Ophelia Lovibond Talks About Her Latest Film ‘Tommy’s Honour’
RG– Since you are playing a real person, what kind of research did you do for Meg?
Ophelia-I did a lot of research but there was not a lot of information about her. But she had a baby(that died) out of wedlock and was shamed by her Church. That meant she had to sit at the front of the church while the congregation called her names, now that would usually go in for months but with Meg it only happened once. And by the way the man would get away without any retribution. I think that experience just made her stronger in spirit and there was something about her that was special. And when she met Tommy she didn’t want him to be stigmatized by being with her since she had this child out of wedlock and was older than him. I think the fact that she was only shamed once which showed how she conducted herself in the village she wasn’t rude but she wasn’t this meek kind of person and it seemed obvious she was respected and liked by the villagers to some extent. And you can see in the film she was funny and wouldn’t take flack from folks. She became a maid at one of the top homes and it may not seem like anything today but for that time period it was a massive accomplishment.
RG– There is a scene in the restaurant when Meg serves Tommy and she is bold and funny, was this a moment that established her feminism?
Ophelia– Yes, that was in the script and when I read that scene it just seemed so much like what Meg would do and with Meg there was no pretense, she was who she was take it or leave it. She was not rude she just had the audacity to handle herself in any situation.
RG: In the scene where Tommy buys Meg a dress and when she exits the store a gentleman tips his hat and calls her a Lady what did that feel like?
Ophelia: For Meg’s character she found it amazing and silly that just by wearing a fancy dress an assumption was made about her status. So when she looks at Tommy they both laugh at the situation knowing that clothes and their station in life does not define their character. It also clear that Meg never needed or wanted Tommy to buy her anything but his response was who else can he spend it on and he loved spoiling her.
RG:You and Jack Lowden(plays Tommy Morris Jr.) had such great chemistry so how much time did you have to bond before shooting the film?
Ophelia– We actually didn’t have any time at all and the first time I met him was the day we shot the wedding scene. I was doing a play in Sheffield and couldn’t leave but I heard that Jack was a real nice guy and when we met we had an instant connection. It was the luck of the draw that we got on really well.
RG: Jason Connery is known for both an actor and director did you find that combination made for getting the best performance from you and the cast?
Ophelia-I think it’s a tremendous asset because he is not just looking at the shot but the scene and does it make sense to the actor. And he gave us time to develop the emotion needed for the roles and not just focusing on the the golf so it was just the perfect blend.
RG: What would you like the audience to come away with after watching ‘Tommy’s Honour’?
Ophelia: I would like the them to come away with the knowledge that persistence in life to your goals and dreams are important. If you are really, really passionate about some thing that you can’t give up if you stop it’s never going to happen. So no matter that job is don’t give up.
