Glenda Jackson Talks ELIZABETH IS MISSING, the Future of the Arts Industry, Gender Equality, and More!

Glenda Jackson is returning to British TV with new show Elizabeth is Missing. She recently chatted with Variety about her role, the future of the arts industry, and more.

"I've had years with no employment and every time I finish a show, whether film, TV or theater, I'm convinced I'll never work again," she said when asked about the pandemic's impact on the industry. "I hope people will send me good scripts, but it doesn't matter if they don't."

On the future of the theater, she said, "In theater, it's not so much having shows to do but whether an audience will be sufficiently confident to come and watch them. It's good that the British government has found money for the cultural sector because it does earn this country a lot of money. But when will an audience return?"

In regards to Elizabeth is Missing, Jackson was asked if she thinks the gender equality in TV drama has improved.

"Women have made strides in creating more equality as far as our gender is concerned, but we are no means there yet," she said. "Like most industries, most decision makers in TV are still men. Of course there are moves, but it's still a fence that has to be got over."

Read the full interview on Variety.

Adapted from Emma Healey's hugely successful novel by Andrea Gibb (Swallows And Amazons), Elizabeth Is Missing is directed by Bafta award-winning Aisling Walsh (Room At The Top) and produced by STV Productions.

Elizabeth Is Missing combines a gripping mystery with a tender yet unflinching exploration of one woman's struggle with dementia. When her best friend Elizabeth goes missing, Maud is convinced that something terrible has happened, and sets out to solve the mystery. But with her dementia worsening, unfinished business unearthed and the past and present starting to merge, Maud's search takes on a poignant urgency. Will Maud be able to discover the truth before she loses herself completely?