Bafta-winning actress Sarah Lancashire has revealed that her acclaimed performance in the gritty television drama *Happy Valley* “was born out of fear.”
Lancashire, 60, best known for her role as Raquel Wolstenhulme in *Coronation Street*, garnered two Leading Actress Baftas for her portrayal of the uncompromising Sgt. Catherine Cawood in the BBC series.
While acknowledging the significant influence of her longstanding and “brilliant and intangible” collaboration with writer Sally Wainwright on her role, Lancashire emphasized that fear was a driving force behind her performance.
Speaking at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Lancashire stated: “That was just born out of fear, abject fear, of feeling quite off-piste.”
She elaborated: “Literally it was a leap of faith, jumping off the cliff at midnight in the dark.”
“But knowing that somebody has the confidence in you and the belief in you – Wainwright is deeply persuasive as an individual, which I absolutely, really admire, I’m very grateful, always.”
Lancashire, who hails from Oldham, starred in *Coronation Street* from 1991 to 1996, appearing in over 260 episodes.
She and Wainwright first crossed paths while “cutting their teeth” on the aforementioned soap opera.
The pair later collaborated on the BBC comedy-drama *Last Tango In Halifax*, for which Lancashire secured her first Bafta in 2014 for Best Supporting Actress.
Their successful partnership continued with *Happy Valley*, which aired from 2014 to 2023.
When asked about the source of her trepidation in playing Sgt. Cawood, Lancashire explained: “The setting of it, being asked to play something which I had no knowledge of at all – absolutely no knowledge.”
“And knowing that the level of research that was available to me was going to be quite limited in the time available.”
“But in actual fact – as Wainwright always said – it wasn’t a procedural drama, it was not a police drama, it was a family.”
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