I was terrified of taking on this role ... I thought it would give me a heart attack, says Helen McCrory

 
“Honoured”: Helen McCrory with her co-star Danny Sapani (Picture: Dave Benett)
Dave Benett
Anna Dubuis22 July 2014
The Weekender

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The grim story of the murderous mother in Euripides’ Medea still resonates with oppressed women almost 2,500 years after it was written, says Helen McCrory.

Medea is the Greek tragic heroine who murders her children to exact revenge on her husband Jason after he betrays her for a new wife.

For McCrory, 45, whose roles have ranged from Cherie Blair, whom she portrayed twice on screen, to Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, it is her most challenging yet.

“I’m very nervous to see how it will be received,” she said. “It’s a huge leap of faith. I was terrified of taking it on because I thought it would give me a heart attack. Then I realised I’m not actually Medea, I just act it, but it is an extraordinary role and an honour to play.”

Medea may be making its debut at the National but it was first produced in Athens in 431BC. Its staying power, McCrory says, comes from its relevance to injustices and gender inequality in today’s world. Rather than pass Medea off as a villain, mother-of-two McCrory said she sees parallels between the protagonist’s life and those of the oppressed around the world.

She said: “You read in the papers every day how disenfranchised people are and the anger and fury that comes from that and people feeling they don’t have a voice. We do have equality in this country but that’s not true of everywhere.

“To be a woman and to know that you are second to men. We have to remind ourselves that we’re privileged and not forget those who aren’t. What happens to those people who you ignore and tread upon, what happens if they came back and had a voice, what would they say?

“This is just a story but I think Euripides wrote it as a warning.”

The physically demanding role sees McCrory barely off stage during the 90-minute one-act play, revised and modernised by playwright Ben Power with a score by pop duo Goldfrapp.

“You do treat yourself like an athlete,” she said. “Every morning you check your body, you feel your muscles and your throat and make sure you are how you need to be.”

McCrory’s husband Damian Lewis, star of espionage thriller Homeland, was at the opening night of Medea, which runs until September 4.

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