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Julianne Nicholson, 53, was born near Boston, Massachusetts, and worked as a model before training as an actor in New York. Her screen credits include August: Osage County, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Ally McBeal, I, Tonya and Boardwalk Empire. In 2021, she won an Emmy for her role as Lori in Mare Of Easttown. She recently played Samantha “Sinatra” Redmond in Disney+ political thriller Paradise and is now starring as nightclub owner Kate Galloway in BBC One’s period drama Dope Girls. Nicholson recently moved to the UK with her husband, British actor Jonathan Cake, and their two children.
Your Dope Girls character is loosely based on real-life roaring 20s nightclub owner Kate “Ma” Meyrick. What drew you to the role?
The story is such a fascinating look at that period. Normally when we see the post-first world war years on screen, the men are returning home, the women are ecstatic and life moves forward. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as that. Women had taken control in the men’s absence. Now they had to readjust or rebel. And I loved playing a gang boss. Who wouldn’t?
Did you have your own clubbing days?
I sure did. I moved to New York City in 1990 when I was 18. From age 18 to 24, I will admit there were some clubs. New York in the 90s was amazing. I have such fond memories of that time, especially because I got through it! Going out dancing still appeals but now I might have to find one of these daytime raves I keep hearing about.
There’s a scene in Dope Girls where you’re stuck in a box with a rat. How did shooting that go?
Surprising. The idea of rats disgusts me but I met the one we were using beforehand. Her name was Sniffs and she was adorable. She didn’t feel like a rat to me, she felt like sweet little Sniffs. She scampered up and down me. I have a great pic of her standing up on her hind legs on my back. Maybe I should add “rats” to the special skills section of my résumé.
We’re midway through the series on BBC One. What we can look forward to?
Kate gets even naughtier. She’s eventually nicknamed the Queen of Soho, which is cool. I should go to modern-day Soho and announce myself. Just show up outside the velvet rope and demand to be let in.
What’s it like doing sex scenes nowadays, compared with earlier in your career?
Easier. Intimacy coordinators make everything clear and comfortable. A lot of times when you’re watching sex scenes, it feels like people are acting it. It’s fun to bring it alive and make it feel real, rather than an idea of what’s pretty and sexy. I was also relieved that for both my sexy scenes in Dope Girls, I didn’t have to actually kiss anyone. I’m not being precious or prudish, I’m just not into that. It feels more intimate somehow.
Dope Girls was your first job since moving to the UK. How are you finding it here?
We were previously in California, which was a wonderful place to bring up young children, but the threat of fire was becoming more regular. We were evacuating annually. We’ve moved to the Hampshire countryside. I cook on an Aga. People ride horses past our window. The daffodils are beautiful but your weather is so intense. You Brits talk about it all the time because it would weigh you down if you didn’t.
Are you relieved to be out of America since the change in government?
There is a sense of relief. We’re not having to deal with the daily oppression of the news and what the current administration are doing. It’s suffocating when you’re there. You can’t look away. During the first Trump presidency, people who didn’t vote for him functioned in a state of shock and trauma for the whole four years. It’s worse now. I feel sad for the country. All that division.
Paradise portrays an impending environmental catastrophe and your character is a powerful tech billionaire with influence over the US president. Was that accidentally timely?
I’m sure that’s part of the show’s success. It’s really entertaining and grabbing in its own right, but the state of the world adds a little extra frisson. It resonates with people in a different way right now.
Did Kate Winslet really have to talk you into taking the part of her best friend in Mare of Easttown?
I read the first few episodes and said, “Nah, the priest did it”. But Kate assured me that the last episode would be amazing. I trusted her and she was right. At times I wondered if I was the killer, which annoyed me no end. I was like, “If I have fucking signed on to a show where I murder my husband’s young girlfriend, I’m going to be mad!” Luckily I had nothing to worry about.
Do people think you’re related to Jack Nicholson?
They did when I was younger. I used to say that if I was, you would have heard about me a long time ago. I would’ve loved to have been a nepo baby but alas.
Are good roles for midlife women still rare?
I’m not finding that but I’m very much in the minority. Ageing is different for men. There’s a different standard in terms of … well, everything. I’m lucky to be getting more interesting roles as I go but they’re definitely few and far between. There are examples out there – look at Jean Smart or Allison Janney – but it’s not the norm, sadly.
What projects are in the pipeline ?
A new thriller called The Amateur with Rami Malek. He’s hugely talented. I’m hoping to go and see him in Oedipus at the Old Vic before it closes. I also did three episodes on the new season of Hacks. I can’t tell you who I play but it’s unlike anything I’ve done before. I go through a real transformation. Very physical, very outrageous.
