A Day in the Life of Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker is famous for many things such as Doctor Who, Trust Me and lots of others but what goes on behind the scenes? (This was during the filming of ‘Trust Me’.) 

In the morning, Jodie wakes up in her flat in Bristol even though the show is set in Dorset. The flat is above a restaurant and “It is the best breakfast place ever!” Generally, she has poached eggs and smashed avocado on toast. After that, she takes a walk around the city before getting cooped up for the rest of the day.

Just before lunch a car comes and picks Jodie up to get to the set. Then it’s her favourite part of the day, Make-Up. It takes up a good 45 minutes due to her frizzy hair. Soon after a chicken curry it’s time to start filming. They only film a few scenes but it takes up a lot of time. It can get quite boring in the break so Jodie always brings a ball and makes the crew play catch.

After a long time of shooting it’s time to wrap up. The crew go to a restaurant to finish up. After dinner, it’s time to go home. Jodie always reads the next script to find out what’s happening. Her bedtime routine has stayed the same since she was 12, Cleanse, Moisturise and bed.

Original interview:

Here’s what happened…

7.30am

I stay in a flat in Bristol when we’re filming. The show is set in Dorset but the house my character [Beth Latimer] lives in is actually in Somerset. Luckily, I don’t have an early call time – Olivia Colman and David Tennant do all the hard graft – so I have some time to myself in the morning.

8.15am

The flat is on the harbour, above the best breakfast place ever. It’s called Spoke & Stringer – I wish they had one at home in London. I have poached eggs and smashed avocado on toast, very middle class.

9.15am

Take a walk around the city centre to get some air, before I’m cooped up in my trailer all day. I pop into my favourite shop, Blaze, an art co-op and mini exhibition space.

11am

The car picks me up to take me to the set in Clevedon, outside Bristol. I always ask the driver to hook up my iPod and then I subject them to my playlists. I’m very eclectic in my tastes – you’ll get a bit of Sia, then Arcade Fire, and then a track from a really indie band like The Slow Show.

11.40am

Straight into make-up, one of my favourite parts of the day. You get to catch up with all the cast, we’re just in a row chatting. Beth’s ‘no make-up’ make-up takes 45 minutes max, it’s blow-drying my frizzy hair that can take time.

1pm

After a lamb curry from catering, we’re on set. There’s lots of waiting, so I always have a book. I’ve nearly finished the Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer.

1.35pm

Start shooting: the scene is with Andrew Buchan and Charlotte Beaumont, who play my on-screen husband and daughter. Even though I’ve been playing Beth for three seasons, it’s still pretty dark. She’s lost her child in an awful way.

3.10pm

There’s a field behind the Latimers’ house, so I’ve bought a ball, and I make the crew play catch with me between shots. Filming can be quite emotional, so I like to keep moving and out of my head, and save the intensity for the camera.

8pm

Time to wrap. The goal is to get through five script pages a day. We shoot two episodes in a block, and we’re only given each script just before we film it. It’s someone’s job at the end of each day to check no one’s left their script behind that might end up leaking a spoiler.

8.30pm

Dinner with some of the team at The Olive Shed. It’s our go-to, as it’s pretty central for everyone.

9.45pm

I’ve been given the scripts for the last two episodes, so I race back to the flat to read them. I can’t wait to find out what happens. Then it’s into my comfies to watch the brilliant Peaky Blinders on Netflix.

11.30pm

My night-time routine hasn’t changed since I was 12 years old. Cleanse with Neutrogena, moisturise with Aveeno, then bed.