Nia Roberts Adre

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-Hello and welcome to Adre

-with me, Nia Parry.

-Let's have a snoop around

-another fascinating person's house.

-This house belongs to an experienced

-award-winning actor.

-She won a BAFTA Cymru award

-in 1999...

-..for her performance

-in the film Lois.

-There's a collection of maps here...

-..and one of them

-is a map of the Brecon Beacons.

-This person comes from Brecon.

-This is a photograph of her when she

-was a teenager. Do you know her?

-Her hair has changed a lot,

-thank goodness!

-The actor Nia Roberts lives here...

-..with her husband, Marc Evans,

-who's a film director...

-..and their daughters,

-Edith and Agnes.

-Here's Nia on 35 Diwrnod.

-Never, ever ask me

-to do that again.

-What did he say?

-Hiya, Nia.

-Thank you for inviting me over.

-Actually, I invited myself!

-Actually, I invited myself!

-

-It's nice to have you here.

-You live in Pontcanna.

-Where are you from originally?

-Where are you from originally?

-

-I come from Brecon originally.

-I grew up in the house

-where my parents still live.

-How long have you lived in Cardiff?

-I've lived in Cardiff

-for ten years...

-..and in Pontcanna

-for six years.

-What sort of place is Pontcanna?

-It's lovely,

-especially if you have children.

-A lot of families live here and

-there's a park opposite the house.

-We know a lot of people,

-mostly through the children.

-How old are your girls?

-How old are your girls?

-

-Edith is eight and Agnes is two.

-Edith is eight and Agnes is two.

-You're still in a very busy period!

-You're still in a very busy period!

-

-Yes, especially with Agnes.

-Tell me about your work.

-How did you start acting?

-My parents were active members of

-a local amateur dramatics group...

-..called the Brecon Little Theatre.

-I remember being on the stage

-when I was six or seven.

-I started doing TV work

-when I was 11.

-It was a good experience

-but theatre was my first love.

-Does theatre still give you a buzz?

-As I get older, doing theatre

-is becoming increasingly scary.

-When I was young, I just went

-on stage without thinking about it.

-But now,

-I feel quite sick before I go on.

-But once I'm on stage,

-I feel fantastic and I enjoy it.

-Tell me about the TV and film work

-you've done over the years.

-Oh, Nia! I'm getting old now.

-Oh, Nia! I'm getting old now.

-

-You've done a lot.

-Solomon A Gaynor

-was your big break, wasn't it?

-It won lots of awards.

-It won lots of awards.

-

-Yes, it did.

-We went to the Oscars,

-which was amazing.

-I was young.

-Something like 24 years old.

-It opened a lot of doors for me.

-I got an agent in London

-and I went up for lots of films.

-Is it tough to be a working mother?

-The hours are long.

-You have

-short, intensive bursts of work...

-..followed by

-a period at home, perhaps.

-When I'm home,

-I'm home all the time.

-When I work, the hours are long.

-I worked on a film in London

-when Edith was two.

-I travelled backwards and forwards

-and Edith lived with my parents.

-I found it hard and I realized that

-was the final time I could do it.

-I took the decision

-to work closer to home.

-Marc, my husband, is also in the

-business and he works away a lot.

-It's too much

-for both of us to work away.

-Marc is a film director, isn't he?

-Do you ever get a chance

-to see each other?

-Occasionally!

-It's nice at the moment because he's

-home for a period of two months.

-For once,

-we can feel like a normal family.

-We have breakfast together

-and we eat supper together.

-You go to the park.

-You go to the park.

-

-Yes.

-Marc has to go where the work is.

-Tell me

-about the highlights of your career.

-What parts did you most enjoy?

-Which were challenging?

-I did a film with Marc

-called Patagonia...

-..which was a special experience.

-You kissed Matthew Rhys in the film.

-What a terrible chore!

-In front of my husband!

-In front of my husband!

-

-Yes, of course.

-It wasn't as easy as you think!

-He was the director

-and you had to kiss Matthew!

-Yes, he was stood behind the camera

-while Matthew and I kissed!

-I think it was harder for Matthew.

-I remember

-when we were rehearsing.

-In one scene, which didn't make

-the final cut of the film...

-..we were going in for the kiss...

-..and Matthew just cringed.

-He said, "Sorry! I can't do it."

-He couldn't bring himself to kiss me

-in front of Marc.

-I've finished my coffee...

-..and I enjoyed our chat

-in your lovely kitchen.

-Can I snoop around your house now?

-Can I snoop around your house now?

-

-Yes. I've had a tidy-up for you!

-Everyone does the same thing.

-This is the hallway.

-Yes, and we haven't

-decorated this yet.

-It'll be our final job.

-It'll be our final job.

-

-You're still working on the house.

-Yes, and we'll do something

-which not everyone approves of here.

-There's a lot of wood here...

-..and it would have been painted

-in Victorian times.

-Not the bannister...

-..but the stairs, the architraves

-and the skirting boards.

-It would have been painted.

-A lot of people are horrified

-at the thought of painting wood...

-..but we're going to do it.

-It'll be a lot of work.

-It'll be a lot of work.

-

-Yes. A lot of work.

-It's a work in progress.

-It's a work in progress.

-

-Yes.

-This really is a lovely kitchen

-and the light is wonderful.

-It was really dark,

-so we opened it all up.

-Was it two rooms?

-Was it two rooms?

-

-Yes, with a tiny kitchen.

-There was a living room

-from here to here.

-There was a big window there

-and this was the external wall.

-This was outdoors.

-We stored the bins in this area.

-We opened up in this direction.

-We put in the glass roof

-to bring in the light.

-I see. That's why it's so light.

-There was an open fireplace

-over there...

-..so we had to take that wall out

-to make this into one big room.

-Marc's father

-is an architect, isn't he?

-Did he have much input?

-Yes. He persuaded us

-to keep the old wall.

-We didn't renovate it at all.

-We didn't renovate it at all.

-

-It's really effective.

-It's not a perfect wall

-and we didn't want it to be perfect.

-It reflects the character

-of the house.

-I don't like

-things to be too perfect.

-It's a very social space.

-It's a very social space.

-

-Yes.

-It's what we wanted.

-This is how we live.

-I can keep an eye on the girls

-while I cook.

-We all sit here in the morning...

-..and I sit here with Marc at night

-with a glass of wine.

-We both cook, so whoever isn't

-cooking dinner sits on a stool...

-..to chat, watch and pour the wine.

-It's a light, lovely room

-and it's a social space.

-Right. Shall we move on?

-Right. Shall we move on?

-

-Of course.

-This is our television room.

-We light a real fire in here

-on the weekend, so it's really cosy.

-We don't use it during the week...

-..but we come here, light a fire

-and watch a film on Friday nights.

-Whose chair is that lovely one?

-Yours or Marc's?

-Yours or Marc's?

-

-It depends.

-It's quite new, so we're all

-taking turns to sit on it.

-The children love it.

-There are a lot of books in here.

-Books about cinema and photography.

-I take it it's more than a job

-for you and Marc.

-Yes.

-Marc wanted to be an artist

-when he was young.

-He studied art and he's

-a pretty good photographer too.

-A lot of these books

-are about art, film and cookery.

-We must buy

-a new cookery book once a month.

-We're terrible!

-Do you try the recipes too?

-Do you try the recipes too?

-

-Yes.

-There are loads in here

-and in the kitchen.

-What's for lunch today?

-What's for lunch today?

-

-I'm not sure.

-I haven't thought about it.

-On the first floor,

-there's a bathroom...

-..and three bedrooms,

-including the master.

-We took

-the biggest room in the house!

-It's really light and the view

-across the park is lovely.

-Yes. The view is wonderful.

-Are the windows original?

-Are the windows original?

-

-Yes.

-There are lots of pictures

-on the walls.

-Yes - things we've picked up

-over the years.

-This is a lovely room.

-There's a third floor.

-Yes. Marc's office is up there

-and it needs a bit of work!

-Am I allowed a peek?

-Am I allowed a peek?

-

-Yes.

-This is the top of the house.

-This is the top of the house.

-

-Wow! A lot of work is done here.

-Yes. This is Marc's office.

-Marc is a film director, isn't he?

-Film and television.

-Does he work from home a lot?

-When he's developing something,

-he does a lot of the work here.

-He doesn't write alone.

-He works on projects as a co-writer.

-He does his writing in here.

-He comes up with ideas in here.

-He's always juggling

-five or six projects at a time.

-That's the way things are

-in this world.

-You need irons in the fire

-because they won't all happen.

-Things fall through...

-..and it takes time

-to secure funding for a film.

-Join us after the break, when we'll

-have driven up the A470 to Brecon...

-..to visit Nia's original home.

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-Welcome back.

-Nia and I have travelled to Brecon,

-her home town.

-We're in Brecon and

-this is the house where you grew up.

-Yes, and my parents

-have lived here for 52 years.

-They still live here and it was

-a wonderful place to grow up.

-I can imagine you

-playing by the river.

-Yes, and not just here.

-Children had far more freedom

-in the 1970s and 1980s...

-..than they do now.

-My friends and I would ride our

-bikes to the park at the Boathouse.

-Mam, Dad and my older sisters

-kept an eye on me...

-..but me and my friends had lots

-of freedom when we rode our bikes.

-We had lots of adventures

-and I was out for hours.

-It looked very different then.

-We had a serious flood in 1979.

-After that,

-we had to build this high wall...

-..and the wall

-in front of the river.

-Before then, we had grass here

-and lots of trees.

-There was a very low wall here.

-So you could come straight

-from the garden down to the river?

-Yes, we'd take a dinghy out

-on the river.

-I have good, happy memories

-of my time here.

-Do your daughters

-enjoy coming here in the summer?

-Edith learned to ride a bike

-without stabilizers...

-..in the same place I learned.

-It's perfect for children.

-It's perfect for children.

-

-Yes. The roller skates come out.

-They love

-staying with their grandparents.

-How strong

-was the Welsh language in Brecon?

-We had a Welsh Society

-and we'd all gather to meet up.

-The fact we had to do that

-demonstrated there was a need...

-..for something

-to bring Welsh speakers together.

-They held all sorts of events

-when we were young.

-Things like barbecues,

-concerts and eisteddfodau.

-I went to

-a Welsh-medium primary school.

-My parents

-were part of a group of people...

-..who fought

-for a Welsh-medium primary school.

-My sisters didn't have

-a Welsh-medium education.

-We started with 20 pupils and

-when I left, there were 70 of us.

-The school moved from building to

-building as pupil numbers increased.

-But I went to

-an English-medium high school.

-Where did you go?

-Where did you go?

-

-Brecon High School.

-My parents were

-part of a drama society...

-..called Brecon Little Theatre.

-It was an amateur company.

-I started doing shows with them.

-I was six when I did my first show.

-I haven't been back here

-for a long time.

-Wow! It's beautiful.

-Yes. I thought perhaps it

-wouldn't be as big as I remembered.

-The theatre has moved

-to Theatr Brycheiniog.

-All the plays are performed

-in the new building there.

-It still feels very grand.

-Imagine you as a little girl

-standing here, looking out.

-Do you remember standing

-on that stage, as a little girl?

-It must have been scary.

-No, not at that time.

-The first thing I did was play

-Tiny Tim in Scrooge when I was six.

-My whole family was in it.

-My sisters and my mam were in it

-and my dad played the piano.

-That's the piano

-Dad played back then!

-I had some happy times

-in this building.

-Being part of that theatre company

-was special.

-I had so much stage experience

-at a young age.

-This theatre played a crucial part

-in your development as an actor.

-Yes. I spent a lot of time here,

-as a child.

-Not just on stage but also

-coming here to see things...

-..and being inspired to go on stage.

-It was really important to me

-as I grew up.

-After a lovely trip to Brecon,

-we're back in your current home.

-Which three things would you

-rescue from this house, Nia?

-I've chosen three things.

-The first thing is this little box.

-The girls made it for me

-as a birthday present last year.

-'To Mam - Nia -

-from Edith and Agnes xxx'.

-Inside the box, there are

-photographs of Agnes's first year.

-Edith was six when she was born

-and she was shocked.

-She'd been an only child

-for six years...

-..and she didn't know

-what to make of this new baby.

-By the end of Agnes's first year,

-Edith was used to it all...

-..and she'd fallen in love

-with her little sister.

-She asked her father to print these

-photos of her and her sister...

-..and the whole family.

-It proved to me

-that everything's fine.

-It meant a lot to me.

-It meant a lot to me.

-

-Oh, that's nice.

-What about the second item?

-What about the second item?

-

-It's a letter.

-I wrote this letter to

-Olivia Newton-John when I was six.

-Grease, the film,

-was released when I was six.

-I went to see it

-at Brecon cinema...

-..about six times in a fortnight.

-Different relatives

-took me to see it.

-What I love about it is I spelled

-every English word in a Welsh way.

-None of the words

-are spelled correctly.

-I even call her Oliffia because

-there is no letter V in Welsh!

-"Dear Olivia Newton-John.

-"My sisters are teasing me

-that your name is Elsie Froggit.

-"Please tell me the truth, Olivia.

-I know they're telling a lie.

-"I know you don't know me at all,

-but I wanted to know you, see?

-"Tell me your address please.

-"We will come and see you

-in the summer. Goodbye.

-"Nia Roberts. Write back soon'"

-Write back is spelled rhite bac!

-My mother found this letter

-in a drawer many years later.

-This letter

-is really important to me.

-What's the third thing?

-What's the third thing?

-

-This stuffed owl.

-Wow! I wasn't expecting that.

-A dead, stuffed owl?

-You surprised me.

-There's a story behind this owl.

-Unfortunately, it was shot.

-It happened

-on the farm where my mother grew up.

-My grandfather was farming there

-and friends of his came to stay.

-They went out on a shoot

-and they came back with this owl.

-My grandfather was very sad...

-..because they'd shot this owl

-on his farm.

-He couldn't understand

-why they had to shoot an owl.

-By way of an apology and to thank

-my grandad for his hospitality...

-..they had the owl stuffed.

-Didn't that rub salt in the wound?

-They put it in a glass case

-and sent it to the farm.

-I'm very fond of owls.

-Yes, I'd noticed

-a few owls in the kitchen.

-This owl is beautiful.

-This owl is beautiful.

-

-Yes - it was beautiful.

-The owl

-takes care of us, as a family.

-I'm really fond of this owl.

-Thank you very much.

-It's been lovely to spend time

-with you here and in Brecon.

-Yes. It's always nice to go home.

-Thank you.

-We've had a lovely time

-at home with Nia Roberts.

-Thank you for watching.

-See you next time

-when I go to someone else's home.

-For now, goodbye.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.