Anna Nugent

photo by Ben Blackall for Lancashire Life
photo by Ben Blackall for Lancashire Life
Though I’m sure that I saw Sarah Lancashire over the years on Corry, she came fully to my attention with Happy Valley. What a strong, nuanced and full performance. I love characters that have multiple layers and Ms. Lancashire can play them with aplomb! I was completely on her side; even when she made horrendous missteps I could see her reasoning and I pulled for her. She broke my heart too with her vulnerability weaved in through her fighter core. This is a true woman, a woman who is a caretaker, even when her own heart has been bitterly broken. A woman who is soldiering on even when the joy of life is no longer there for her. And then, we were introduced to The Last Tango in Halifax and I fell deeper in love with Ms. Sarah Lancashire. Here she was bringing her signature truth to another role, and again her ability to share and cover her raw emotion is second to none. The subtle, yet full of force emotions that play in her eyes during the scenes with the character of Celia are heartbreaking. Never have I heard such real dialogue so deftly played as between Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker (characters Caroline and Gillian). Of course I cannot deny that another common denominator in this equation is the brilliant writing of Sally Wainwright (and Red Production Company), but we’ll save that for another day. Needless to say I am smitten with the actress Sarah Lancashire and the characters that she brings to life. I love that she feels like a very real woman to me. Beautiful? Absolutely, but ultimately real – she feels like someone I know. More Sarah Lancashire please!