She’s not an actress: film co-star Lesley Manville attacks decision to cast Susan Boyle

 
Anna Dubuis9 December 2013
The Weekender

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Actress Lesley Manville has launched a withering attack on her co-star Susan Boyle’s big-screen debut.

Manville said the decision to cast Boyle for a cameo in multi-million-dollar drama The Christmas Candle was “disturbing”.

Her comments came shortly before Boyle revealed she had been diagnosed with Asperger’s — a form of autism that affects social interaction and communication skills.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, Manville hinted that the decision to cast the Britain’s Got Talent star in the film rankled with the cast and crew.

The Bafta-nominated actress told Kirsty Lang: “She sings, and that’s wonderful, but she’s not an actress. It’s a shame such a nice cameo role was not in the hands of any number of actresses who can act and sing and would have done it admirably... People lose patience and then editing compromises happen.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 08: Actress Lesley Manville arrives on the red carpet for the Moet British Independent Film Awards at Old Billingsgate Market on December 8, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images for The Moet British Independent Film Awards)

“I’m not comfortable with all of that and I find it disturbing.”

She added: “It’s not Susan’s fault at all...but I don’t think it is right.”

Manville, 57, best known for her work with director Mike Leigh, was nominated in the best actress category at this year’s Evening Standard Theatre awards for her performance in Ghosts, which is transferring to the West End from the Almeida.

She also expressed discomfort at the “religious agenda” of the film produced by one-time US presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s evangelical studio EchoLight. She said: “It became clear the film had a kind of slant to it that was perhaps not necessarily to my taste.”

Boyle, 52, whose rise to fame in 2009 was accompanied by concerns about her well-being, revealed her diagnosis of Asperger’s yesterday.

The Christmas Candle is released in UK cinemas on Friday.

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