Suranne Jones, the English actor, started her career at age 16, and has been a part of TV shows and films like Coronation Street and Dead Clever: The Life and Crimes of Julie Bottomley. Suranne, who plays the lead character of Dr Gemma Foster in the BBC First drama series, Doctor Foster, spoke with Indulge about matters of sexism and ageism, which she tackles in her role.
What drew you to this project?
It’s a very different tone for me. But the biggest appeal was the writer Mike Bartlett. He’s brilliant, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to collaborate with him.
Describe the character of Doctor Foster for us, please.
Gemma’s a busy doctor, wife and mother in a small town. Something happened to her when she was younger. You get the feeling that now she is trying to be a pillar of the community. She does the middle-class pretence thing and tries to fit in. But when you do that, there’s a lot going on underneath that you’re ignoring. She has other things to hide.
What are her other characteristics?
She works long hours and supports her husband by earning all the money that he doesn’t. But what does that do to your family and to you as a mother? We meet Gemma at a point where she is juggling and trying to stay on top of everything. On the surface, she’s doing well. She and Simon seem to have a happy marriage, and they have sex. The question is: are things really working well, or has she managed the situation because she doesn’t have time to give to the right things? When she starts to suspect her husband of having an affair, everything is thrown up in the air.
The drama covers a lot of meaty issues, doesn’t it?
Yes. It’s about affairs and suspicions, but also that thing the newspapers are always going on about: can a woman work, run a family, please everyone and give to her husband and child in a way a woman should? It calls all that into question. It also calls into question what your best friend should and shouldn’t tell you.
What other themes does it throw up?
It has a small-town community element, too. When you’re in a smaller society, that does things to people and events have more impact. So whether you’ve been involved in betrayals or not, Doctor Foster has a bigger picture to it.
Has infidelity affected anyone you know?
Two of my acquaintances unfortunately are going through something very similar. Over the course of a year, one of them did some very regrettable things and thought she was going mad. What you see Gemma doing – checking emails and statements, going into accounts – are things people think they’d never do. But once you’ve got that feeling, you can’t help yourself.
Can you elaborate on that, please?
I remember one friend telling me she was doing these things, and I was gob-smacked. I heard about someone else who got a private investigator to follow their partner. If you’re doing that, you shouldn’t be with that partner – it’s as simple as that.
What is your own take on marital unhappiness?
I’m very black and white. If you’re not in a trusting relationship, then don’t be in it. I know people who have been through this. I’ve never been through it, thankfully, but you don’t know what can happen in your life.
Has working on this made you reassess your view of the institution of marriage?
No, it hasn’t made me question anything, luckily. I’m in a very happy marriage [Suranne is married to magazine editor Laurence Akers and they are expecting their first child later this year]. If I wasn’t, it would have been harder to film this. But being happy, I could go, ‘This is my life – oh my God, this is Gemma’s life!’ – and then go back to my own life.
Do you feel that you and your fellow actresses are winning the age-old showbiz battle against sexism and ageism?
Definitely. Things are changing. Female characters can now be three-dimensional – not just perma-tanned girlfriends in velour tracksuits. We’re allowed to be intelligent, professional women. Just look at great shows like The Bletchley Circle, in which all the stars were women. What’s really exciting is that it’s not all about being 21 and fresh-faced any more – there are lots of very interesting, well-rounded parts for women of a certain age, who have seen a bit of life – and I put myself in that bracket.
Tell us more.
So many dramas nowadays have female characters in the forefront. I hope that will continue. Maxine Peake has played Hamlet, and I’ve played Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. It’s a wonderful time for women, and I thank my lucky stars that I’m part of it.
Do you ever feel the urge to move to Hollywood?
I do think about that from time to time, but I’m very happy here in Britain. I love the fact that there are great parts for me. I still want to do lots of things here. I love my life.
Finally, can you tell us why you think Doctor Foster will be diagnosed a hit by viewers?
On this production, we're hoping that people will be sitting next to their partners on the sofa and that it will be slightly uncomfortable viewing because it’s about secretly checking phones and basic trust. It’s interesting because I think everyone feels that suspicion sometimes when their partner’s phone goes off unexpectedly. I hope we don’t cause any divorces!
Doctor Foster airs every Friday on Zee Café at 10 pm.