but when I see friends who have very loving and successful marriages and relationships and when I see my own character, I think friendship is the key to a hearty, supportive marriage and relationship. Yeah, friendship and mutual respect. Show less «

I don't really follow fashion. I like to be comfortable. I'm not a glamour puss.

Initially when I came out of college I put *everything* on my CV, like water skiing, scuba diving, and horse riding and Grade 8 Piano and th...Show more »

Initially when I came out of college I put *everything* on my CV, like water skiing, scuba diving, and horse riding and Grade 8 Piano and things like that. So it's high exaggeration. But I think you just do, and you don't know what is expected of you or what you're supposed to do, I mean nobody tells you those things. You're sort of out there in the world and, we're certainly not trained in that at RADA [laugh], just how to cope... Show less «