Imelda Staunton discusses her new role in “That Day We Sang”

Imelda Staunton, who portrayed Dolores Umbridge, the villain we all love to hate, has been cast in the film adaptation of That Day We Sang, a musical by Victoria Wood. Victoria Wood is a British comedian, writer, and actress who has previously collaborated with Julie Walters (Molly Weasley). The story, which will be written and directed by Wood as well, follows the amusing tale of Tubby (Michael Ball) and Enid (Staunton), two middle-aged singers who meet at the reunion of the Manchester Children’s Choir, where they both sang as children. The lonely duo gets a second chance at love among lively scenes of singing, dancing, and comedy set in Manchester 1969, with flashbacks to 1929.

Staunton shares what appealed to her about joining the cast of That Day We Sang and gives more insight into the plot of the movie.

According to Staunton,

Victoria Wood sends you a script. The end.

Wood shares that she had pictured Imelda and her co-star Michael in the roles before they appeared in Sweeney Todd on the West End together but felt they were out of her league.  She mentioned,

Imelda’s very particular, and I didn’t think she’d want to do it.

Luckily for Wood, Staunton adores much of her work, sharing,

I verge on being a stalkery fan of everything she’s done.  I think she’s brilliant.  And this was something so different and exciting and challenging.  It’s such a brave thing because it’s unlike anything done before, so to be allowed to be part of it was a big thrill.

Sophie Thompson, who portrayed Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, will be playing the role of Dorothy in the film as well. Sophie is the sister of Emma Thompson, who portrayed Professor Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter films.

You can read the full interview with Staunton, Ball, and Wood here.

That Day We Sang will air on BBC2 on December 26.

What do you think? Will you be seeing That Day We Sang? Tell us in the comments below! We want to hear from you!