Julie Walters praised for Mowlam biopic

[dutchman]

Julie Walters has been praised for her starring role in drama Mo, which focussed upon the life and work of late MP Mo Mowlam.


Shown as a two-hour film last night on Channel 4, the politician's successor Vera Baird lauded Walters's performance to the Northern Echo.

"Julie Walters becomes Mo. She walks like her, talks like her and, in the end, cries as if she had suffered all the bitterness of Mo's situation. It was very touching, especially the portrait of Jon and her together.

"Mo had a superb political mind as well as the wacky personality with which she broke the ice in Northern Ireland and won everybody's hearts. I think that aspect of her doesn't emerge strongly enough and the bitterness towards the end of her life is overdone," said Baird.

"The film is superb but it throws little new light on a complex personality who played a huge role on the world political stage. The only extra clue is in the scene where she tells her stepdaughter at Hillsborough that her father's alcoholism taught her that the worst thing is not being in control."

Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent added: "Julie Walters – no novice when it comes to playing the terminally ill – was predictably excellent in the role."

Mowlam, whose no-nonsense approach to politics helped to achieve The Good Friday Agreement, died on August 19, 2005 at the age of 55.

The film, despite being televised against other strong programmes, became Channel 4's most-watched original drama since 2001.