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Actress Helen McCrory: ‘I’m at my most powerful now’

Taking More Risks at 45

By Daphne Lockyer | April 5, 2014 | Daily Mail

Abandoning her no-nudity clause, starring in romantic dramas opposite men 20 years her junior… Actress Helen McCrory tells Daphne Lockyer why, at 45, she is taking more risks with her career than ever before

Helen wears diamond earrings, Adler, adler.ch

Helen McCrory has asked for our interview to take place at an unpretentious gastropub just around the corner from her home in Tufnell Park, North London. She arrives without fuss or fanfare, on foot, dressed simply in a parka for warmth over a black skirt, opaque tights and a well-cut black blouse that she picked up in a little shop in Paris. ‘Fashion mecca for 5ft 2in midgets like myself,’ she laughs.

She is, indeed, tiny, yet the straight-backed posture, deep gravelly voice and ultra-posh vowels of the diplomat’s daughter that she is make her seem, somehow, statuesque. Jewellery-wise, too, she wears nothing more than a plain titanium engagement ring and a wedding band that she agreed to have made from more expensive platinum, after some badgering from her husband Damian Lewis, the actor and star of the hit TV series Homeland.

‘Not that you can really tell the difference,’ she says, rotating the rings for my inspection. ‘When my dad saw them he said, “What is Damian, a bl**** plumber?”’ she hoots. Continue reading Actress Helen McCrory: ‘I’m at my most powerful now’

Categories Behind The Scenes Damian Lewis Interviews Personal and Family Life Print Media

Helen McCrory: Behind the Scenes on the December Issue Christmas Party Shoot

Talking All Things Festive

It might be mid-August when we meet Helen McCrory to shoot Red’s December issue, but her hilarious cackle tells you she is looking forward to the festive break. Within minutes, she has the whole team laughing hysterically about her recent purchase of two miniature hamsters and her search for the perfect Emmy dress (her husband Damian Lewis was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Nicholas Brody in Homeland).

Fast forward three hours and it’’s starting to feel festive. Talk has turned to winding down for the Christmas break, but for one of the UK’’s leading actresses, she’ll be cutting it to the wire.

Continue reading Helen McCrory: Behind the Scenes on the December Issue Christmas Party Shoot

Categories Damian Lewis Interviews Personal and Family Life Print Media

My Life in Travel: Helen McCrory

 ‘I was a teenager in Paris and I was proposed to there. It’s special to me’

Laura Holt |

Helen McCrory is an actress. She is currently appearing in BBC2’s crime drama, Peaky Blinders, which concludes this Thursday at 9pm

First holiday memory?

Buying a postcard in the Seychelles of a flamenco dancer. The dress was sewn with cotton: she had black hair and a yellow dress, bright red beads and a castanet. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It’s had a huge influence on my wardrobe ever since. My father was a diplomat so we lived in Africa – in Cameroon and Tanzania – and also in Norway and Paris.

Favourite place in the British Isles?

Wales. We go to Damian’s family [McCrory is married to the actor, Damian Lewis]. They have a place in the Brecon Beacons. My grandfather, who is also Welsh, used to call it “God’s country”. I might not be religious, but I do agree.

Ideal travelling companion?

My husband, Damian. I think that might be quite a few people’s answer, but I just happen to be married to him. We travel a lot and he’s ideal because he’s very interested in where we go and in meeting people. He always reserves judgement. I think that’s very important.

Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?

We just got back from the north of Ibiza. I loved discovering all those little coves, the little beaches and eating really good sardines on plastic tables in huts beside the beach. We walked around the Old Town and sailed on a yacht. I was completely charmed. Continue reading My Life in Travel: Helen McCrory