The Split’s Nicola Walker says series return “genuinely felt like a gift”

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Nicola Walker

As a devoted fan of both Nicola Walker and Stephen Mangan, I find myself utterly captivated by their insightful reflections on family dynamics, Christmas traditions, and the allure of transformative characters like Scrooge.

Were you surprised to be saying ¡hola! again to the Defoes?

The Split is billed as a legal drama, but it’s really a family drama.

I find the dynamics of small families particularly intriguing, as my immediate family consists only of a brother. It’s astounding how sisters can sometimes be subtly hurtful yet swiftly move past it. When we initially portrayed such scenes, I was taken aback, while those with sisters were nodding in understanding recognition.

What does your Christmas Day involve?

So you prefer New Year?

Oh dear! As the New Year rolls in, I find myself pondering over a list of things I aspire to accomplish. Top on that list is improving my fitness and diet, as well as getting my life more organized. However, it seems like these resolutions often slip away from me, so I think I’ll lay low until mid-February, then reappear as the slightly unpredictable person I’ve always been.

So no New Year resolutions or ambitions for work in 2025?

Instead of expressing, “I’ve never thought, ‘I want to give the world my Lady Macbeth!'” it could be rephrased as: “I haven’t dreamed about sharing my interpretation of Lady Macbeth with the entire world.” However, my true passion lies in modern British literature, and there’s a certain thrill when I receive an email containing a fresh script that hasn’t been widely read yet.

Stephen Mangan

What will your Christmas be like?

Since our parents aren’t here anymore, our Christmas celebrations take place with my wife’s family instead. Her brothers and mother gather at our countryside home for a week or so during the festive season. There’s a certain charm to spending the cold winter days together that feels truly enchanting.

In 2021, you portrayed Scrooge in A Christmas Carol during the holiday season. Is it enjoyable for you to work around the holidays?

After my father passed away in 2013, I chose to work during Christmas as it seemed too painful to celebrate. I felt like there wasn’t much point in it. Fortunately, Matthew Macfadyen and I collaborated on Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense, which helped me get through a tough period. Performing Scrooge at the Old Vic was an absolute delight. It’s no wonder that the production continues to thrive, and many actors aspire to play that role.

Why is that?

It’s seldom that you get to portray a character who undergoes such a drastic transformation. The intriguing part is witnessing the gradual softening of a man who was so tense and unyielding for so long. Bringing this internal conflict to life is an exhilarating challenge, but what makes this tale so powerful, even after 180 years, is its relatability for many men. Scrooge shields himself from pain by being harsh, but he eventually reaches his limit and succumbs. You could say he experiences a sort of breakdown. However, fundamentally, it’s a narrative about redemption.

Why do we like stories with happy endings?

It seems to me that we’re all aware of the eventual outcomes of our personal narratives. Regardless of whether one subscribes to Christianity with its promise of everlasting life or Buddhism with its belief in reincarnation, there exists a shared yearning, a desire for tales where the conclusion surpasses our own happiness.

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2024-12-10 16:05