OUR STORIES

Suranne Jones, Lesley Manville and Letitia Wright on playing women on the brink of change

- HANNAH DAVIES

The three-part anthology I Am… was among the most acclaimed dramas of 2019. So it’s no surprise that the second series has attracted three of British TV’s very best actors.

Suranne Jones gives an emotionally raw performance in this week’s story, the first of three developed in collaboration with award-winning writer-director Dominic Savage, with much of the dialogue and action improvised.

Letitia Wright (Black Panther, Doctor Who) and Oscar-nominated Lesley Manville take the lead in the two other films, I Am Danielle and I Am Maria, and all the stories address pressing issues of our times across the generations.

Here Suranne, 42, Letitia, 27, and Lesley, 65, tell us more…

I Am… Victoria

Suranne plays Victoria, a mum-of-two who lives in a palatial home with her loving husband Chris (Ashley Walters). But underneath, she’s struggling maintain this ‘perfect lifestyle’, with anxiety always just below the surface.

Suranne, how would you describe I Am… Victoria?

It’s about a woman who seems to have everything – a beautiful house, a beautiful family, a great job. She looks great, she is a high achiever and she wants to give her children everything she didn’t have growing up.

But we meet her just as she’s about to have a breakdown. It’s a really interesting weekend, which we see on screen. What we see is her unravelling within the course of a few days and her eventually asking for help.

What made you want to take part?