Miriam Margoyles.Photo:Tim Walker
Tim Walker
Miriam Margolyes is the epitome of naughty and nice.TheHarry Potteractress, 82, graced the cover ofBritish Vogue’s Pride Issue, bearing all in both her photoshoot and interview.Margolyes, who came out as a lesbian in the 1960s, has always been unapologetically herself. So much so, in fact, that she refuses to censor her language — or even hold in a fart. “I’m still a bit of a child,” shetoldBritish Vogue. “I can’t resist naughtiness.”Although theHarry Potterfilms aren’t particularly important to Margolyes — “it’s not Charles Dickens” — her turn as the quirky Professor Sprout, combined with her real-life eccentricity and candor, have led her popularity to skyrocket late in her career.“People come up to me and say ‘I just love you’, and want to hug me,” she told the magazine. “And that is dazzling.”“I’m lucky enough to still be interesting, I suppose,” she added.Tim WalkerMuch of what makes Margolyes so engrossing stems simply from how comfortable she is being herself: “It’s a strong position if you’re not afraid to be who you are.”“We’re all so insecure,” she told the magazine. “People are frightened such a lot of the time and what I’ve always tried to do is to make people feel more relaxed, make people feel good about themselves, and just try and lessen the torture for people a bit.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The British-Australian actress, who was one ofBritish Vogue’s three Pride Issue cover stars along withJanelle MonáeandRina Sawayama, said that she never had “any shame about being gay” — or anything else.“I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me,” she said, reflecting on being openly gay at a time when it was a social taboo in the U.K. “I couldn’t be criminal.”Margolyes does regret coming out to her parents, however, saying that “it hurt them and I don’t want to hurt people.” Her mother forced her to swear on the Torah that she would never have sex with a woman again and, according toBritish Vogue, she doesn’t think her parents ever came to terms with her sexuality — but she never stopped loving them.The actress has been with her current partner, Heather Sutherland, who she met at the very beginning of her career, for 54 years. The couple has a civil partnership and the pair never “cohabited,” as the magazine phrased it.“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” Margolyes toldBritish Vogue. “I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything. I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.”Tim WalkerShe continued, “Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us. I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do.”The Age of Innocenceactress added that she thinks gay people are lucky because “we are not conventional." “We are a group slightly apart,” she said. “It gives us an edge. We’re good artists. We’re good musicians.““And I like being gay,” she finished. “I wouldn’t want to be straight for anything.”
Miriam Margolyes is the epitome of naughty and nice.
TheHarry Potteractress, 82, graced the cover ofBritish Vogue’s Pride Issue, bearing all in both her photoshoot and interview.
Margolyes, who came out as a lesbian in the 1960s, has always been unapologetically herself. So much so, in fact, that she refuses to censor her language — or even hold in a fart. “I’m still a bit of a child,” shetoldBritish Vogue. “I can’t resist naughtiness.”
Although theHarry Potterfilms aren’t particularly important to Margolyes — “it’s not Charles Dickens” — her turn as the quirky Professor Sprout, combined with her real-life eccentricity and candor, have led her popularity to skyrocket late in her career.
“People come up to me and say ‘I just love you’, and want to hug me,” she told the magazine. “And that is dazzling.”
“I’m lucky enough to still be interesting, I suppose,” she added.
Much of what makes Margolyes so engrossing stems simply from how comfortable she is being herself: “It’s a strong position if you’re not afraid to be who you are.”
“We’re all so insecure,” she told the magazine. “People are frightened such a lot of the time and what I’ve always tried to do is to make people feel more relaxed, make people feel good about themselves, and just try and lessen the torture for people a bit.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The British-Australian actress, who was one ofBritish Vogue’s three Pride Issue cover stars along withJanelle MonáeandRina Sawayama, said that she never had “any shame about being gay” — or anything else.
“I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me,” she said, reflecting on being openly gay at a time when it was a social taboo in the U.K. “I couldn’t be criminal.”
Margolyes does regret coming out to her parents, however, saying that “it hurt them and I don’t want to hurt people.” Her mother forced her to swear on the Torah that she would never have sex with a woman again and, according toBritish Vogue, she doesn’t think her parents ever came to terms with her sexuality — but she never stopped loving them.
The actress has been with her current partner, Heather Sutherland, who she met at the very beginning of her career, for 54 years. The couple has a civil partnership and the pair never “cohabited,” as the magazine phrased it.
“We were able to lead our lives without diminishing them,” Margolyes toldBritish Vogue. “I didn’t want her to have to give up anything. And I didn’t want to give up anything. I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. And so far, it’s worked.”
She continued, “Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us. I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do.”
The Age of Innocenceactress added that she thinks gay people are lucky because “we are not conventional.” “We are a group slightly apart,” she said. “It gives us an edge. We’re good artists. We’re good musicians.”
“And I like being gay,” she finished. “I wouldn’t want to be straight for anything.”
source: people.com
