After 30 years in showbusiness, Karen Bryson had almost given up on finding rich and complex roles written for women of her generation. That was until she was offered a part in the new legal drama The Rainmaker, which has arrived on ITV following a successful run across the pond.
"For some reason, women get to a certain age and we don't 'exist'," says Karen, 51, who is famed for playing Avril Powell in the comedy-drama series Shameless. "But there's a whole wealth of story and life that women have to offer."
Karen Bryson stars in the new ITV legal drama, The Rainmaker
In the series, Karen plays grieving mother Dot Black, whose lawsuit against a healthcare giant for her son's wrongful death becomes the defining first case for the rookie lawyer Rudy Baylor, played by Milo Callaghan. "I'm absolutely thrilled that my home, the UK, gets to see this," says the actress, who lives in London with her husband. "The Rainmaker is a classic David and Goliath story."
Beyond her on-screen credits – which include the hit BBC drama The Split and Harlan Coben's Safe – Karen is an acclaimed writer and director. Her 2022 directorial debut, Monochromatic, a short film executive produced by David Harewood exploring racism in Seventies London, earned widespread critical praise. An experienced theatre actress, she has performed with leading companies throughout the nation, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and was awarded an MBE for services to drama in 2017.
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Sitting down with HELLO!, Karen reflects on the lack of on-screen representation for older women, her meeting with the "really lovely" King and why she's finally comfortable being a "little bit strange".
Karen, what attracted you to playing Dot?
"I'm a sucker for an underdog winning. I read the book many moons ago and when this character came up, I was absolutely thrilled. Dot is amazing. I've been doing this for 30 years. To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd ever play a part so rich and with a massive arc like this because for some reason, women get to a certain age and we don't 'exist', or there is a lack of representation when it comes to older women."
Can you expand on that?
"I'm lucky I've had a great run of it, but what happens when women get to a certain age is there are particular types of characters. That's slowly changing, but there was always an expectation that as you get to 30, and then 40, things are going to drop off because, of course, we've fallen off a cliff. There's a whole wealth of story and life that women have to offer. I do think it's changing."
You were awarded an MBE for your services to drama in 2017 by the King, at that time the Prince of Wales. What was he like?
"Amazing. I was really glad it was him. He is such a supporter of the arts. In fact, I met him years and years before at the Royal Shakespeare Company at a carol concert because he supports everything about the RSC. He's just ‘Mr Theatre’, he loves the arts. And I mentioned it when I got the award and it was just really lovely because I know he sees a million people. He's great."
Karen Bryson received her MBE from King Charles, when he was the Prince of Wales, in 2017
"I wasn't sure I'd ever play a part so rich and with a massive arc like this because for some reason, women get to a certain age and we don't 'exist'."
How are you finding your fifties?
"I won't lie, I was a bit shocked in the run-up to it, only because life happens so quickly. There's this thing of, 'I should celebrate this. It's great, it's a privilege.’ I'm thrilled that I'm still able to work and to be healthy, but I was a bit shocked because weirdly, in my mind, I still feel like I'm 30. It's my body that sometimes tells me, yeah, maybe you're not 30."
Who is the kindest person you've worked with?
"There was one job I'd done, a Ben Elton film called Maybe Baby, where I had a speech, and in the rehearsal, my lines went. James Purefoy told me about a moment he had where he stumbled on his lines. It just made me feel normal because my paranoia was [saying], 'They think I'm rubbish, they think I'm not worthy.’ All of the negative things come to mind. I've tried to pay that forward wherever I am. If I see somebody new, I want them to feel part of it and relaxed because I understand that it can get scary."
"It took me until my fifties to go, 'I'm a little bit strange and that's OK.'"
If you could give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?
"Everything is going to be alright, because I'm actually quite shy. I used to be riddled with social anxiety and I still kind of am. And it's OK to be a little bit strange. It took me until my fifties to go, 'I'm a little bit strange and that's OK.'"
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