Veteran stage and screen star Penelope Wilton has revealed she had to insist on keeping her character’s graphic death scene in the cult comedy Shaun of the Dead, after the director deemed it too frightening.
In a wide-ranging discussion, the actor recounted how director Edgar Wright wanted her to “tone it down” after filming her demise as a zombie. Wilton, who played the character of Philip’s mother, Barbara, refused, stating, “I’ve turned into a zombie, for goodness sake. This is how they die.” She told the production team they would simply have to cut the scene if they disliked her performance, rather than have her deliver a less impactful version.
The acclaimed performer also shared a variety of other career anecdotes. She expressed a long-held desire to play a villain in a James Bond film, citing the character Rosa Klebb as an inspiration. She described working with Ricky Gervais on After Life as “wonderful,” praising his empathy, and said she would collaborate with him again “at the drop of a hat.”
Her role as Homily Clock in the adaptation of The Borrowers has earned her a surprisingly diverse fanbase. She recalled being recognised by a very tall Rastafarian man on Portobello Road who told her he had loved the show as a child.
On the challenges of portraying real-life royalty, she explained that playing the Queen Mother required significant padding, as the royal was shorter and had a larger bust. For her role as the Queen in The BFG, she revealed she placed dog biscuits in her handbag, believing it was something the monarch would carry for her corgis.
When asked about the possibility of further Downton Abbey projects, in which she played Isobel Crawley, she said she could not persuade producers, though she suggested a prequel might be a future possibility. She noted that she is recognised for different roles by different demographics, with younger fans most often associating her with her part in the zombie comedy.
