Jill Scott on BBC ....

Actress Jill Scott talks to James Rampton about filming 'The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' in Botswana with Anthony Minghella, the director who died earlier this week

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Jill Scott, the star of BBC1's winning adaptation of 'The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency', has nothing but praise for its director, Anthony Minghella, who sadly died at the age of 54 earlier this week. In fact, she tells me that collaborating with the Oscar-winning director of The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley, Cold Mountain and Truly, Madly, Deeply was her primary reason for accepting the role in the first place.


Jill Scott with Karabo Mpai in the `No1 Ladies' detective agency`
"The thought of working with Anthony was all the incentive I needed," says the American actress, singer and poet, who plays the leading role of the wise private detective, Precious Ramotswe, in the drama, which is being screened on BBC1 at 9pm tomorrow. "One of my all-time favourite films is The Talented Mr Ripley. So I was thrilled by the prospect of collaborating with Anthony; the very idea of it took my breath away."

Scott was not disappointed when she spent several months in Botswana working with Minghella on this screen version of Alexander McCall Smith's global best-seller. "With an Oscar-winner you never know if there'll be a large amount of ego and pretence, but Anthony was such a great director," says Scott. "He was like my uncle - silly, fun, intelligent, and sensitive. He was also a huge Motown fan, so between takes we all sang the Supremes.

Anthony believed in the team. He understood that it wasn't just about him or me on the movie - it was about the entire cast and crew, including the extras and the people who made the lunch. He understood precisely why it's called a film unit.


Director Anthony Minghella who died this week
He was also an amazingly creative creature - he had such a rare talent. He saw things that no one else saw. Who knew? It was like he was showing you shooting stars every few minutes. He captured the essence of Botswana in this movie. When I finally saw it, I burst into tears. There were no words to describe what he'd done."

The other thing that the director managed to do with this drama was to present Botswana in a favourable light. After completing The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Minghella said he hoped that the film might help overturn some Western misconceptions about Africa.

"Those of us who do not come from the continent have managed to create a great deal of literature about Africa which says what's wrong with it. What is so fantastic about this material and why I was always so drawn to the books is that they are a celebration of what we might learn from Africa," he said.

"The West is a mess; we are a neurotic society, self-absorbed, solipsistic, and greedy. We compete too much with each other and have no community. Look at Botswana and its dignity, friendliness and big-heartedness; the core of this itself is the reliance on community, debate and discussion."

It is true that Africa gets a bad press in the UK. You can't open a newspaper without reading a story about the continent which is littered with phrases such as "war-torn", "poverty-stricken", or "Aids-ravaged".


Jill Scott with Anthony Minghella on the set of their latest film
This stereotype infuriates Scott. "We hear so much that's negative about Africa - HIV, poverty, famine, war," she says. "We have that drilled into us. But the reality is quite different. We can learn so much from Africa about respect - respect for life, respect for family, respect for communities and respect for each other as human beings.

Everyone in Africa is so polite and courteous. Even children are called 'Mr' or 'Miss'. Also, their level of intelligence is so high, and their reasoning is so pure. It's really enlightening talking to Africans."

Scott continues: "Africans also have a much more relaxed attitude to time. Here, everyone is always in such a hurry to get somewhere, but in Africa they know that good things come to those who wait. The first time I waited an hour for a meal in a restaurant out there, I was almost enraged. But then when I ate it, I understood. So much love had gone into the food that it couldn't be rushed."

The actress, who hails from Philadelphia, where she has set up the Blues Babe Foundation to help poor students with university fees, would be the first to admit that, "There are some troubled parts of Africa, but that's true of everywhere. Even in the middle of the chaos in Iraq, there are places that are good for the spirit and where you can bring up children peacefully. This film allows people to see that there are positives to found everywhere."

advertisementThis charming film certainly serves up a view of Africa that is "sunny side up". The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a feast for the eye; it conjures up the rolling savannah, big skies, ubiquitous dust and vividly-coloured clothing that are characteristic of that part of the world. But this single drama, adapted for the screen by Minghella and Richard Curtis, also conveys the sheer warmth of the characters.

Yep, she is known for acting. She's been on a few TV shows, namely "Girlfriends" and she was just in Tyler Perry's hit film "Why Did I Get Married?"

She was also in Lisa Chewbacca's Cavedweller.

i love these books i cant wait!

well cast

She mentioned this on Friday night when I saw her, I had no idea. Such an amazing, beautiful human being...got to check this out!

sosgemini said:

I liked the first book in that series (#1 Ladies Detective Agency, that is)

Isn't Jill Scott now an actress?

Or did she have a sex change (male = actor)?

MikeMatronik said:

MikeMatronik said:

america's screen actor's guild refers to all it's members as "actor". including females.

MikeMatronik said:

Actor referes to females also.

I believe the term "actor" can include both males & females.

I think she was the pulse of Why Did I Get Married. This was the 1st Tyler Perry movie that I really enjoyed.

MikeMatronik said:

So moded