5 MINUTES WITH...
Anna Friel, 41, is back with series two of crime drama Marcella – centering on a London detective who suffers from mysterious blackouts
Where do we find Marcella this series? We join her a few months on from where the first series ended. Jason (her ex) has moved in with his new girlfriend Becky, who is a lot younger than Marcella. It’s a big slam to her ego – the children are staying with him and that’s really upsetting. Do we find out why she’s having the violent blackouts? You might get to find out why… To play a woman like Marcella is an amazing opportunity for me. It’s a study of a woman on the edge of a nervous breakdown, while holding down a really full-on job. She seems to be holding it together, but on the inside, she’s a mess. Is it difficult to get back into her head, having not played her for a year or so? As soon as the fringe was cut back in and my hair was pulled back into the ponytail, I was like, “Oooh, she’s back”. It wasn’t difficult, but you do have to put yourself into a dark space to play her. I remember coming into work one day, feeling really happy because it was sunny. I had to quickly forget my mood and get into the mind space of Marcella. How does that leave you at the end of the day? I wish I could say that it doesn’t leave its mark, but it does. I know I’m so lucky to play this role and I’m definitely not complaining, but it’s a tough one because you have to let your mind and body go. It is exhausting. When you’re acting, the body doesn’t necessarily know that the brain is tricking it and the anxiety and exhaustion you feel at the end of the day is real.