Bubble and Squeak
For the majority of people, the name Jane Horrocks conjures up two images: Bubble, the Absolutely Fabulous secretary; and the long-suffering daughter in everyone's favourite supermarket ads. She herself admits that most people who recognize her in the street do so for one of those two roles, and particularly dislikes being recognised primarily for her role in an advert she accepted solely "out of greed". Personally, I see nothing wrong in earning a huge wad of cash for a minimal amount of work when the opportunity presents itself, but Horrocks is keen to explain that she tries as hard as possible not to accept "crap". In fact, she insists that her art is far more dear to her than money. She has turned down opportunities to try her luck in Hollywood, and seems to be fighting her self-confessed greed in an attempt to quit the Tesco series.
Horrocks tells me she is often surprised, however, by the number of people who have seen the film Little Voice, which she considers to have been her finest role. The stage part of the film was written specifically for her, and a public outcry when Gwyneth Paltrow was offered the part she had made her own saw Horrocks land the screen job too. If you have never seen this film, and your experience of her work is limited to her more lighthearted outings, Little Voice will open your eyes to an entertainer with much more to offer. Although she modestly admits that if she sang in her own voice: "I would probably sound like Gracie Fields", her impressions of - amongst others - Shirley Bassey and Marilyn Monroe are of the highest calibre. Many critics believe that an Oscar nomination was deserved for the way in which she portrayed the timid young woman whose big singing voice brings her undreamed of success.
The media have played a key role in Horrocks' career on more than just this one occasion, however. She is clearly still bitter about the furore caused by her infamous urination on stage when playing the mad Lady Macbeth in Mark Riley's production of the Scottish play. "If I'd have said it was a contraption it would have been much easier" she says, clearly ruing not having done so. Moreover, she disagrees when I suggest that perhaps the attention it created attracted audiences, saying: "it was more of a nuisance". In fact, this episode is in my view most significant as a demonstration of Horrocks' professionalism: no-one else would clean up after her, so: "on the press night I was there on my hands and knees, scrubbing the floor with Dettox". One wonders how many other well-paid and well-respected actresses would have that sort of commitment.
Despite these occasional bouts of media interest, Jane Horrocks is happy with not being too big a name in the showbiz world. She's a celebrity all right, as the full house attending a question and answer session with her at the Union proved, but by no means A-list. And that seems to please her: "If I was in a soap opera I don't think I'd be able to cope!" she says. She's co-starred on the big screen with Michael Caine, done comedy with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, and sung with Robbie Williams, but she has nevertheless managed to retain, in her words: "a certain anonymity. People have a nice quiet respect." When she goes out shopping or travels on the Tube: "normally people just look or whisper."
Perhaps fifteen years ago, a career in the spotlight would have seemed more appealing, but after settling down with a TV writer husband and two children, she accepts that her ambition has waned somewhat: "Certainly. Massive amounts. I've accepted a lot of rubbish, but I've also turned a lot down."
Jane Horrocks is one of the most talented character actresses in Britain today, and is already on the way to building a reputation of the sort boasted by the woman whose career she says she wants - Julie Walters. Moreover, she is a vocalist of genuine talent. That fantastic creation Bubble - based on her five-year old niece - may have endeared her to a nation of Ab Fab fans, but there is a lot more to Jane Horrocks than just that.
14th Feb 2002