Keeley on "A Murder is Announced"

Keeley on her role (Philippa Haymes) is Marple: A Murder is Announced (2005). From the press kit.

A war widower with a young child, Philippa is a little misunderstood... She's actually very, very sweet and she just wants to be liked. She has come to the village to find a better way of life for her and her son. She works as a gardener and beekeeper.

She lives at Little Paddocks along with all the other misfits and seems rather settled with her lot. None of them know much about one another, but somehow they all muddle along together. I understand these situations were quite usual during that period, and it certainly adds to the range of characters under one roof.

Letitia seems to really like Philippa -- perhaps it's her widowed status that gives her a tragic element, but Philippa's main concern is the welfare of her young son.

As far as the beekeeping is concerned I had a 'stand-in' for most scenes. I think I got off very easily -- tending the borders was about as much as I had to do. And I'm not that green-fingered really!

(Via the PBS Mystery! website.) Read More......

Keeley on "Macbeth"

Keeley talking about Macbeth (2005). From the press packet.

Talking about her role as Ella Macbeth, Keeley Hawes explained that playing a woman who has lost her baby was a huge challenge.

"Most of my scenes are emotional in one way or another but the scene with the baby was actually quite disturbing.

"I'd just had a baby, three months before, and although being a mother helped me get in touch with the right feelings, I had to separate myself from it all because I was talking about a tiny baby and I had my little one at home. I was quite emotional anyway because I'd just given birth," she reveals.

It was the quality of Peter Moffat's script which tempted Keeley back in front of the cameras so soon after giving birth. The star of Spooks and Tipping the Velvet explains: "I was thinking about going back to work when the script came through the door and I couldn't believe how fantastic it was.

"I thought it was so cleverly done and when reading some of the lines, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

"I love the play, too – it's something I've aspired to do. I'd also seen Hawking, which Peter Moffat wrote (starring Benedict Cumberbatch) and thought that was brilliant."

Despite the play's darkness, there were amusing moments.

"We all laughed a lot," says Keeley. "You get that many boys [her co-stars] in a room and you're going to laugh. Everybody got on so well. It has to be kept light when you're talking about stabbing people to death or you're being showered in blood, otherwise it could all have been quite depressing. There'd be fits of giggles – it was all quite light-hearted."

Explaining what motivates the ambitious and feisty Ella Macbeth, Keeley says, "I think the loss of the baby means that she's very damaged – although that's no excuse for what then happens! Because of her job and the status she has within the restaurant, she has to be seen to be holding it together at all times.

"So when she brings up the subject of murder, things must be at their lowest. She just feels that she's got nothing else to lose. She's lost her baby and is disturbed that Joe and she have not talked about it or expressed any of their emotions.

"Also, they feel like they're not appreciated or respected for what they do at the restaurant. It almost sounds like there should be some sort of excuse for what happens, but there's no excuse really," stresses Keeley.

Asked if the viewers will understand why Ella is driven to the ultimate crime, Keeley replies, "Hopefully. I watched it and I didn't come away full of hate for her. I had a shred of sympathy for her; and it's not like she runs off into the sunset. The whole thing is a tragedy."

Keeley had no qualms about appearing in "the Scottish play". "I don't really have any of those superstitions about it," she says with her infectious laugh, "and nothing went horribly wrong."

Keeley's research included watching Dame Judi Dench - and having a slap-up meal.

"My husband (Spooks co-star Matthew MacFadyen) bought me the DVD [of the 1979 Macbeth starring Judi Dench] so we sat and watched it," she explains. "I also went along to a successful restaurant called Locanda Locatelli. We had lunch there and then went into the kitchen where I met a fantastic lady, the wife of the head chef, who was the Ella of that restaurant.

"You could see the relationship working in a Michelin-starred restaurant. It was fantastic to have had the opportunity to meet her and see what it is like running a restaurant."

Despite Ella's prowess as a queen of cuisine, Keeley herself doesn't lay claim to any cooking ability.

"My husband is the chef of the family; he's a brilliant cook. Actually, it makes you quite lazy when you have somebody that's so good at cooking under the same roof. It's all beans or spaghetti when I'm left to run it," she confesses.

"When Matthew was performing at the National Theatre for eight months he was out most evenings and by the end of it I was at a total loss. He'd have to make something on the Sunday and leave it in the fridge for me to have for the next few days. How pathetic!

Keeley feels that modern adaptations such as this help to bring the classics to a wider audience.

"I did one of the Chaucers – The Knight's Tale – and they were a huge success," she adds.

"So I think it can't fail and I think schools will probably be able to use them. There's no downside to doing it."

(Via the BBC website.) Read More......

Marple: A Murder is Announced (2005)

Genre: TV Movie, Mystery

Director: John Strickland

Writer: Stewart Harcourt based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Synopsis: In the picturesque town of Chipping Cleghorn, a murder is announced in the local paper at the home of Miss Blacklock. Curious locals turn up at the appointed date and time, only to discovered the putative murderer ... murdered.

Keeley's Role: Philippa Haymes

Other Cast Members:
Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple
Zoë Wanamaker as Miss Letitia Blacklock
Sienna Guillory as Julia Simmons
Matthew Goode as Patrick Simmons
Elaine Paige as Dolly
Alexander Armstrong as DI Craddock

Status: Available on DVD (Regions, 1, 2 and ?).
Aired 2 January 2005 on the BBC and PBS.

Links:
A Murder is Announced photos

also see,
IMDb
PBS site Read More......

ShakespeaRE-Told: Macbeth (2005)

Genre: TV Movie, Drama

Director: Mark Brozel

Writer: Peter Moffat based on the play by William Shakespeare

Synopsis: The "Scottish Play" is re-set in a trendy London restaurant, with Lady Macbeth as the hostess, Macbeth as the chef and King Duncan the restaurant owner, as part of the ShakespeaRE-Told series.

Keeley's Role: Ella Macbeth

Other Cast Members:
James MacAvoy as Joe MacBeth
RIchard Armitage as Peter Macduff

Status: Available on DVD (Regions, 1, 2 and ?).
Aired 14 November 2005 on the BBC.
Aired August 2006 on BBC America.

Links:
Macbeth photos

also see,
IMDb
BBC site Read More......

"Under the Greenwood Tree" Publicity Photo

New (to this archive) publicity photo from Under the Greenwood Tree (2005).

(Photo credit: PBS/Masterpiece Theatre.) Read More......

Under the Greenwood Tree (2005)

Genre: TV Movie, Costume Drama, Romance

Director: Nicholas Laughland

Writer: Ashley Pharoah based on the novel by Thomas Hardy

Synopsis: Educated young beauty Fancy Day returns home to care for her ailing father, and finds herself with three very different suitors.

Keeley's Role: Fancy Day

Other Cast Members:
James Murray as Dick Dewey
Ben Miles as Parson Maybold
Steve Pemberton as Farmer Shiner

Status: Available on DVD (Regions, 1, 2 and ?).
Aired 25 December 2005 on ITV.
Aired 23 April 2006 on PBS.
Filming occurred in the Channel Islands (Jersey) shortly after Keeley had completed her last episode of Spooks.

Links:
Under the Greenwood Tree photos

also see,
IMDb
PBS (Masterpiece Theatre) site Read More......

"Ashes to Ashes" BTS #4

More behind-the-scenes pictures from the last days of filming Ashes to Ashes from Dean Andrews's official blog. The Christmas dinner one is cute, no?

(From Dean Andrews's official blog via K-H.com.) Read More......

"The Bank Job" Trailer and Clips

Here's the trailer for The Bank Job.



The official British website for the movie has also gone live here with three clips. Looks quite fun. Unfortunately, Wendy Leather (aka Keeley) does not figure in the trailer or clips.

(Via K-H.com.) Read More......

"The Best Man"

Publicity images for The Best Man (2006) with Richard Coyle and Toby Stephens.

(Picture credit: BBC America and Keeley-Hawes.com.) Read More......

The Best Man (2006)

Genre:TV Movie, Thriller

Director: Alex Pillai

Writer: Russell Lewis

Synopsis: Shortly after her marriage, Kate discovers a terrible secret that binds her husband and his best friend.

Keeley's Role: Kate Sheldrake

Other Cast Members:
Richard Coyle as Michael Sheldrake
Toby Stephens as Peter Tremaine

Status:
Aired 20 March 2006 on ITV.
Aired 2 June 2006 in Australia.
Aired 23 March 2007 on BBC America

Links:
The Best Man photos

also see,
IMDb
BBC America page Read More......