There’s such a cheeky, mischievous twinkle in Celia Imrie’s eyes, you just know she’s great fun before she even says a thing.
“I suppose I am quite mischievous,” she considers. “A bit of a rebel, if you like, and I think that’s good. It’s fun to break a few rules and do the unexpected. To surprise people a bit and not follow the path I’m expected to take. I don’t do it particularly consciously but I do find myself veering off the main roads of life at times. I don’t like to be pigeon-holed and enjoy the fact that I never quite know what’s around the corner.”
Trying new things and having new experiences is always at the top of Celia’s ‘To do’ list.
“I enjoy the constant curiosity of life and recommend trying every new thing you can,” she goes on. “Anything I can learn from scratch, I absolutely love. When I was filming a movie called ‘Dear Sarah’, for instance, I had to learn a bit of trapeze. I was black and blue as a result but it was great. I like having adventures.
“I suppose I’m quite ambitious in that there are still so many things I’d like to do, although I’m not quite sure what they all are, exactly – and the more challenging the better!”
How old is Celia Imrie?
Celia was born 15 July 1952.
In 2005, Celia suffered two pulmonary embolisms, one after the other. Has this played a part in her embracing all that life has to offer?
“Yes, definitely. I was given another chance, and another chance. There was a great friend of mine, a director, who had a bicycle accident and sadly injured his head, but his outlook afterwards was still of such great optimism. And so yes, you absolutely have to grab hold of everything that’s flying by. I'm just grabbing life, every second and every challenge. None of us knows how long we've got, do we?”
Celia's family and grandson
It comes as no surprise to learn that Celia is an incredibly fun grandma to her three-year-old grandson, Jude, the child of her actor son Angus and his partner.
“I love to make him laugh at every opportunity,” she smiles. “We go on adventures together. We went to the park the other day in the pouring rain and got absolutely soaking wet. We love doing stuff like that and we laughed all the way home. I’m so proud of him and hope I am the most indulgent of grandmums. That’s what he calls me – ‘Grandmums’! My own mother was always ‘Grandmums’ and I’m known as “Mums” to Angus.’
Celia says she’d love to work with Angus, who played Prince Edward in The Crown and plays the character of Josh Archer, pushy son of Ruth and David in The Archers.
“When Angus, who’s now 27, was a schoolboy, we were actually in a drama series called Kingdom together. But it would be wonderful to work with him again. I am immensely proud of him.”
Celia the novelist
For now, Celia is wearing her author’s hat and publicising her latest novel Orphans of the Storm. Set in 1912, it tells the story of Marcella Caretto, a young French woman whose marriage to Michael, an ambitious tailor, is rapidly disintegrating. When she files for divorce – a daring thing to do in turn-of-the-century France – Michael flees with their children, and ends up on the Titanic. It is only after seeing news reports of two young children rescued at sea that a frantic Marcella realises they are her boys. Proving this to the watching world tests her mettle and her resolve.
“I was at a Titanic exhibition a few years ago,” Celia explains, “because, like the rest of the world, I’m sort of obsessed with the Titanic, and I saw this photograph of these two little boys who’d been on it, and who just happened to have lived in Nice where I live for part of the time. I was instantly hooked.”
Coincidentally, Celia has other connections to the Titanic. Not only did she play an aristocrat in the Julian Fellowes 2012 mini-series drama of the same name but an ancestor is also linked to the doomed liner. “A great-great uncle, William Imrie, was a founder of the Titanic’s owner, the White Star Line,” she reveals. "His name is on all the tickets but he died before the Titanic sailed. I’m very proud of that link. It feels like serendipity that I wrote the book.”
Has Celia written any other books?
Orphans of the Storm is not Celia's first dabble with putting pen to paper - the novelist has a range of titles including Not Quite Nice, A Nice Cup of Tea, Sail Away, The Happy Hoofer, and The Nice Series.
What is Celia Imrie doing now?
So, what’s next for Celia?
“I’m going back to Los Angeles to film the fifth series of US comedy Better Things,” she replies. “It’s a lovely job. I love both acting and writing but if I had to choose, it would be the former. That really is my lifelong passion.”
Celia's films and TV appearances
Celia Imrie is best known for her film roles, and has put her name to an impressive collection of hit films including the Bridget Jones film series, Calendar Girls, Nanny McPhee, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Malevolent.
She is also known for her TV work with Victoria Wood, including Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, the sitcom dinnerladies and Acorn Antiques: The Musical, for which she won the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical.