• [Daily Mirror Icon]
• 3am
• Celebrity News
• Claire Foy

EXCLUSIVE: Claire Foy reveals reason Dame Maggie Smith 'took pity' on her

The actress discusses her new family film Magic Faraway Tree, work-life balance challenges, and life after splitting from actor Stephen Campbell Moore in 2018

[Claire Foy is opening up on her new film after the success of her role in Netflix's The Crown]

View 5 Images

Claire Foy is opening up on her new film after the success of her role in Netflix's The Crown

Her enchanting new film, The Magic Faraway Tree , was a box office smash over Easter, delighting children and adults alike and after a clutch of rather gritty roles, it came as a breath of fresh air for actress Claire Foy.

Based on the much-loved series of books by Enid Blyton, the drama follows Polly and Tim Thompson, played by Claire and Andrew Garfield, and their three children after they ditch high-tech city living for the remote English countryside. As they adapt to their new lives, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents.v

Mum-of-one Claire, who achieved global fame thanks to her brilliant portrayal of the young Elizabeth II in Netflix show The Crown , says she related to her stressed-out character Polly and the challenges of juggling work and childcare all too well.

[Claire stars in a new film alongside Andrew Garfield titled, The Magic Faraway Tree ]

View 5 Images

Claire stars in a new film alongside Andrew Garfield titled, The Magic Faraway Tree

I think working and trying to do anything else at the same time is pretty harsh, especially in the modern world, she tells us. So much is required of us to succeed in all sorts of different areas. Otherwise, youre getting it all wrong.

And then at some point which no ones ever reminded of youve also got to keep yourself sane and take care of yourself, and at some point, eat and have a wash. And theres not really enough hours in the day to do that.

Claire, who turns 42 this week, gave birth to her daughter Ivy Rose in 2015, just before she started filming The Crown . As a new mum, working long hours on set came with its challenges, but Claire says shes incredibly proud of herself for managing to carve out a career while also raising her young child.

Even so, the self-deprecating star who split from Ivy Roses father, actor Stephen Campbell Moore, in 2018 admits that balancing work and motherhood isnt exactly a recipe for domestic bliss.

I think the expectations that are on working parents are really hard, and I certainly never found the answer, she says. I still dont know the answer. I still think its an absolute s**t show in my house. Theres no way of it ever being perfect, I dont think. You just have to try and hope that everybodys in some way happy, and thats all you can do. From my own personal experience, I found it very, very difficult.

Born in Stockport in 1984, Claire grew up in Buckinghamshire, the youngest of three children and of a very large family. Being low down in the pecking order at home meant she had to fight for attention a situation which she believes made an acting career all the more inevitable.

I got used to being ignored and then wanting not to be ignored, she says. So I was very loud and I tried to get lots of attention. And youll find thats a thread between lots of actors they just search for that attention all their life and then they get it in some way [laughs], whether thats being on stage, or being on TV.

While studying film and drama at Liverpool John Moores University, with a view to doing something behind the scenes, Claire was encouraged to go to drama school by a tutor who spotted her potential. Once at The Oxford School Of Drama, she quickly realised the stage was her calling.

[Claire is also known for her role in The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II]

View 5 Images

Claire is also known for her role in The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II

That was where I suddenly went, Oh my God, I actually want to do this, she recalls. I want to do all the pretending stuff. And then I just tried to do it.

Her early roles included TV period drama Little Dorrit and, in 2011, the Nicolas Cage movie, Season Of The Witch , which is where she met her former husband, Stephen. It was the most incredible experience, she says. I was, like, 23. Id done a play and Id done a British TV show and then I was in Budapest with Nicolas Cage. I was like, What on earth?

On stage, she played Lady Macbeth opposite James McAvoy and in 2015 relished taking a small part in the movie The Lady In The Van , which resulted in a highly memorable encounter with its star, Dame Maggie Smith.

[Claire Foy split from her daughter, Ivy Roses father, actor Stephen Campbell Moore, in 2018]

5

View 5 Images

Claire Foy split from her daughter, Ivy Roses father, actor Stephen Campbell Moore, in 2018

[Claire is currently filming gritty drama Ink ]

5

View 5 Images

Claire is currently filming gritty drama Ink

I got to be a social worker who tried to give her [Maggie] some coats, she remembers. And she was so kind to me. Apparently, she told Nick [Hytner, the director], I like her after I left. And I was like, Can you write that down and Ill keep it forever? Maybe she took pity on me because I was pregnant and was looking a bit harassed.

That same year Claire landed the job of a lifetime playing another legendary royal Anne Boleyn, Henry VIIIs second wife in Wolf Hall . Then came The Crown , the show that brought her worldwide attention.

Having just given birth to her daughter shortly before filming began, Claire says it was a very, very intense time, but her portrayal of the young Elizabeth II was a triumph, going on to earn her two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.

While she recognises that playing the late monarch was an absolutely huge part of my career and life, Claire maintains that she wasnt worried about being typecast in posh roles.

By that point, I had been working for a good 10 years, so Id managed to navigate that whole thing, she says, adding with a laugh, And I dont think there are that many more queens, to be honest.

Earlier this year she earned more plaudits for playing a grief-stricken woman who trains a goshawk to help cope with her loss in H Is For Hawk , and shes currently filming gritty drama Ink , based on James Grahams play about media mogul Rupert Murdoch. We cant help feeling, at some point, a comedy might be a good idea?

I have done a comedy and it was a strange experience, she laughs. It was a TV show called Hacks [not to be confused with the US comedy-drama starring Jean Smart] and I struggled with the lack of laughter on set. [Comedy] is very hard. I watch people do it and Im like, How are you doing that? Maybe I wasnt very funny!

Like this story? F or more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

[Daily Mirror Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.