James Norton on playing a real-life character in new drama Life In Squares
He plays a vicar in Grantchester, but appears as gay artist Duncan Grant, who had a lifetime relationship with Virginia Woolf’s artist sister Vanessa Bell, in an extraordinary relationship revealed in the new drama Life In Squares, based on the lives of the Bloomsbury Group.
By Clair Woodward
July 12, 2015
Why the title Life In Squares?
It came from a description of the Bloomsbury Group (a loose association of writers, artists and philosophers of the early 20th century) as “living in squares, painting in circles and loving in triangles”.
Many of the characters in the series are known by their work and became historical characters, such as Virginia Woolf, EM Forster and John Maynard Keynes, but in this, we see their personal lives.
What is your character like?
Someone described the Bloomsbury Group as being united in their love for Duncan and I feel this is true, not just in a friendly sense, but many of them did actually have sex with Duncan!
I loved playing him because he was a happy man who always saw the best in people and encouraged others to be the best versions of themselves, so I can see how people were attracted to him.
One of the major themes of the drama is the relationship between Duncan and Vanessa Bell (despite Duncan being gay, Vanessa fell in love with him and they had a child, while Duncan continued to have male lovers). Do you think that relationship worked?
Not really, because Vanessa’s story is tragic. Duncan was never able to give her what she needed, but they were still together until she died in 1961.
Vanessa became a diminished version of herself, and went from being the vitality and force behind the Group to being a sad person.
Their relationship was complicated when they had daughter Angelica…
Vanessa finally got the family unit she had wanted, but Duncan wasn’t able to be the father figure. Their relationship was incredibly complicated and sad in many ways, but also beautiful. I think Duncan was aware, but in slight denial, of the pain he caused Vanessa, who was the main casualty of his happy-go-lucky lifestyle.
Do you feel the pressure of playing a real-life character?
You do feel a responsibility to honour them. There is a massive following for the Bloomsbury Group, so you want to make sure you do it right in their eyes.
I was lucky enough to meet Duncan’s charming granddaughter Henrietta Garnett on set, and when I was introduced to her as playing her grandfather, she asked me to pose on the floor like him, when I got up she embraced me and said “Oh, Duncan!”.
I felt like I had her seal of approval!
Life In Squares, Thursday July 30, BBC2, 9pm
