I first encountered Susie Figgis over 40 years ago when I interviewed her for The Company of Wolves, my debut movie production with Neil Jordan. We met at my then-cinema the Scala – it was a busy, noisy office but a sunny day, so we went up to the roof. Susie, who was already something of a legend having cast Stephen Frears’ Bloody Kids, Laura Mulvey’s avant garde films and Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, unleashed a volcanic eruption of unbridled enthusiasm for Angela Carter and Neil’s script. The collection of explosive expletives and voluble “darlings” almost blasted me to the King’s Cross streets below.
So began a professional relationship that spanned more than 23 movies. The task we set her for The Company of Wolves was tricky: to find an actor to play the adolescent Rosaleen. She achieved it through painstaking and meticulous methods (her trademark) over the next few months, exceeding our expectations when she discovered the excellent Sarah Patterson. She then topped that with the suggestion of Angela Lansbury for “Grannie” (who flew from Hollywood to shoot with us and had her character’s head decapitated for her troubles) and a superlative supporting cast of dancers, performance artists and veteran actors for our strange, violent woodland fairytale. Her passion for cinema was infectious: not only for the film-makers, but also the agents and actors who read our scripts. Susie demanded an intelligent and thoughtful response to the screenplays so no simple yes or no would suffice.
Her acting origins as a member of the 60s/70s avant garde experimental improvisational theatre collective The People Show (alongside her film director cousin Mike Figgis) might appear to be at odds with her consummate belief in professionalism, punctuality and absolute commitment to the director and ultimately the movie. Woe betide any actor that arrived late to a Susie Figgis casting audition!
After The Company of Wolves she came up with a whole series of brilliant finds for Neil: Cathy Tyson in Mona Lisa, Jaye Davidson in The Crying Game and Eamonn Owens in The Butcher Boy. In parallel she continued her relationship with Richard Attenborough and Frears on numerous films through the 1980s, and was involved in casting Oscar and Bafta winning productions including Heat and Dust, The Killing Fields, The Mission, Local Hero, A World Apart, Scandal and Wish You Were Here. She was, and remained, at the forefront and cutting edge of new British cinema, mixing big budget Hollywood movies and BFI and Film4 productions with equal relish.
Her molotov cocktail personality, a mixture of unashamed no-nonsense Brit and subversive leftwing radical, was a unique and unblinkingly honest blend, disarming for some but not always a comfortable combination for others. Most directors who worked with her knew they were in safe, if occasionally delightfully eccentric, hands. In the 1990s her talent was brought to bear on a multitude of films, standouts being Ken Loach’s Hidden Agenda, Jane Campion’s The Piano, Interview With the Vampire, Michael Collins, The Full Monty, The End of the Affair, Todd Haynes’ Velvet Goldmine and Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.
Susie’s passion for cinema and commitment to her art often led to animated and vociferous discussions to say the least – but she kicked off the 2000s with the first Harry Potter film, The Philosopher’s Stone. Burton worked closely and amicably with her on all of his UK films including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland, and she continued to make crucial contributions to films as diverse as Colette and Bohemian Rhapsody.
Susie gave 100% to her movies and her infectious love and ribald humour added propulsive energy to any film over and above her casting genius. Her presence and inspiration are irreplaceable in the current landscape of timid British cinema.
