Eve Austin - A Matter of Feeling
Meet Eve Austin, the versatile British actress known for her captivating performances in Our Ladies and YOU. In this exclusive interview with SID Magazine, Eve discusses her latest role in BBC's This Town, a series exploring the rise of Ska and the two-tone music movement, set in Birmingham in the early 80’s.
Eve Austin photographed by Lee Malone in London, styled by Sarah-Rose Harrison , hair by Lachlan Wignall using Kevin Murphy, make-up by Andriani Vasiliou using Charlotte Tilbury, both at Stella Creative Artists. Special thanks to Pinnacle PR.
Can you tell us about your experience working on Netflix's YOU and how it compares to your previous roles?
Working on ‘YOU’ feels like a fever dream (in the best possible way). From my first costume fitting, which was at Liberty London, it was like I had walked into a whole new world. A world which could have been incredibly overwhelming had the cast not been some of the loveliest bunch I’ve ever met. Penn especially, is such a kind and generous actor and person - I learnt a lot watching him both on and off screen. Also, a lot of filming was studio based which lends itself to being a bit smoother running than some of the very heavy location-based jobs I have been on- plus we had craft catering so I was snacked up to the nines, which is my happy place!
What drew you to the role of Kay in the film Our Ladies, and what was the most challenging aspect of portraying that character?
‘Our Ladies’ is one of the jobs I am most proud of! I met my best friends on that job and it changed my life. Kay was a really interesting role for me, she is in a lot of ways the polar opposite, which made her an exciting challenge to play. I remember our director laughing about how different I was to Kay once he had gotten to know me, and by that, I mean he found out I wasn’t soft spoken and posh. However, the themes of sexuality, youth, desire and hope in the film all resonated with me deeply and anything that champions female friendship at the front and centre of its story will always be something I would want to be a part of.
Could you share some insights into your upcoming project This Town and your character's journey within the series?
’This Town’ is set in Birmingham 1981 and follows the lives and dreams of 5 young people who go on to form a band amidst the chaos and destruction around them. It is soulful and political and puts huge emphasis on the human experience, something I found very moving when reading the scripts. I play ‘Jeannie’ who in lots of ways is the orchestrator in the formation of the band. She is a skinhead girl from the estate with all the bravado and we watch her form an unlikely, but beautiful friendship with the story’s protagonist, Dante. We observe Jeannie go on a journey of self-discovery; we see what might have led her to need to be part of something to get her away from the circumstances she’s in. And… we might even see her with some keyboard action!
How did you prepare for your role in This Town, especially considering the historical and cultural context of the rise of Ska and two-tone music?
Preparing for ’This Town’ was nothing short of a joy - there was so much information out there about that period of history and so much about Two Tone music. I had to sit through a lot of YouTube Ads mind. I listened to a lot of Ska music and kept this up all throughout filming as I found it really grounded me in that world. I also had listened to a Desert Island Disc with Stephen Graham just before I was cast, where he talked about finding his characters walk before he does anything else. I knew Jeannie would be in a pair of Docs, so I put a pair on and took to my garden trying to find ‘Jeannie's walk'- something that my friends found particularly amusing whilst watching the show!
As an actress, what excites you most about exploring the themes of unity and cultural identity through the lens of music history in This Town?
As an actress, jobs are exciting! But whenever something has a deeper message to it, you always feel more of a responsibility to get it right. Although we aren’t playing real people, these people did very much exist and this is their story, so being authentic was critical. Whether you are a Museo or not (I am not), music exists all around us! It is in a lot of ways the soundtrack to life itself and so it makes total sense for it to be used to portray such a powerful message in this show- that when you are on a dance floor, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’ve come from as long as you can move your feet.
Do you have a dream project?
A comedy series with Daisy May Cooper. I won’t rest until I have pitched this to her. I also worked on a play called ‘LIT’ with the powerhouse pairing of Nottingham born writer Sophie Ellerby and director Stef O’Driscoll (both ones to watch out for) and would give a limb to work with them both again. Rooms full of women is where I feel art is made in its safest, purest form. Oh, and also a really tacky horror film! For my mum (it’s her favourite Friday night genre).
Finally, what do you think SID stands for?
Seriously Incredible Dude!
THIS TOWN now available on BBC and BBC iPlayer
A Matter of Feeling, preformed by Duran Duran (1986) ⓒ Parlophone UK
