The title character of “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,”Lesley Manville is a charmer to almost everyone she meets: the homeless, heads of Dior’s fashion house (including Christian Dior), model, dressmaker, and racehorse track operator operators. Even the more snobbish people she encounters eventually find themselves taken in by Ada, a kindhearted but tough English cleaning lady who — following the devastating news that her missing-in-action husband has been declared dead by the British army — makes it her life’s mission to acquire a Dior dress and live out her dreams of glamour.
For people who know Manville best from her Oscar-nominated work on 2017’s “Phantom Thread,”Manville’s role as Cyril, the cynical, tough-minded fashion manager, might seem like an absurd joke at first. But Manville makes it easy to forget all her past roles with the film, bringing a lovely sense of dignity and longing to Ada’s seemingly frivolous pursuit of a dress that gives the frothy film some grounding. For the veteran actor, the film is the start for a busy few months with many projects ahead — not the least of which including Netflix’s blockbuster series “The Crown,”She will replace Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.
Manville spoke with me over a cup of coffee. Variety ahead of the film’s theatrical release on July 15 about what drew her to the part of Mrs. Harris and filming in Budapest, and teased a bit about what fans of “The Crown”You can count on her personal Princess Margaret.
Did you like the original? “Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris”Before you are cast, book
No, I didn’t know the book, actually. I got involved with the project through a phone call from my dear friend, Rima Horton, who is Alan Rickman’s widow. Alan and Rima were friends for many, many many decades. Alan had seen the script and was interested in it. Rima also read the script and was very interested, I thought. “if those two like it, it’s got to be good.”Many phone calls to Alan were part of my career. We’d worked together a few times, and I would always run things past him. He was very helpful and gave great advice. The fact that he liked it was an excellent starting point. Rima was a little involved in the process, as she was going to be producing executive production. She said: “Look, they’re very interested in you. So I think it’s going to come your way.”It did. The novel was then read by me. I was basically in.
What was it that attracted you to the part?
It was a very nice contrasting character to play with some of the characters I’ve been playing who were, let’s just say in a kind of blanket way, not as nice as Ada. And I thought it’d be very good for me to be seen doing something that’s a little lighter. This puts me in the forefront of what I hope will be a major movie. All these factors are important to take into account when weighing up the creative potential of each part and how the package looks. I’m not wishing to sound crude, but the package is an important part of it: the script, the director, who’s going to be on board, who’s going to be distributing it. These are all important. It all came together and it was the job I wanted.
It’s funny you say the character is different from your previous roles. You were an actor before this film. “Phantom Thread,”It’s also a film about fashion, with your character being the head of a fashion company. Here, you’re the outsider.
That is my career reason for living, really, I don’t want to just keep repeating the same type of roles. It keeps my happy. I enjoy using my range. And of course, if you’re playing Cyril, who’s kind of the Isabel Huppert character of “Phantom Thread,”Ada is so different on many levels. It was quite an easy decision.
Ada must charm the characters in order for the film to succeed. What is it that draws people to her?
She’s very open and she doesn’t self-edit, depending on the company that she’s in. She goes to the House of Dior in Paris, and she’s still Ada Harris. That’s what charms everybody, that she’s not pretending to be something that she isn’t. She’s not like all those other women at the fashion show who are unemotional and rigid and analytical about the clothes that they’re looking at. She’s very open and candid.
The film begins with her finally confirming her husband’s death after years of it being in question. How do you think that change affected her mindset, because it’s after that she really latches on to wanting a Dior dress?
I mean, I think she sort of knows, he’s been lost in action for seven years. But it’s never been confirmed. But I’m sure having that definitive news is a very different set of emotions. And you’re right, that is the point in which she feels that she’s free to do as she wants, but it coincides with her seeing this dress that the not very pleasant woman she works for owns. And she starts to think. “Well, all that separates me from that dress is 500 pounds.” And that’s when the film becomes really, really lovely, because she gets the money and she goes to Paris. But I don’t think she would have done that in case Eddie came back at any point. And now that she knows that he isn’t coming back for certain, she’s admirably moving forward with her life. And that’s what’s lovely about her.
How was it to get into the wardrobe for this movie? These dresses are stunning.
The Dior gowns are copies of the originals so everything’s accurate. That’s just lovely because those clothes make you feel something. I love clothes myself, I can’t deny that I love putting on a nice frock and they were really beautiful, beautiful dresses. Jenny, the costume designer [Beavan] was brilliant in getting Ada’s look as Ada the cleaner look. Her little touches like embellishing her clothes and embellishing her hats with flowers and other things. It was very true of that time because you’d come out of the war and fashion was not available in the same degree that it had been and it was expensive and fabric wasn’t available. It wasn’t just food that was rationed, everything was rationed. Ada is a cheerful person, so she makes her daytime clothes as bright as possible. Jenny was brilliant with all the little details that helped Ada get on her feet.
This film was shot in Budapest, and not Paris, according to my understanding. How was it like?
We did spend one day in Paris, the scene where Natasha appeared. [Alba Baptista]Ada rides in her red sports car. We needed Paris to capture the Eiffel Tower and all that. It was difficult to capture that scene without seeing the 21st Century underneath. The angle was so they could see our faces up, then did some CGI. We did most of the work in Budapest, with the exception of a few days in London. Budapest is beautiful. It really is reminiscent of old Paris. Architecturally, they’re very similar. We were in the middle of COVID, and it was difficult, we couldn’t go out as much as we wanted to. But, I had a wonderful apartment to live in. I would bring people along and test every day. It was an amazing time, even with the challenges of COVID.
In the film, there are two or three mentions of Princess Margaret, who you’re portraying in “The Crown.”I am aware that she had an established relationship with Dior. I’m assuming those mentions were just coincidences?
Yes, it is. You wouldn’t put that in for an in-joke. It was there before I started to play Princess Margaret. Ada refers to her once when she’s having her costume fitting. She might have said something along the lines of, “What I like about her, she’s a little bit naughty.”It has obviously become a “nod, nod” moment. “There you go, I’m playing her.” So yeah, it’s nice. But I think people would think we’ve put it in deliberately, which of course we haven’t, you wouldn’t do things like that.
Do you remember speaking to Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Kirby or Princess Margaret about your performance? Or anyone who had ever met Margaret in real life.
No, I haven’t. I mean, obviously, I’ve watched Vanessa and Helena play the roles. It was a great honor to pass the baton from them both, as they were simply amazing. It was something I had known for several years that I would do, so I read the books and let it sink in. But you know, at the end of the day, it’s a drama and it’s a script, and it’s not a documentary. You use the script material you have. It’s easy to fall in love with Helena and Vanessa. Who didn’t? And who wouldn’t mind playing her at a very different time of her life? It’s a quieter life she’s having when I’m playing her, because I’m playing her in the last 15 years of her life. It took a new turn. Of course, all that these actresses did, I filtered into. They brought out the wild, chaotic, and naughty side to her. And I just absorbed all of that and I’m playing a woman who has been that person and is now contemplating a different phase of her life.
There are many projects in the future. There’s this film, there’s “The Crown,” there’s the “Dangerous Liaisons”Show, and a few other items. Was it difficult to film all of this back-to back?
I hear what you’re saying. But the truth is, I’m just a bit more in the public eye now. I’ve worked almost continuously my whole life. However, now I do junkets. Post “Phantom Thread,” I’m doing things at a slightly different level. And my responsibility is to do a lot more press and publicize the things I’m in. That’s just a kind of shift in that area. But I’m not doing any more work than I’ve ever done, really. It’s being shouted about a bit more, because I’m a bit more well known now.
Three more are available “Mrs. Harris” novels. Is there any plan to make a sequel? Do you have plans to make a sequel?
Yes, they would love to read more books. That’s what I meant. “Mrs. Harris Goes to New York,” “Mrs. Harris becomes an MP.” But I think sensibly, they’re gonna say, “Well, let’s see how this first one does.”Then go from there. It is very logical and logical in film language. They’re not going to commit now to doing a film, if we don’t have you know, good reviews and good box office from from this one. I mean, that’s just business, isn’t it? But of course I’d be interested.
This conversation has been edited.