Newcomer Hannah Onslow On Starring In This City Is Ours

All eight episodes of the BBC’s brand new Scouse mob drama This City Is Ours are streaming on BBC iPlayer. At the centre is Michael (James Nelson-Joyce), a man who has only ever known a life of crime – but starts to look to the future when he meets and falls for Diana (Hannah Onslow). We sat down with Hannah to hear al about it.

Interview: Hannah Onslow On This City Is Ours

Hi Hannah, how’s life going at the moment? 

Life is good! I am very excited for people to see the show; I couldn’t be happier at how it’s  turned out. We are all very proud of it. 

You’re about to star in This City Is Ours on the BBC – can you give us an elevator pitch for the  show?  

This City Is Ours is completely its own thing. I haven’t seen anything like it. At its core, it’s a  grounded family crime drama. It explores a criminal underworld full of power-plays,  emotional conflict and betrayal. But at the heart of it is a love story, a story about family,  and the lengths we go to for the ones we love the most, something that we can all relate  to. It is stylish and it is mega. 

You play Diana – how would you describe her?  

Diana is a complete anomaly. She’s a sommelier (very chic, very intelligent), and she’s incredibly complex, resilient, tough. She is one of those people who has a steel rod going straight through the core of her, but also has this enormous vulnerability. She’s learnt how she wants to appear to the world in order to hide who she is. She wants and needs to make something of her life. And alongside all of that, she is very chic. 

What was it like playing her? 

It was incredible to play someone so singular, and yet feel like she could just be any one of us  women. I think that was also the challenge as an actress: to get underneath those  opposing things and balance them simultaneously. It was such a privilege and a joy, and I  feel so lucky that the team trusted me with her. I love her and I was very lucky to be guided  by Saul Dibb for the first three episodes to really find her groove. He was wonderful: he really set all of us off on the right foot, and I think what he’s done with those episodes is just brilliant. Without spoiling anything, she goes on a real journey. I also got to wear some sensational clothing. 

Did you do anything special to prepare for the role or get into character? 

I read a book to better understand Diana’s childhood, which was very helpful. There were  also a few women I was researching incessantly, as I felt Diana had a very specific aura and I wanted to explore that gravitas. Lots of documentaries, a handful of films just to really wrap my head around the crime world (and other certain plot points that take place!). It was wonderful when I was acting with James, because who Diana and Michael both are at their core really comes out when we’re with each other – so to feel surprised and knocked off my centre on set and discover more about her and them as a couple was just wonderful. 

Any standout memories from rehearsals or filming? 

We shot for the first five weeks in Spain, and there was a whole day of coverage we needed to get around a pool where I am just lying on a sun lounger, but it took pretty much all day as  there were quite a few different shots needed. I just sunbathed the whole day. Which was  obviously a very hard day at work – but karma got me for being smug as I got severely  sunburnt, and the make-up department was not happy. Continuity nightmare!

Who was your favourite person to work with? 

A lot of my stuff was with James Nelson-Joyce. He is just the most wonderful actor: generous, kind, talented. Our relationship in the show is very emotionally intimate, and I felt very safe and relaxed with him, but still completely exhilarated. We struck gold with our three directors: Saul Dibb, John Hayes and Eshref Reybrouck. They felt like a real natural extension of one another yet completely unique in the way they work. In terms of consistency in shooting, our DOP Joel Devlin was first-class, and luckily he shot all eight episodes and it just looks  incredible, he was so in tune with all us actors and I think it shows. Our writer Stephen Butchard has created such an interesting and unique set of characters in this very grounded yet epic/dynamic world and alongside him we had amazing, passionate and kind producers who chose an incredible crew across the board and an amazing cast. Not all jobs  are like this and to love everyone so much is rare, so I couldn’t possibly pick. 

Diana Williams (HANNAH ONSLOW), Michael Kavanagh (JAMES NELSON-JOYCE) in This City Is Ours. (© BBC/Left Bank Pictures/James Stack)

It was mostly filmed in Liverpool. Any favourite locations? 

I loved being so close to the water (the docks): the fact that it’s such a buzzy city and full of  so much life and energy, and yet there is this huge body of water right next to it… I found it  very calming. Also, the beach being 15/20 minutes from the city centre is mental to me. We shot during the summer, so on a hot day I would go and learn my lines on Crosby beach. Gorgeous. 

What has been your favourite project to date? 

This City is Ours was an incredible project with incredible people working on it. I’ve never had  so much to do on a job, so it was huge for me on a personal professional level. So far, I have  really been so lucky to have worked on very cool and interesting projects, all very different  from one another and some with absolute mega stars in the biz. I’ve also made some of my  best friends in the world on jobs and there has genuinely been at least something really  special about each one I’ve had, and lots of learning experiences too. Empire of Light will  always be dear to me, and a short film called The Painting & The Statue was an unexpected gem. Unicorns I really loved, too. Oh, again, I can’t really pick! 

You’ve also got Jay Kelly coming up, which has a star-studded cast. What was that like to  work on? 

It was star-studded! It was very surreal in that sense – bonkers in fact. It was wonderful and I  spent some time with some really cool people whilst shooting. I’m not allowed to say  anything, so I’m being very diplomatic! But yes, it was very cool. 

Any other roles in the pipeline that you’re excited about? (If you’re allowed to tell us!)  

I can’t say! Or maybe I’m just saying what every actor says when they have no idea what is next… 

Who has been your favourite actor to work with in the past?  

I really am in awe, love and am potentially clinically obsessed with Sophie Thompson. We  played mother and daughter in Belgravia: The Next Chapter. She is exquisite. Hilarious,  ridiculously skilled and talented. A complete one-off. I simply adore her. If someone said they  didn’t like Sophie, I would advise them that they should go and see a doctor. 

Which co-star did you learn the most from? 

I’m going to say another extraordinary woman for this one: I spent quite a bit of time with  Olivia Colman when we were shooting Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light. Just being in her orbit, – and the same goes for Sophie T – is a really good place to be, for anyone. She takes it seriously but wears it lightly, has the best sense of humour and still produces extraordinary work. I think just being around her for as much as I was was a real gift, thinking back. I was terrified: I was 23 and she really chilled me out. She set a bar in a lot of ways, and I feel really grateful I had her as an example so early on in this. She gave me confidence. Aside from her work-wise, she’s just a magnetic and magnificent person. She’s the best. Love her. 

What’s your dream role? 

I’d love to do something on stage: something contemporary, simple but requiring huge stamina, super cathartic and gutsy. So whatever that is! 

What’s a genre you’d like to do more of? 

Comedy. 

Who is an actor, writer or director you’d love to work with? 

I love everything Andrea Arnold does, and I love Sean Baker. Fish Tank and The Florida  Project are two films that have always really stayed with me. I also loved Hoard by Luna Carmoon. 

Photography – David Reiss
Styling – Anna Hughes Chamberlain
Hair – Nohelia Reyes
Makeup – Sara Hill

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A dancer! I cannot stand the process of learning choreography though, which obviously  killed that dream. I think I was born to be an actress though, I have to say – an actress at  heart. Maybe not born to be an actress in the industry – that’s a whole other beast in itself! But an actress at heart. 

If you could give advice to your 15-year-old self, what would it be? 

Lots! Don’t listen to that teacher in year 11 at school who said acting was a ‘pipe dream’. Red hair is near enough impossible to get back to once you dye it, so think before you dye it  black! If someone is snobby about your accent, tell them to piss off. And also, know that just because someone went to a posh private secondary school, it doesn’t make them any more deserving than you to be in this industry. 

How can we all live a little bit better? 

I mean, I am not in a position to preach, I have terrible habits, but I think kindness is the most  important. And maybe we could all be a little less judgemental. But then again, I love a  gossip, so maybe I need to take my own advice. 

Anything fun in the pipeline – professionally or personally? 

My big sister is getting married soon. This will be the second wedding I’ve ever been to after  my mum and stepdad’s so I am very excited.

Hannah Onslow Recommends…

I’m currently watching… Mad Men for the first time. Love it. 

What I’m reading… My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh 

The last thing I watched (and loved) was… Mullholland Drive at the Prince Charles Cinema. I  saw it a few weeks before the announcement of David Lynch. God, he was a genius. 

What I’m most looking forward to seeing… Rihanna’s new album! 

Favourite film of all time… About a Boy

Favourite song of all time… ‘She’s My Man’ by Scissor Sisters. It’s been my favourite since I was eight years old and we had their Ta Dah album in the car, and I still love it. You cannot listen to that song and stay in a bad mood. 

Band/singer I always have on repeat… Sam Cooke, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Arlo Parks,  Jamiroquai, RAYE, Olivia Dean, Loyle Carner 

My ultimate cultural recommendation… Reenie’s Ice-Cream Bar in Primrose Hill. Family-run  and their ice-cream is actually to die for. 

Cultural guilty pleasure… Watching the earliest series of TOWIE with my mum. We look at  each other and giggle at exactly the same moments without fail. It’s hilarious.

WATCH

Hannah Onslow stars as Diana in This City Is Ours. All episodes are streaming now on BBC iPlayer.