Samantha Morton says ‘care system not fit for purpose’
By Jordan Reynolds, PA
Bafta-winning actress Samantha Morton said the “care system isn’t fit for purpose”, and added that she was lucky she had had a teacher who who had seen potential in her, as she was honoured at Windsor Castle.
Morton, 48, known for her roles in Longford and The Serpent Queen, was made an OBE for services to drama and to charity.
Morton directed and co-wrote the TV drama The Unloved, based on her first-hand experience of the British care system, and won a best single drama award at the Bafta TV Awards in 2010.
Asked what her message would be to children who might be in the position now she was in as a child, she said “anything is possible” and “education really is your way out of anything”.
She said: “The care system isn’t fit for purpose. It’s been privatised, and unfortunately, there’s a lot of unregulated children’s homes that are operating up and down the country.
“We have a lot of suicides, young people killing themselves in the care system. It was always that way, but it’s, it’s kind of proportions that are just not, it’s never acceptable, but we’ve got a problem now.”
On what she would say to children in care, she said: “Anything is possible. I really believe that, but I was lucky, because I had a really good teacher at school that saw potential in me.
“So it’s about young people that are suffering, or you don’t even have to be in care, you’re just suffering right now – to know that education really is your way out of anything.
“You know, because the minute you educate yourself, you just see other worlds and opportunities and it doesn’t always have to be financial, because it is about freeing the mind as well.”
On her advice for any young actors wanting to follow in her footsteps, she said: “I would say, watch as many British films and television that you can, and the BBC has an amazing archive of arts and culture, because we have a tendency towards globalisation with our arts, and that’s fine, but we don’t often feel represented.
“So my advice would be to really, really nurture British film, British television, British filmmakers – they might be making American films, but they’re British filmmakers.
“How do they direct? What do they do? What do they do that’s different from an American or a Russian or a Polish person?
“It’s just very different, because the theatre is very expensive, so a lot of young people can’t go to the theatre. Cinema is very expensive, so they’re mostly watching streamers. So just hunt out the really good stuff, and then you’ve got the National Theatre Live, which you can see online.”
I feel very emotional. I'm very proud, very grateful and honoured to be here today
Morton said she was “very emotional” after being honoured by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
She said: “I feel very emotional. I’m very proud, very grateful and honoured to be here today.”
She said being made an OBE by the prince was “a bit of a blur”, adding: “I was just more, you know, making sure that I didn’t say the wrong thing.”
Morton said that years ago when she was invited to Buckingham Palace, she had left her shoes on the Tube and had had to wear flip-flops to meet the late Queen and that she had been “mortified”.
She said: “Years ago, when I was very lucky enough to be invited to Buckingham Palace, I left my shoes on the Tube, and so all I had with me were flip-flops.
What (the royal family) do is incredible. So obviously, (William's) being very gracious and congratulating me. But I also want to thank him for what he does, which I think I remembered to do
“So I went to Buckingham Palace and met his grandma in my flip-flops. I was mortified.”
Morton said she thought what William does was “incredible”, adding: “What they do is incredible. So obviously, he’s being very gracious and congratulating me. But I also want to thank him for what he does, which I think I remembered to do.”
She said her favourite character she had played was Catherine de Medici.
She landed her first TV roles in 1991 in Soldier Soldier and Boon before starring in period dramas including Emma in 1996 and Jane Eyre in 1997.
Morton garnered international acclaim for her performance in Carine Adler’s indie film Under The Skin, for which she received her first British Independent Film Award (Bifa) nomination for best actress in 1998.
In 2002, she won the best actress award for psychological drama Morvern Callar, and in 2022 she was given the Richard Harris Award for outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.
The actress and director has also been nominated for two Oscars – in 2000 for playing Hattie in Sweet And Lowdown and four years later for In America.
In 2008, she received a Golden Globe for her portrayal of child murderer Myra Hindley in TV movie Longford.
She starred alongside Tom Cruise in 2002 sci-fi action film Minority Report and played Mary Lou in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016).
Morton last year received the Bafta fellowship, the academy’s highest accolade, dedicating the award to children in care.
