Kristin Scott Thomas – ‘Having children allowed me to see where I’d gone wrong’
About this episode
Kristin Scott Thomas discusses her career, personal losses, and her directorial debut.
In a career spanning four decades, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas has become one of Britain’s most celebrated actors: Four Weddings and a Funeral, The English Patient, The Horse Whisperer, Tell No One and Slow Horses, alongside acclaimed stage work including her Olivier‑winning performance in The Seagull. Yet her path was far from straightforward: discouraged at drama school, she moved to Paris as an au pair and rebuilt her training from scratch. Her childhood had already been shaped by profound loss after the deaths of her father and stepfather in near‑identical accidents. She has now channelled these experiences into her directorial debut, My Mother’s Wedding, which she also co‑wrote and stars in, alongside Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham. We talk about her early grief, the emotional armour she built as a teenager, the chaotic experience of filming with Prince, making My Mother’s Wedding, the power of women writing women, her unforgettable Fleabag monologue and the joy and clarity she has found in her 60s. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Intro 03:15 Reclaiming a Tragic Narrative 04:59 Joy in her 60s 06:22 Co Writing With Her Husband 07:03 Animation and Childhood Memory…
People in this episode
Host: Elizabeth Day
Guest: Kristin Scott Thomas
Topics covered
- grief
- acting
- directing
- women in film
- personal growth
- career challenges
Keywords
- Kristin Scott Thomas
- My Mother’s Wedding
- grief
- acting career
- women in film
- Fleabag
- directorial debut
- personal growth
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: My Mother’s Wedding, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The English Patient, The Horse Whisperer, Tell No One, Slow Horses, The Seagull
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