In Mike Leigh's new film, Hard Truths, Marianne Jean-Baptiste is a tour de force as Pansy, a woman consumed by rage and depression, who regularly lashes out at family and strangers. While the character is quite unpleasant, you mostly end up feeling bad for her as it becomes clear that she's experienced a lot of pain and disappointment in her life.

During a successful run on the global festival circuit, Jean-Baptiste says numerous people told her they recognized someone from their own families in Pansy.

"We've been to Rome, Spain, Copenhagen, London, Toronto, New York, and in each place, a number of people have said, 'That's my mother-in-law. That's my mother. That's my auntie,'" the British actor tells Q's Tom Power in an interview. "She's a real person, so people will identify with that."

How Jean-Baptiste and Leigh built the character of Pansy is almost as interesting as the character herself. Leigh's signature filmmaking process begins without a script or even a plot. The director individually works with each actor in isolation to invent the details of their character's history and personality. Then, through months of rehearsal, the actors improvise their dialogue and Leigh decides how the story will progress.

The first time Jean-Baptiste worked with Leigh was on his 1996 breakthrough Secrets & Lies, which earned her an Oscar nomination. She says his unique directing style is a truly collaborative process.

"Mike sees you as a creative artist in your own right, not just an interpreter," Jean-Baptiste explains. "So you are building the world with him. You're building this character. It's based in reality. It's not about sort of broad strokes. It's about detail."

The intensity Jean-Baptiste brought to Pansy is clear even in the character's physicality, which is full of tension. Pansy wears an almost permanent scowl on her face as she walks around hunched and fearful.

"I think that I didn't take her home with me, but my husband argues, 'Oh yes, you did,'" the actor says with a laugh.

Hard Truths hits theatres in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver on Jan. 24, with more Canadian cities to follow.