Described by one critic as ‘a young Julia Roberts’, she also has writing and producing credits up her sleeve. Her latest project, Anne Boleyn: The Musical for which she wrote the book and lyrics, will make its world premiere at Hever Castle in August.

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Here, Rebecca tells us what makes for a life well lived.

Images: Michael Shelford



Where do you call home and with whom do you share it?





I live with my husband, the actor Harry Hadden-Paton, our daughters Martha, Audrey and Maggie and our new puppy Minna. We split our time between Dorset and New York City.


Where do you do your best writing?





I read an article by Maggie O’Farrell which really gave me ‘permission’ to write. She wrote of how she juggles three kids, school pick-ups and writes, sometimes, in snatches in the car. Ten minutes being better than no minutes. A lot of the screenwriting podcasts I’d been listening to were men, who didn’t seem to be juggling a school run, a husband who’s away a lot for work, acting and producing… So, thanks Maggie! That said, my favourite place to write is at our kitchen table, when everybody is at school and I have the place to myself.


What is currently on your bedside table?


Gtg Rebecca Knight Votary Pillow Spray
A thousand books, lip balm, Votary pillow spray and always a pen and paper.


What was the last item of clothing you bought?



A red dress. I used to have one that I bought in my twenties for my first TV audition (which was for Andrew Davies’s Fanny Hill) and I felt I needed a bit of ‘red dress’ back in my life as I’ve been filming again recently, having been, happily and necessarily, glued to the kitchen table writing Anne Boleyn. A reminder I love that other side of my work, too.

Which living female do you most admire?





Oh, gosh. Tricky. The obvious ones – Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Ehle (who is a fantastic actor and lovely human). I’m also fan-girling over Emily Mortimer and Greta Gerwig forging the path in multi-hyphenates. But, also, many of the woman pushing ahead in the UN, for example, driving real and necessary change for equality, humanity and peace. There’s still a big gender imbalance.


What are you binge-watching at the moment?





I just downloaded all of French and Saunders as well as, for guilty pleasure, And Just Like That. I mostly love watching movies – recently Portrait of a Lady on Fire.


Date night in or date night out?





Mmmm. When it’s all a bit of a whirl I crave a quiet, cosy evening in, but we love a night out at the theatre or dinner. Most date nights recently have involved watching Harry in Here We Are at The National Theatre and then going for a drink afterwards. I do enjoy the buzz of being in town.


Which is your favourite season of the year?


Spring – the flowers, the lambs, the sunshine, the sea thinking about warming up…


What would be your dream role as an actor?


They often surprise me. There are parts you think you want to play (I adored Imelda Staunton in Hello, Dolly and Helen Mirren and Eve Best in Mourning Becomes Electra) but often the best parts come out of nowhere. They always involve a cracking piece of writing and great fellow actors and collaborators… then you’re really safe to fly. I adored playing Jessie in Night, Mother opposite Stockard Channing at the Hampstead Theatre. It’s a gritty piece but there was so much to discover. I just had the best time on set on an American show (which is yet to be announced) where we got to improvise, amid the brilliant writing, and the cast and crew were wonderful. I loved every second.


What is your most prized possession?


My favourite things are my books and notebooks and a ring my mother-in-law gave me that belonged to my husband’s granny, Ann. It was a gift from Harry’s grandfather, whom I never met, and it means a lot. A real ‘you’re part of the family’.