Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast Harriet Walter on what Shakespeare's women might have said
May 19, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dame Harriet Walter, acclaimed actor from Succession and Killing Eve, shares her insights on Shakespeare's female characters. She reflects on her 50-year journey in theater, emphasizing the complexities of roles like Ophelia and Cleopatra. Walter critiques the constraints of gender roles in Shakespeare's time and highlights the emotional power of soliloquies. She also reads a poignant sonnet that connects love, identity, and freedom, showcasing the depth of women’s voices in the bard's plays through her book, She Speaks!
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Early Influences Shaped Acting Dream
- Harriet Walter's first exposure to Shakespeare came from watching Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave.
- Yet her acting ambition sparked watching Hayley Mills in The Parent Trap film, desiring to be watched and pretend.
Harriet Walter's Ophelia Breakthrough
- Harriet Walter shares her experience playing Ophelia around age 30, marking a key moment in her Shakespeare career.
- She recounts how she developed Ophelia's backstory privately to manage rehearsal anxiety and enrich her portrayal.
Cleopatra's Heavenly Disillusionment
- Harriet Walter reads Cleopatra's disillusioned speech in heaven, revealing the character's lost grandeur.
- The speech critiques Shakespeare's portrayal as reducing Cleopatra to a narcissist craving an audience.