Edinburgh Fringe Q&A: Juliet Cowan

You've had roles in many acclaimed shows – This Life, Pulling, Skins and Fresh Meat, among others – what's been the work you're most proud to have been part of and why?

I burst with pride when I got This Life. It was my first proper acting job, I had an 18 month old child and had basically carved out a tiny career with the help of stand-up. I was a super fan of the first series so I knew the second was going to be epic. I will never forget the feeling I had when they told me I had got the job, me, my husband and my son got our coats on and waltzed down to the bougiest restaurant in town, one we had never been able to afford, and had anything we fancied (I remember what we ate). Pulling though was also incredible and one of the best written shows. It is seminal. I was really proud and humbled to play Tracey Rogers in Killed By My Debt. It means a lot to play a living being and especially one that has gone through so much. I loved working with the wonderfully talented Chance Perdomo and was so upset at his death.

It's 25 years since you were a finalist in So You Think You're Funny? – but in 1999 you were already a successful actor: did you feel you had to choose between acting and stand-up?

I sort of felt that I had to choose more between stand-up and motherhood. You have to put so much of yourself into stand-up, be on top of your game and confidence. Motherhood can affect your confidence. Once I had kids my primary aim was to support them and acting allowed me to do that. I have been so lucky with my roles as an actor but I think I always missed the autonomy that you get with stand-up. You’re literally saying whatever you like instead of reading a script. I have so much admiration for women who combine stand-up and motherhood, I never felt like I had enough left over to really kill it on stage.

What were your thoughts on Edinburgh then and how do you feel about being part of it this year?

I had a ball doing So You Think You Are Funny?, it was a quick in and out though and I was six months pregnant. But I felt so proud and excited to be placed. I have done plays twice in Edinburgh but this is very different. I will have no parental responsibilities (except for older teenagers from afar). I am jumping in the deep end with my own show. I am so excited to really plumb the depths that the festival has to offer. My pass will be worn thin with all the shows I am planning to see and I want to find some of the incredible food joints that have been sprouting up. I find the city makes me quite emotional which will be interesting. I always have quite intense responses to places. I will be let loose and really want to explore as much as I can. I don’t want to miss a thing. I am so lucky with the time of my show which, at 7pm, gives me a good day and then also quite a healthy evening.

What would you like audiences to take away from seeing Fuck Off & Leave Me Alone?

The show is actually quite detailed and full of content. I really want people to be haunted by some of the ideas I have raised in and think of them. I have had a lot of women my age come with their daughters and they both say they relate to the show. My dream is that a woman who doesn’t know that she is entering the perimenopause might pull the show up from the depths of her memory and have a bit more insight into why she is acting like a mad more or a wonky roman empress or someone who is lost without her oestrogen goggles. I have just played Amy Winehouse’s mum in the film Back to Black and one of the things I really liked about the film is that it wasn’t interested in blame. I like that about my show, it deals with painful subjects without alienating people or blaming them.

Which shows are you most looking forward to in August and why?

Some shows I want to see are: 

Aaron Twitchen: Himbo: Aaron is hilarious with his audience!; Celya AB: Of All People: I love Celya AB’s laid back absurdist way of looking at the world; Kiell Smith Bynoe & Friends: Kool Story Bro: Can’t beat a bit of impro and who better to guide than Kiell?; Ladies Who Ranch: Stateside impro with the ladies…. and their ranch, what’s not to love?; Zoë Coombs Marr: Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life; Siblings and Family Friends: I love these girls and I love their friends, their family are not actually their family sooooo...; Lou Taylor: Jeans and a Nice Top.. But I feel a bit like an Edinburgh newbie and will literally go and see anything that catches my eye as I wander through the city.

How can Edinburgh audiences keep up with you beyond the festival?

I would really like to tour the show after Edinburgh, if my acting career allows. But I will have my third season of Brassic (Sky) out in the autumn and two feature films, Falling Into Place and Members Club. And The second series of Am I Being Unreasonable (BBC) and I am playing Shannon’s mum in the third season of Big Boys (C4). So you can find me in a lot of TV and in cinemas.