LIFESTYLE-Magazine-Winter-2016

“My dad’s dreamwas to see me managing a building society in Accrington.” Actress Julie Hesmondhalgh on work, family and her beloved “Accy” interview by Sarah Rigg B

orn in Rough Lee and brought up in a two up two down terrace on Elmfield Street in Church - actress Julie Hesmondhalgh will tell you she and her family are as ordinary as they come. Her parents were blue collar office workers – dad at Crown Paints in Darwen, and mumwith Emerson & Renwick - the engineering firm at the end of their road. “We were ordinary,” Julie says. “Me and my brother Dave would come home, watch Neighbours, eat Yorkie bars and my mumwould make tea. “Thursdays mum and dad would supplement their wages by collecting the pools and then they’d come home and we’d all watch a Thursday night disaster movie.” Down to earth maybe. Ordinary – not really. Unless every other house on the street was filled with first edition poetry anthologies, literary classics by novelist Graham Greene and an extensive classical music collection. In fact it wasn’t until Julie’s dad John passed away two years ago that she discovered his own incredible talent for writing poetry. “Dadwas a very spiritual man and hewrote thesewonderful diaries and poetry, aman verymuch in touch with nature. Every day when hewas working in Darwen hewouldwalk

“You’ve just got to try and put some boundaries in. Mine aren’t allowed the phones in their roomand not at the table – and onweek- ends not before 12. Although, that doesn’t always happen if you don’t want to have a huge row!” Perhaps one of themost notable parenting lessons passed down by dad John andmum Maureen is to let children follow their dreams. “Mymumwas and still is someonewho absolutely supportsme and Dave inwhatever we do, and growing up she never got in theway of our dreams. My dadwould have lovedme to be a bankmanager in Accrington – that would have been his dream. Mumwas the onewho let us fly more. Mum’s saying is: ‘You don’t have children to live your life for you. Let themfly.’ “And they ended upwith a professor and an actor for children.They used to laugh and say ‘we don’t knowhowwe got you and our Dave”. If either of Julie’s girls wants to become actors shewon’t stand in their way: “A lot of actors discourage their children fromgoing into the job because it’s a hard life. But really, what isn’t a hard life these days? In acting what you end up doing is meeting the most amazing people, and if you can find a way of coping with the unemployment and the disappointment and develop the resources and the resilience to deal with those - you can have a really amazing life - even if you are not mega successful.”

up to DarwenTower and at theweekends hewould always be in the Lakes or the RibbleValley pounding the hills. Bothme andmy brother have inherited that fromhim, it’s goodmental health to get out in the countryside. I’ve read somuch about it recently and I thinkmy dad had an innate sense that he could heal himself through nature and art.” Through various tragic circumstances in John Hesmondhalgh’s life he had a thwarted education and le school very early.

You don’t have children to live your life for you. Let themfly

Adds Julie: “He passed his 11 plus but wasn’t allowed to go to grammar school – which back then was the only way to get a decent education. “Dad le school very early but always loved books and music, so it was quite an unusual lile terraced house in some ways.” Also under the roof of the unusual lile house was Julie’s brother Dave – seven years older than Julie -and now an Oxford graduate and a professor. “It was just a wonderful moment in my dad’s life when Dave went to Oxford. It was the life he could have had if he’d had a different upbringing. “I was only 11 at the time, but I remember vividly how amazing it was. And what it meant to us as a family and the peace it gave my dad. Being able to go and visit him and hold his own discussing the things they discussed there.” The other side to Julie’s father was playful. “We’d play a lot of games, like amillion ways to catch a ball.We had this game calledNonchalant Ease, which I’ve passed on to my children - and you have to try and catch the ball in themost nonchalant way possible.” Julie has two girls aged 15 and 12, and in an era of smart phones and iPads we both agreed it is amiracle to be able to unglue today’s teens from their screens. But like parents everywhere, Julie and actor husband Ian Kershawdo their best.

Left: Main photograph shot in Accrington by Sally Lord. Other shots from top- 1. Julie with mumMo and niece Rosa. 2. Receiving the Freedom of Hyndburn. 3. Julie’s dad John and mumMo on holiday at Blackpool.

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