Bafta award-winning actress Monica Dolan has revealed she fell in love with acting because it gave her "a feeling that I didn't get from anywhere else". The Mr Bates Vs the Post Office star said she first discovered her passion for performance at school.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Dolan told presenter Lauren Laverne that acting provided her with a unique sense of recognition. "I think it was basically a feeling of being noticed, or being seen as people now say," she explained.
Preparing for Post Office role
Dolan, who won an Olivier award for All About Eve and a Bafta for Appropriate Adult, received several award nominations for her portrayal in the acclaimed ITV drama. She described her preparation process for playing real-life subpostmistress Jo Hamilton in the series about the Horizon IT scandal.
The actress explained her method for getting into character required putting herself in the role. "You have to think, well if I was this person, how would I behave?" she said, adding that Hamilton was "definitely more approachable than most people that I've played".
Recording life stories
Dolan revealed a particularly effective technique she used to prepare for the role. She asked Hamilton to record a 15-minute version of her life story up to the point where the script begins, which proved invaluable during filming preparation.
"I could listen to her voice, and I'd have her voice in my head, and also I'd have her background in my head," Dolan explained. "That was very useful indeed because you're kind of absorbing that person."
Pride in campaigners
The actress expressed deep admiration for those who fought for justice following the Post Office scandal. "I was immensely proud of people, for being that collectively angry," she said of the campaigners who pursued accountability.
During her Desert Island Discs appearance, Dolan shared her musical choices and desert island preferences. Her luxury item would be a walk-in wardrobe containing a cold glass of champagne and a new outfit for every day, whilst she would take a book on flora and fauna to identify wildlife on the island.
Her musical selections included childhood favourite The Tra La La Song from The Banana Splits, MacArthur Park by Richard Harris, and Us Amazonians by Kirsty MacColl, whom she described as "tremendous".
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
