Maxine Peake says RADA teacher told her to 'lay off the chips' to play Juliet
Actress Maxine Peake, 52, told the Sisters of Defiance podcast a teacher at RADA said she would never play Juliet unless she lost weight. The Standard has asked RADA for comment.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Actress Maxine Peake, 52, has said a teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) told her she would never play Juliet if she did not 'lay off the chips'. Daily MailR “Maxine Peake has revealed she was told to 'lay off the chips' if she wanted to play Juliet while training at a prestigious drama school.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Evening StandardN “if I didn’t lay off the chips, I would never play Juliet. Those were her exact words,” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Mixed · 2She made the comments to Anita Rani on the podcast Sisters of Defiance, saying the teacher's words were exact and that she replied she did not want to play Juliet because the character 'kills herself at 16 because of a boy'. Evening StandardN “Peake told Anita Rani on the Sisters of Defiance podcast.” Read at Evening Standard ↗ Daily MailR “She kills herself at 16 because of a boy” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Mixed · 2Peake grew up in Bolton and attended RADA on a scholarship; the Evening Standard says she went to study there aged 21, and that her scholarship attempts were documented for The South Bank Show. Daily MailR “The actress, 52, grew up in Bolton and gained a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Evening StandardN “The Silk star went to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) aged 21” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Right · 1The Daily Mail adds that she was rejected by 13 other drama schools before RADA and has kept a folder of the rejection letters. Daily MailR “I’ve got a folder full of letters from 13 education companies that I’d auditioned for.” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Right · 1The Mail also recalls that Victoria Wood told her during Dinnerladies, 'You’re fat, you’re blonde and you’re northern, you’ll get typecast'; Peake says she then lost a lot of weight, so quickly that she had to wear a fat suit for the second series. Daily MailR “She said, "You’re fat, you’re blonde and you’re northern, you’ll get typecast".”“I had to wear a fat suit for the second series!” Read at Daily Mail ↗ Right · 1In the podcast she also criticised an 'obsession with beauty and youth', saying the industry is creating a self-image that is 'impossible and unobtainable'. Daily MailR “I think we’re creating a self-image now that is just impossible and unobtainable and it’s not needed.” Read at Daily Mail ↗
Centre · 1The Standard says it has contacted RADA for comment, and no response is reported. It notes that Daisy May Cooper described bullying at RADA in a 2023 interview, when a RADA representative apologised and said the school would not tolerate such practices in its present teaching and has a zero-tolerance policy on discrimination, harassment or bullying. Evening StandardN “The Standard has contacted RADA for comment.”“We are also committed to a zero-tolerance policy on any discrimination, harassment or bullying.” Read at Evening Standard ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Frames Peake's remarks as part of a pattern of reported harshness at RADA, adding Daisy May Cooper's earlier bullying allegations and RADA's past response.
- Emphasis
- RADA's reputation as a notoriously tough school, the request for RADA comment, and the Cooper precedent.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the 13 rejections, Victoria Wood's advice or Peake's comments on beauty standards.
- Charged language
- “fat-shamed”“brutal comments”
- For example
-
“Peake is by no means the only actor to have had a tough time while studying at the drama school in the 1990s or 2000s.” — Evening Standard
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Celebrity-interview piece led by the 'chips' quote, with a wider personal retrospective on Peake's weight, Dinnerladies and career.
- Emphasis
- Peake's rejection letters, Victoria Wood's advice, the fat suit and her TV roles.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not say RADA was approached for comment and does not mention other former students' complaints about the school.
- Charged language
- “fat-shamed”“prestigious drama school”
- For example
-
“In a new interview, Maxine has revealed how she was fat-shamed and told she wouldn't play lead roles due to her size” — Daily Mail
What every side reports
- Peake, 52, said on Anita Rani's Sisters of Defiance podcast that a RADA teacher told her she would never play Juliet if she didn't lay off the chips.
- Peake replied that she didn't want to play Juliet because the character kills herself at 16 over a boy.
- Peake attended RADA on a scholarship.
Maxine Peake person
Says a RADA teacher told her she would never play Juliet unless she cut back on chips, and that she brushed it off. She also says the industry's obsession with beauty and youth is creating an impossible standard.
“It’s our obsession with beauty and youth, isn’t it? It’s ridiculous.” — Daily Mail
“Those were her exact words,” — Evening Standard
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
-
Maxine Peake says she was fat-shamed and told she'd 'never play Juliet' at top London drama school
Critical Places Peake's account alongside other RADA bullying claims and seeks the school's response.
Right1 article
-
Sympathetic Interview write-up that leads with the quote and widens into Peake's weight, career and rejection history.
- 27 Oct 00:00 First Daily MailR Maxine Peake reveals she was fat-shamed at prestigious drama school and told to 'lay off the chips' if she wanted to play Juliet
- 27 Oct 12:48 +12h 47m Evening StandardN Maxine Peake says she was fat-shamed and told she'd 'never play Juliet' at top London drama school
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…