I had a ghastly time at school. I was dyslexic, which was seen as backward at the time. The only person who took any notice of me was a very nice poetry teacher. I was good at learning poems, so I went in for reading competitions. I remember my mother jumping out of the car when I was about 10, after I’d won a cup, and saying to my two ghastly headmistresses: “See, she’s got a cup. She’s not a dunce!”
My sister, Rosemary, was a producer and documentary maker. She got me my first job as an extra who had varicose veins. These very serious makeup ladies put spaghetti down the backs of my legs, but nobody seemed to be happy with that. I got chatting to a cleaner during a coffee break who had marvellous varicose veins. I went up to the director – things were much more hierarchical in the 1960s – and said: “I’m sorry my legs aren’t any good, but the cleaner’s legs are wonderful.”
Actresses always had a reputation for being difficult. As you get older you realise why: because they often had to deal with very difficult men. Acting is collaborative. You have to get on with people, play to your strengths – and wait until you get home to moan.
I once got lost on the way to the theatre – the worst thing ever. I was driving to the West End way before satnavs, ran into a diversion, and got completely lost in north London. I parked the car, summoned a lift from this charming man and said, “If you can take me to the Almeida, I’ll get you a seat.” And he did.
My walls are covered in paintings. I like to buy one when I do a job that pays well. I bought a very nice painting when I did Doctor Who and a very nice painting when I did the Marigold Hotel films. I can tell which job has paid for which painting.
Shaun of the Dead brought me to a younger generation. My daughter was about 19 or 20 when it came out and my street cred with her friends went up astronomically. Much more than when I was doing The Cherry Orchard.
I don’t really know the perks of being a Dame. But I did once want an enormous amount of rubbish collected outside in the road where I live. You know, when there’s a little pile, people add more and eventually a Hoover was dumped. So I rang the council and said, “This is Dame Penelope Wilton. Could you please get rid of the rubbish in my road?” So I thought I was doing a thing for the community, not just for myself.
Life is short. I try to enjoy everything: sitting in the park, looking at the trees, seeing friends and family. I’ve got two grandchildren, my daughter and my sister. I enjoy going to concerts. We’re just waiting to book the Proms, but you have to go online and there’s usually 15,000 people ahead of you. Maybe I should pull the Dame card.
Penelope Wilton stars in Embers the Dragon, an app to help children build emotional resilience (embersthedragon.co.uk)
