Interview with Joanna Scanlan
Interview with Joanna Scanlan
Published: 22 January 2018
It’s the most daring thing to put back onto the agenda - the concept of evil. But this is done superbly.
What did you like about Requiem when you were offered this part?
As soon as I read the script, I thought, “This is brilliant and intriguing.” The horror elements sent shivers down my spine. It’s the most daring thing to put back onto the agenda - the concept of evil. But this is done superbly. Kris has the bravery to say, “There are forces at work that have nothing other than naked power, greed and murder at their heart.” I thought, “This is just fabulous.” It’s really, really exciting to be involved.
It’s a great human drama. It’s about who to trust, who to care about, who to receive care from, what happens within a community and how the people within a community can infect each other with venom. It’s also about place, landscape, the traditional order of British society and how the remains of the feudal system can poison a community. If you’re in that community, do you gravitate towards the light or the dark?
What do the far-flung Welsh locations add to Requiem?
The remote North Wales village where Matilda ends up is a metaphor for isolation. It is a place that is cut off from the rest of the world. Life in the city is anonymous, which has given Janice and Matilda a chance. But as soon as they lose that anonymity, they’re vulnerable.
Once you’re being surveyed in a village, you’re at risk. So the village is a symbol; it indicates that Matilda is not at liberty to pursue the truth.
What you think viewers will gain from watching Requiem?
I hope people will experience a real thrill. We’re subjected so many options these days, so you have to be very bold to thrill people - and Requiem is very bold. It’s all too easy to bring something out of the drawer that is similar to something else. But this isn’t similar to anything else. We appear to live in a completely rational world. But I don’t think that rationality answers all our questions, and to watch a drama which gives us a chance to grapple with that idea is great. Requiem is a thrilling and intelligent drama. But it’s also very scary.
Don’t watch it alone or in the dark!
