Lesley Manville Looks Back on Her Bossy Teenage Days on Emmerdale Farm
There’s a funny kind of full-circle moment when a respected, award-nominated actor looks back at their very first steps in the industry and laughs at who they used to be. That’s exactly what Lesley Manville has been doing recently as she revisited her early days on Emmerdale, long before the soap became the institution it is today.
Long before Phantom Thread, Magpie Murders, or major stage roles, Manville appeared on the show when it was still known as Emmerdale Farm. She played Rosemary Kendall for a brief spell between February 1975 and April 1976. It wasn’t a long run, but it clearly left an impression — especially on her co-stars. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Manville openly admitted that as a 16-year-old actor, she was, in her own words, “quite bossy.”
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She recalled that even though she was working alongside seasoned and established performers, advice was freely handed out. Positions on set were suggested, movements were corrected, and lines were mentally blocked out for others — all with the belief that she was simply being helpful. It was said with a smile, but she didn’t shy away from admitting that this eagerness likely drove some of her colleagues mad at the time.
What makes the story even more charming is her honesty about how much — or how little — she has changed. Manville acknowledged that the instinct to speak up is still there, but experience has taught her when to hold back. The difference now, she joked, is knowing when to keep her mouth shut.
Fast-forward to today, and Manville’s career could hardly be more different from her teenage soap days. She’s currently appearing on Broadway in Oedipus, following a successful West End run alongside Mark Strong. On stage, she continues to thrive, recently starring in the theatre adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, written by Christopher Hampton and directed by Marianne Elliott. That production, which featured Aidan Turner, is now set to reach cinemas as part of the NT Live series next summer.
Her connection to the story runs deep. As part of the Royal Shakespeare Company, she previously appeared in another stage adaptation of the same novel and later portrayed Geneviève de Merteuil in the 2022 TV series Dangerous Liaisons. It’s a reminder of how her career has evolved — from a confident, slightly over-enthusiastic teenager on Emmerdale Farm to one of Britain’s most respected performers across film, television, and theatre.
Looking back, those “bossy” moments feel less like embarrassment and more like an early sign of the confidence and commitment that would define her career. And for fans, it’s a refreshing reminder that even the biggest names started somewhere — sometimes by telling everyone else where to stand.
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