From Harry Potter to The Crying Game, Susie Figgis’ explosive enthusiasm makes her an indispensable casting director film

I I first met Susie Figgis over 40 years ago when I interviewed her for The Company of Wolves, my first film production with Neil Jordan. We met at the Scala cinema where I was working at the time, it was a busy and noisy office, but it was a sunny day, so we went up to the roof. Susie, already a legend having starred in Stephen Frears’ Bloody Kids, Laura Mulvey’s groundbreaking films and Ben Kingsley’s Gandhi, unleashes a volcanic eruption of unbridled enthusiasm for Angela Carter and Neill’s screenplay. The combination of explosive expletives and eloquent ‘darlings’ nearly catapulted me into the streets of King’s Cross below.

Thus began a professional relationship that spanned more than 23 films. The task the Company of Wolves gave her was a difficult one: finding an actor to play the teenage Rosaleen. She achieved this through painstaking and meticulous methods (her trademark) over the next few months, exceeding our expectations when she discovered the excellent Sarah Patterson. She then topped it off with a suggestion from Angela Lansbury for “Grannie” (who flew in from Hollywood to film with us and had her character beheaded for her troubles) and a wonderful supporting cast of dancers, performers and actors veterans of our strange and violent woodland fairy tale. Her passion for cinema was contagious: not only to filmmakers, but also to the agents and actors who read our scripts. Susie demanded an intelligent, thoughtful response to the scenarios, so a simple yes or no would not suffice.

Her acting origins as a member of the 1960s and 1970s avant-garde experimental improvisational theater group The People Show (along with her cousin, film director Mike Figgis) may seem at odds with her complete belief in professionalism, punctuality, and absolute commitment to the director and ultimately the film. Woe bet to any actor who arrives late to Susie Figgis’ audition!

After The Company of Wolves came a whole series of wonderful discoveries for Neil: Cathy Tyson in Mona Lisa, Guy Davidson in The Crying Game and Eamonn Owens in The Butcher Boy. In parallel, she continued her association with Richard Attenborough and Frears in numerous films during the 1980s, co-casting Oscar and BAFTA-winning films including Heat and Dust, The Killing Fields, The Mission, Local Hero, A World Apart, Scandal and Wish You Were Here. It was, and continues to be, at the forefront of new and cutting-edge British cinema, mixing big-budget Hollywood blockbusters with BFI and Film4 productions in equal measure to enjoy.

Her Molotov character, a mix of unabashedly nonsensical Britons and subversive left-wing extremists, was a unique and unabashedly honest mix, disarming to some but not always a comforting combination to others. Most directors who worked with her knew they were in safe, if sometimes eccentric, hands. In the 1990s, her talent appeared in many films, most notably “Hidden Agenda” by Ken Loach, “The Piano” by Jane Campion, “Interview with the Vampire”, “Michael Collins”, “The Full Monty”, “The End of the Case”, “Velvet Gold Mine” by Todd Haynes, and “Sleepy Hollow” by Tim Burton.

Susie’s passion for cinema and commitment to her art has often led to lively and vociferous debates to say the least – but she kicked off the 2000s with the first Harry Potter film, The Philosopher’s Stone. Burton worked closely and amicably with her on all of his UK films including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland, and she went on to make crucial contributions to films as diverse as Colette and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Suzy gave 100% to her films, and her infectious love and raunchy sense of humor added energy to any film on top of her acting genius. Her presence and inspiration are irreplaceable in the current landscape of shy British cinema.