Stefanie Martini talks playing Dame Helen Mirren’s Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect 1973
The up-and-coming actress says that she's always admired the Oscar-winning star
You can’t help but admire Doctor Thorne actress Stefanie Martini’s self-confidence.
In a brand-new prequel to the hit 90s detective drama Prime Suspect, she stars as the young Jane Tennison; in other words, she’s stepping into the shoes of the leading lady who originally played the character – Dame Helen Mirren. And she isn’t fazed at all.
“I see it as an opportunity. If that character wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have this job,” says Stefanie, 26.
“It’s interesting, challenging and exciting, but there is a lot of pressure. I’ve always admired Helen.
"But I just had to learn what I could from her work, then leave it alone and do my own thing – otherwise it would have been like doing an impression.”
The much-anticipated prequel sees probation officer Jane embarking on her career as a cop in 1973, the year that women were fully integrated into London’s Metropolitan police force.
"Although there are flashes of the steely, focused detective we know so well, there’s also a vulnerability that we haven’t seen before.
“Jane’s very eager and keen. She cares a lot about her job and wants to do well,” explains Stefanie. “She tries to get as involved as she can in the force, even though, technically, her job is more making tea and doing admin!
“Jane throws herself into things, but she doesn’t quite have the experience or the knowledge yet that you see later with the character. She’s not completely aware of the proper way to do things.
"But she’s very ‘no holds barred’ and I really like that.”
In the first of six episodes, Jane becomes emotionally invested in the case of a teenage girl who is found murdered on an estate in Hackney, east London.
She’s given the opportunity to get more involved when she’s invited to join the chief investigating officer, DI Len Bradfield, and inform the next of kin.
“Bradfield becomes Jane’s mentor and she really respects him,” reveals Stefanie.
“He’s compassionate, but he’s still tough and good at his job. He thinks in the same way she does, that’s why she finds him so fascinating. Is it a romantic relationship? Maybe, maybe not…”
DI Bradfield aside, the other officers – including DS Spencer Gibbs, played by The Inbetweeners’ Blake Harrison – have a very different approach to policing than would be acceptable today, including manhandling suspects and ogling female officers.
“At this point, Jane’s not professionally in a place where she can counteract the sexism,” says Stefanie. “It’s ‘everyday sexism’ – bum touching, ‘wash up the dishes’, ‘make my tea’, that sort of thing. It wasn’t seen as that offensive.
"Though I would have thought Jane would have been annoyed by that, or would have found it frustrating and demeaning, she just laughs and pushes on through.”
Although as a young police constable on probation Jane is most often seen in her uniform, there are glimpses of her life away from work, and wearing the 1970s costumes was a particular highlight for Stefanie.
“I had flared jeans, which were really difficult to get in to as they’re incredibly tight!” she reveals.
“You see Jane at home and at the pub, wearing these great wing-collared shirts.”
As Stefanie’s first lead role in a drama, the phone call revealing that she’d landed the job was an especially memorable one.
“I was in an airport with absolutely no one else there. I screamed, and had a little dance,” she grins. “I was really, really, really happy!”
Stefanie – who played Doctor Thorne’s wife Mary in the ITV drama and credits her on-screen husband Tom Hollander as one of her acting mentors – is philosophical about the potential reaction to the reimagining of a role as iconic as Jane Tennison.
“I think if you’ve watched all the previous series and have invested in that character then you’ll probably have your opinion and personal attachment to that,” she says.
“I’m prepared that some people will like it and some will hate it. That’s the way it works with everything.
“Viewers have taken Jane Tennison to their hearts.
"I think that’s because she’s not perfect – she has flaws and that’s really refreshing. She’s quite unlikeable in some ways, as in she’s cut-throat, but she’s also very real. That rings true with a lot of people.”
NEW! Prime Suspect 1973, Thursday, 9pm, ITV
Don't know what to watch tonight? Get your daily guide to What's On TV from The Sun Online