He has won three Oliviers yet a film career has always eluded him. Will playing Alan Bennett in The Lady in the Van bring Alex Jennings the breakthrough he craves?[br]Alex Jennings is Alan Bennett. That’s what the film posters for The Lady in the Van would say if Jennings had the profile he deserves. But he doesn’t,so Maggie Smith gets top billing – while Jennings gets to push the custard-coloured van.
He accepts that this is just the way of the world: when it comes to fame, film and TV always trump theatre. “I’m grown up approximately it, and ” he says,“though it’s slightly galling when you see ‘The Lady in the Van, starring Maggie Smith and James Corden.” Corden only appears in one brief scene. But it’s impossible for Jennings to resent Smith’s star billing. “She’s a great actress and makes you want to up your game. I’ve grown up revering her and Alan. I fill to pinch myself that we’ve become friends.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com