
I think the first time I noticed British actress Juliet Stevenson was as a teenager, in the film Truly Madly Deeply (which incidentally also introduced me to Alan Rickman). I was taken by her portrayal of Nina, a thirty-something professional who suddenly had to grapple with her life being upended by the death of her boyfriend, who then returns to haunt her in an attempt to settle up some unfinished business between them. Ever since, each time she’s shown up in a show, I’ve noticed that she brings the same realistic humanity to every role, no matter what the theme. So, while I was recently reviewing Infamous, in which she appears as famed fashion editor Diana Vreeland, I figured it was time to examine her work in frock flicks more closely.
The Mallens (1979)

Freud (1984)

Emma (1996)

Cider with Rosie (1998)

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
I’ll just play the most infamous clip from this film that deals with the character played by Juliet Stevenson, Mrs Squeers.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Being Julia (2004)

The Snow Queen (2005)

Infamous (2006)

The Secret of Moonacre (2008)

The Village (2013-14)

The Letters (2014)

What’s your favorite role played by Juliet Stevenson? Share it with us in the comment!
“Truly, Madly, Deeply.” I’ve seen very few of her costume roles, but love Juliet S. in just about anything.
Secret of Moonacre was a particular favorite of mine growing up; magic, bustle gowns and Ioan Gruffud? Yes please.
I saw Juliet Stevenson in many RSC productions back in the 1980’s and have enjoyed most of her film appearances andd TV appearances. For some reason I missed “The Secret of Moonacre”, possibly because “The Little White Horse” was one of my favourite childhood books but I found it toe-curlingly twee when I re-read it as an adult.
I can’t say I’ve seen any of her screen work, but she is my first choice as narrator for an Audible book. So glad you featured her on Frock Flicks!
Offhand, I think I’ve only seen her in “Emma” and “Bend it Like Beckham,” and her characters were insufferable in both. Which meant that she was absolutely perfect for both parts. Her Mrs E was obnoxious and a perfect match for Alan Cumming.
BTW, I have no problem with an English woman playing an Eastern European woman. It’s called acting for a reason. Something egregious like blackface or yellow face is wrong, clearly, and but this is like the division I’ve seen that has more to do with nationality, able-bodiedness, or gender identity – in a perfect world acting roles don’t require lived experience, nor do they require a certain ancestry in most cases. As long as the actor is absolutely the best person for the role and makes the viewers believe, it should be ok. I will admit to hating mid-century films and television shows where the white bread leading actors are playing Latin American or Spanish roles and can’t properly pronounce Spanish words to save their souls, but that is the fault of the producers/directors for not insisting on dialect coaches. In all honesty, some of the worst examples of bad dialects come from 1940s MGM films with Americans or Canadians playing Brits and using their natural speaking voices without the smallest hint of dialect coming from the place where the film is meant to be set. These days we have Meryl Streep and her mastery of dialects, putting all those old Hollywood actors to shame. Maybe that’s why the older films are harder to watch. But again, if someone is capable of conveying the emotional truth of the role, shouldn’t their nationality be moot?
I’m not the only one who took one look at the photograph for THE MALLENS, then thought “They’re girlfriends, Steve” am I?
Don’t ask me who ‘Steve’ is, I’ve only just met him and he’s purely hypothetical.
Stevenson also played Nora in a 1992 British TV production of “A Doll’s House” with Trevor Eve and Geraldine James. It’s in her IMDB films as “Performance” and apparently is kind of obscure.