Interview with Julie Graham
“Reading is something I treasure and it upsets me to think of people missing out on such a wonderful thing so I was honoured to be involved.”
Julie Graham plays Fiona in Love Letters who is enlisted by JJ to help him learn to read - putting both their marriages in jeopardy.
Julie's extensive TV credits include Bonekickers, Survivors, At Home with the Braithwaites and William and Mary. She's also appeared in comedy movie Nuns On The Run, Some Voices, opposite Daniel Craig, and the romantic drama With Or Without You.
She explains why she took the part of Fiona. “The role appealed to me because of the delicacy and simplicity of the writing and the moving way Nick Leather portrayed how literacy or lack of impacts on a person's life.
“My character is motivated by witnessing the frustration and confusion that Tony Maudsley’s character is going through when confronted by love letters he thinks he has found from his wife's lover. She refuses to read them but agrees to help him learn to read so he can find out for himself.”
Before taking on the role Julie was already aware of the problems people face when they have difficulty reading and writing. She says: “I have worked with many actors who are dyslexic and whose lives were made miserable at school because they thought and were told they were just stupid so I was very aware of the issues around this and adult literacy and the shame it can cause to those who were let down by a bad education - which I believe is at the root of most problems like this.
“It was one of the reasons I was so keen to take part and try and address the issue and bring it to the attention of people. I think it's important that men, women and children who have problems in this area are not made to feel isolated and ashamed as is so often the case and that is a much bigger problem than we give it credit for.
“I often think it must a very scary and confusing world when you can't read or write and a lot of people suffer in silence. Reading is something I treasure and it upsets me to think of people missing out on such a wonderful thing so I was honoured to be involved.”
