Post by SheWolf on May 29, 2007 18:02:41 GMT 1
Georgia Slowe plays Lady Of The Manor, Perdita Hyde-Sinclair in ITV1's Emmerdale. Here she talks to us about her kids, being recognised by fans in the street and how she loves life at the big 4-0.
How do you combine being a mum with acting?
My sons, Ben and Josh are 12 and 11 now, so it's much easier because they are old enough to understand when Mummy's got to be away for work. I tend to spend the weeks in Leeds filming, then go back at weekends to see the boys. I do miss them a lot and they sometimes ring me and ask me when I'm coming home, which is hard. But we make the most of the time we do have together. The boys love doing outdoors stuff, running round the heath with the dogs and tiring themselves out. It's lots of fun.
You took more than a decade off to bring up the boys, didn't you - was that hard?
When I first had the boys I made a conscious decision to give up work and concentrate on looking them instead. I was lucky I could do that. But after a few years, I then realised it wasnt easy to just step back into a job when I wanted to. No one was lining up to offer me a job in the West End after five years out of the acting business. But I loved spending time with the boys and now they're a bit older it's been easier to get back to work. They are very generous in that they see how I happy I am now I'm working again, and are willing to put up with the times apart to make it happen.
What do the boys think of your job - do they see you as a star?
They aren't bothered to be honest. They don't get excited about seeing me on Emmerdale, but when I was on Soapstar Superchef, they thought that was hilarious, especially when I was useless. My nephews get excited when they see me on television, though. If I want any reaction I have to go to them rather than my own sons.
Do you have a partner?
No. Since my divorce (from former husband, Ray Kelvin, founder of the Ted Baker clothing range) my work and the boys are more than enough to keep me occupied.
How have you found working on Emmerdale compared to your previous jobs in the theatre?
It's been wonderful - I love it. I know it's a clique, but it's just like a family. Everyone gets on. Perdy had a rather slow start at first, but since then her character's developed so well.
Perdy's had a tough time with her husband Grayson, what with his wandering eye and her miscarriages, hasn't she?
Poor Perdy! She has had a rough time of it, I do empathise with her. Even if you play a monstrous character - and I'm not saying Perdy is a monster - I think you have to understand why they behave the way they do. She is cross a lot of the time, but I think that's because of her marriage to Gray. She loves him so much but that's her weakness, her Archillies heel - because of her anxiety that she will never truly have him, despite being his wife.
How did you find filming the hysterectomy storyline?
Oh, that was heart-rending. Both Perdy and Gray wanted to have a baby so much for each other. But the writing was so good and Chris (Villiers) is a great actor too. Luckily, I find it relatively easy to switch off after work. It would be awful if you couldn't do that, and took the storylines home with you. You'd end up a basket case.
Is it a very big workload in terms of hours and learning scripts?
It is very busy, but I like that. It's exciting when you have such emotional storylines with traumatic life events to deal with. As far as the scripts are concerned, I think the mind has a learning muscle and once you exercise it, it becomes easier to use it for learning lines. And there are always other actors willing to help you practise your lines, which is a great help.
Can you tell us anything about storylines you've got coming up?
Well, we don't know ourselves very far in advance, so I can't really say much, I'm afraid. Suffice to say, I doubt very much whether Perdy's in for a quiet life in the future and her relationship with Gray is so complicated there are bound to be more developments where that's concerned.
Do you have any particular friends among the cast?
I love working with Linda Thorsen. Whenever we have scenes together, I look forward to it immensely. And I'm good friends with Chris (Villiers) and Sammy Winward.
You worked in the theatre a lot before you had your children - would you go back?
Who knows? I don't think that far ahead, because you can't in this business. I'm very happy on Emmerdale and happy to stay for as long as they want me. I'm just getting my teeth into the role of Perdy.
Do you get many people recognising you?
I'm quite a dopey person in real life, so I tend to walk around in my own little world most of the time. It has to be pointed out to me, if people are staring - unless they come up and tell me they watch the show, I wouldn't notice if they recognised me. But when people do come up me, they tend to be very polite and lovely. Maybe it's because Perdy's quite a posh character, so they mind their P's and Q's around her. I don't mind being recognised. If I did, I should go and find another job, like a plumber or something.
So you enjoy the attention?
Well, I don't mind it. I think in some ways, the viewers have every right to come up to us. They 'own us' in a way, because we're invited into their living room, most nights of the week. It's a very intimate relationship, so it's not surprising when they feel they know you.
(Thanks Yasmin for typing it up
How do you combine being a mum with acting?
My sons, Ben and Josh are 12 and 11 now, so it's much easier because they are old enough to understand when Mummy's got to be away for work. I tend to spend the weeks in Leeds filming, then go back at weekends to see the boys. I do miss them a lot and they sometimes ring me and ask me when I'm coming home, which is hard. But we make the most of the time we do have together. The boys love doing outdoors stuff, running round the heath with the dogs and tiring themselves out. It's lots of fun.
You took more than a decade off to bring up the boys, didn't you - was that hard?
When I first had the boys I made a conscious decision to give up work and concentrate on looking them instead. I was lucky I could do that. But after a few years, I then realised it wasnt easy to just step back into a job when I wanted to. No one was lining up to offer me a job in the West End after five years out of the acting business. But I loved spending time with the boys and now they're a bit older it's been easier to get back to work. They are very generous in that they see how I happy I am now I'm working again, and are willing to put up with the times apart to make it happen.
What do the boys think of your job - do they see you as a star?
They aren't bothered to be honest. They don't get excited about seeing me on Emmerdale, but when I was on Soapstar Superchef, they thought that was hilarious, especially when I was useless. My nephews get excited when they see me on television, though. If I want any reaction I have to go to them rather than my own sons.
Do you have a partner?
No. Since my divorce (from former husband, Ray Kelvin, founder of the Ted Baker clothing range) my work and the boys are more than enough to keep me occupied.
How have you found working on Emmerdale compared to your previous jobs in the theatre?
It's been wonderful - I love it. I know it's a clique, but it's just like a family. Everyone gets on. Perdy had a rather slow start at first, but since then her character's developed so well.
Perdy's had a tough time with her husband Grayson, what with his wandering eye and her miscarriages, hasn't she?
Poor Perdy! She has had a rough time of it, I do empathise with her. Even if you play a monstrous character - and I'm not saying Perdy is a monster - I think you have to understand why they behave the way they do. She is cross a lot of the time, but I think that's because of her marriage to Gray. She loves him so much but that's her weakness, her Archillies heel - because of her anxiety that she will never truly have him, despite being his wife.
How did you find filming the hysterectomy storyline?
Oh, that was heart-rending. Both Perdy and Gray wanted to have a baby so much for each other. But the writing was so good and Chris (Villiers) is a great actor too. Luckily, I find it relatively easy to switch off after work. It would be awful if you couldn't do that, and took the storylines home with you. You'd end up a basket case.
Is it a very big workload in terms of hours and learning scripts?
It is very busy, but I like that. It's exciting when you have such emotional storylines with traumatic life events to deal with. As far as the scripts are concerned, I think the mind has a learning muscle and once you exercise it, it becomes easier to use it for learning lines. And there are always other actors willing to help you practise your lines, which is a great help.
Can you tell us anything about storylines you've got coming up?
Well, we don't know ourselves very far in advance, so I can't really say much, I'm afraid. Suffice to say, I doubt very much whether Perdy's in for a quiet life in the future and her relationship with Gray is so complicated there are bound to be more developments where that's concerned.
Do you have any particular friends among the cast?
I love working with Linda Thorsen. Whenever we have scenes together, I look forward to it immensely. And I'm good friends with Chris (Villiers) and Sammy Winward.
You worked in the theatre a lot before you had your children - would you go back?
Who knows? I don't think that far ahead, because you can't in this business. I'm very happy on Emmerdale and happy to stay for as long as they want me. I'm just getting my teeth into the role of Perdy.
Do you get many people recognising you?
I'm quite a dopey person in real life, so I tend to walk around in my own little world most of the time. It has to be pointed out to me, if people are staring - unless they come up and tell me they watch the show, I wouldn't notice if they recognised me. But when people do come up me, they tend to be very polite and lovely. Maybe it's because Perdy's quite a posh character, so they mind their P's and Q's around her. I don't mind being recognised. If I did, I should go and find another job, like a plumber or something.
So you enjoy the attention?
Well, I don't mind it. I think in some ways, the viewers have every right to come up to us. They 'own us' in a way, because we're invited into their living room, most nights of the week. It's a very intimate relationship, so it's not surprising when they feel they know you.
(Thanks Yasmin for typing it up
