Hanako footman biography of michael
by Jim Keaveney.
Theresa Rebeck’s new play Mad House, currently previewing at Ambassadors Theatre, sees a family reunion turn darkly funny.
In rural Pennsylvania, Michael (David Harbour) has returned to his childhood home to look after his dying father, Daniel (Bill Pullman). His siblings soon arrive, determined to work out how much money Dad actually has left and how they’re getting their hands on it. Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, features Hanako Footman alongside Harbour, who is back with Series 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things, and Pullman.
Ahead of opening night we caught up with Footman to talk about the play, the family battlefield, and channeling her imagination into acting.
Q&A with Hanako Footman
Hi Hanako, thanks for taking time out from preparations for Mad House to talk to us about the play. What can you tell us about the production and your role as Devon?
My pleasure! Well in Theresa Rebeck’s words – Devon is a fun-loving exhibitionist! She’s there to have a good time. We spend a lot of time with Michael and Daniel’s dysfunctional dynamic, so she and Skylar are a welcome release.
You’ll be playing alongside David Harbour and Bill Pullman – how has it been working with them?
It’s been a dream. Not just working with them, but the entire cast. Being in a room with them every day has truly been a privilege.
| Stephen Wight, Hanako Footman and David Harbour in rehearsals for Mad House. Photo: Jenny Anderson |
Ambassadors Theatre is quite intimate by West End standards. How much does that influence what you’re doing in the play?
A smaller space allows us to pull the audience in. Already there is a real intimacy to the play; watching what goes on behind closed doors, the ugly battlefield that can be family! And so the smaller space will help tell our story, and hopefully make the audience feel uncomfortably close to the truth!
How do you think audiences will react to Mad House?
It’s defin
Mixed Up
The one where we talk about the book.
Emma and Nicole are joined by Isabella Silvers, journalist and founder of Mixed Messages to discuss the release of their book, The Half of It. This time, Izzy interviews Emma and Nicole on how they got started, the book writing process, and themes from the book - history of mixed people from across the globe, understanding the root of mixed race stereotypes, childhood and forming identity, interracial relationships and dating, fetishisation, adoption, hair, beauty standards, and why we need to examine the phrase ‘white passing’.
Buy our book The Half Of It: https://lnkfi.re/nf0upC
Isabella Silvers: https://www.instagram.com/izzymks/
Mixed Messages: https://www.instagram.com/mixedmessagesnewsletter/
Mixed Messages Newsletter: https://mixedmessages.substack.com/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mixedup.podcast
Website: https://www.mixedup.co.uk/
Substack: https://mixeduppod.substack.com
February is so packed full of amazing new releases that I’ve had to split it into two parts. There’s new releases from some of my favourite authors like John Marrs, Tina Baker, Margaret Atwood, Dorothy Koomson, Alex Michaelides, Lizzie Pook and Milly Johnson, and exciting debuts such as Anna O, Frank and Red, A Sign of Her Own, Deadly Aminals, Meet Me at the Surface, and The List of Suspicious Things. On February 1st alone there are 15 books in my most anticipated list! That is just crazy. I swear that publishers don’t want us to finish our TBRs.
So, here is part one of my most anticipated February releases:
The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs
Published February 1st by Thomas & Mercer
Suspense, Psychological Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.
Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims―sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.
The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.
It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever―or has that been his plan all along?
Pre-order here
Anna O by Matthew Blake
Published February 1st Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese writer best known for her hit debut novel Mongrel, which tells the story of three women and their identities, exploring themes of isolation, longing, love, and hope. The book received rave reviews when it was published in February this year, and was shortlisted for the Waterstones debut fiction prize. Here, Footman – who is also an actor, with roles in productions including TV show Defending The Guilty and 2019 film Official Secrets – shares her cultural recommendations... The Last Book I Couldn’t Put Down...The Hours by Michael Cunningham. Good lord, that man was channelling some godly force when he wrote that. Utterly precise and mesmerising. It had me in tears; the whole experience was frankly religious. My Favourite Reading Spot...The hot stone beaches of Hydra [in Greece]. The Song I’m Playing On Repeat... I stumbled across a song called Where The Watermelons Rot by Madelynne Whitt on a ‘Witchy Songs’ Spotify playlist I saved a while back. It’s seductive and hypnotic, and it puts me in the mood for the project that I’m currently writing [a feature film]. It’s that or the endless ‘storm sounds’ YouTube video I have on repeat as I write. The Artist Who Inspires Me Most... Jean-Marc Vallée. The way he honours character, his rhythm, the music in all his work, and the way he understands memory, trauma and the quotidian. He is a genius and gone too soon. I realise I’m referring to him in the present tense, but that is how he and his work feel to me. Ever present. A Piece Of Art I’d Love To Have On My Wall... Hilma Af Klint’s No. 7, Adulthood. Though I’m not sure I have a wall big enough for it. I’m also very much in love with film photography and would love a Man Ray. I went to an exhibition of his at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum when I was 14 and it completely changed me. The Cultural Icon I’d Most Like To Meet... What Author Hanako Footman Is Reading, Watching & Listening To Right Now