Interview: Michele Austin Talks CYRANO DE BERGERAC at the Harold Pinter Theatre

The last time we had a chat with Michele Austin, we lived in a different world. It was 2019 and we were talking about The Hunt at the Almeida. It's shocking to think how much everything has changed since then. Now she's reprising her role in Jamie Lloyd's Cyrano de Bergerac in the West, starring alongside James McAvoy.

First of all, how have you been?

I've had a pretty good theatrical Covid experience. I've been very lucky. I was working right up to the first lockdown, then I was at the National (in Manor), and I did a few filming bits around all the lockdowns that we had. I always feel like I can't really complain when people ask me how it's been, I just know how tough it's been for so many people. I've come out of it pretty unscathed.

I'm so pleased to hear it! The last time we spoke you were doing The Hunt at the Almeida, it's been so long! I'm so glad you're well.

Blimey! That was nearly three years ago now!

How do you feel about going back to Cyrano de Bergerac?

I'm very excited to be doing the show again. Usually it's a one-off with theatre, so it's special.

Has the theatre-making process changed with Covid?

It has, but so have we. It's changed in terms with how we work with each other - there's so much emphasis on health and safety now. And space too. We rehearse with our mask on and we take it off only when we're in a scene. We're not all over each other anymore. Everybody's working life has changed and we've all had to adapt. There's a little bit of sadness. I was thinking about the first time we were rehearsing this and it was just so different. We had to get used to the masks and to keep our distance. We also have new people on board, which makes it a different experience too.

Unfortunately, we lost one of our company members, Seun Shote. We miss it very much and we think about him a lot. He was brilliant and very funny, such a lovely man. So, yes, it has changed. But I also think we might benefit from change. Not only we're post-pandemic but we're also post-#MeToo. Because of how we need to respect space, there's also a lot more respect in terms of how we work with one another and their boundaries.

But even with all the masks and everything, we're still rehearsing a show, so the core of theatre-making remains the same. There's just a lot more testing. A lot of plastic sticks. It's now part of the gig: we test constantly. We need to look after each other to look after the show. We all understand why we need to do certain things to protect those around us. Two years down the line, it's normal.

Has what you look for in a project changed from before the pandemic?

No, it hasn't changed for me. I've been doing this for a while now so I'm lucky to have a choice in what I do. I try to avoid things that don't interest me. Sometimes you've got bills to pay and school shoes to buy, but I've been very lucky. I'm able to choose things I either find interesting or I haven't done before. And sometimes when you think you can't do something, you probably should do it.

For instance this one, when I first read it I thought it was brilliant. But it was also scary to think how it was going to work with rhyming couplets everywhere! It's always a good reason to give it a go. But I don't think my choices have changed. I love doing something I believe in, or something that interests me or that's a bit of a laugh. I'm saying that as an older actor who's not starting out. When I was younger I had to do whatever was offered. But now I'm very lucky. Because of the slight added stress of Covid you want to do things you enjoy.

Especially now that you can't go out and party and you're sort of stuck in the bubble of a show because you can't risk your and other people's health, you'd be pretty miserable if you weren't doing a show you love or believe in. We're all giving up a bit of freedom to do a show these days. It's part of the deal.

Tell us about your character, Ragueneau

In the original by Edmond Rostand it's a man, but in our version by Martin Crimp Ragueneau is a woman. Leila Ragueneau is Cyrano's friend. He doesn't have many confidantes, so she's one of his closest friends in the play. She runs a café-slash-poetry school and she is herself a poet in a world where everybody is interested in rhymes. I love her, to put it simply. She's a lot cooler than me so I get to pretend I'm very cool. I'm not as cool as Leila.

What I love about this production - and what Jamie [Lloyd] has done with it - is that it shows you that everybody has something that they're hiding, whether it's something good or bad. Everybody is perhaps secretly in love with someone they shouldn't be in love with or they're not brave enough to say it. Everybody has insecurities. I love being able to explore that. My character is also really funny. Martin has written some brilliant rhymes. It's a joyous thing when you get it right and people laugh.

There's a poem she recites, about death. It's extraordinary. And real. I actually have it up on the wall above my desk right now. It's such a privilege to get to say it on stage. It's a dream come true to say something so beautiful in such a wonderful production. I love the words, I really love the words. And it's beautiful to be in such a great company. Everyone is just so lovely - and I've been in companies where sometimes people weren't so nice.

It's wonderful to be led by somebody like James [McAvoy], who's so present and up for trying things. When you have that at the helm, you feel like you're safe to try things. It's really fun.

As your character is traditionally male, are there any differences between the original and Leila?

Oh gosh, no. I don't know! I didn't go into the Rostand version. I can't go down that cul-de-sac. I only know what's in the piece we're doing. The triangle formed by Cyrano, Le Bret, and Leila is the older been-there-done-that group of people who've had their hearts broken the most. De Guiche too, actually. They're the war-wounded of the heart.

The relationship between Leila and Cyrano is a long-standing friendship, but I wonder how close she's been allowed to go. She knows that she's as close as anyone has ever been. She admires him and loves him. It's like when you have a brilliant friend who makes terrible mistakes but you can't help but love them because they're brilliant. Cyrano is the brilliant, chaotic friend who gets into trouble.

How would you describe your character?

She is cool, witty, and calm. She understands that in order to get on in the world, you need to make some concessions. In the 1640s in order to get published you needed to make some concessions to the authorities and she understands it's part of the game. That's where she clashes with Cyrano. She's also so full of love and desperate to share it with someone.

Did you have a specific inspiration for your character?

From the very start Jamie has led us towards creating characters who come from inside of us and not putting on a limp and a funny accent or things like that. In terms of who she's like, I very much modelled her on the cool women of Hackney and Hoxton. There's one particular woman who doesn't look like her at all, she has a cake shop in Soho where I've been going to and Iove her. She knows everybody and she loves everybody. She hangs out with everyone.

The story's always been popular but now, with social media and impossible beauty standards, it resonates differently.

This production of this play resonated with a lot of people because we're all different colours and sizes and genders and creeds. Usually it would be about the nose and two impossibly beautiful people, but in this case it's different. Of course they're beautiful but it's evolved beyond that. I think lockdown's been really difficult when it comes to body image. More than a few of us have been wondering if we were going to fit into our trousers.

This show is not about how beautiful and gorgeous people can be, or how ugly. There's 18 of us on stage, all with very different bodies and people and experiences. It's pretty cool. We all scroll through Instagram thinking everyone else has a better life than we do, or they have a better house, or healthier plants.

What's your favourite thing about the play?

There's a bit that nobody can see, we're all on stage with the safety iron down. We're all together, having a bit of a laugh, hearing the audience come in. It's a good gang of people and we're all standing there, feeling the heat of the room coming towards you as the curtain comes up. The first time we did that was pretty special, and it remains very exciting to be able to stare out into a beautiful West End theatre and into the eyes of an audience. It feels good. It's the stuff you dream about. This was my first show in the West End when we first did it and there's still a lump in my throat when I think about it.

Cyrano de Bergerac runs at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 12 March.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

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