STAR ON HER NEW ROLE AND LIFE IN GLASGOW

Cal Arts, a very small school in the States for college, so it was really important for me to use the time to let go of any selfconsciousness and almost be a better version of myself and take bigger risks. “That is something that has stuck with me since. We were learning so many different things. It was constant risk-taking and that’s how I strive to be all the time. Sometimes it’s successful and other times not so much, but this show is another example of that mindset.” GLOW stands for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling and is based on a real TV project from the 80s, when a producer gathered together some out-of-work actresses, taught them wrestling basics and created characters. While not based on any particular characters, series creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, backed by Orange is the New Black writer Jenji Kohan, constructed an authentic period comedy all about the desperate women all looking for a change.

Alison, who is returning to comedy after a successful run in cult sitcom Community, plays Ruth, who after one too many disastrous auditions finds herself covered in bruises. She was thrilled to read the script. Alison said: “I hadn’t read anything I thought would be an exciting stretch for me. I kept turning everything down then they called me saying they had found something they thought I would be really interested in.

“They said, ‘It’s a women’s wrestling comedy set in the 80s and Jenji Kohan is producing it’. I was like, ‘I’m in.’

“I read the script and was blown away by the writing. I responded immediately to the character. This idea of the wrestling and the 80s is so fun and exciting I became obsessed with getting a job on the show.

“I had to audition many times before I won them over. I got the sense they didn’t think I was gritty or edgy enough based on the roles I’d played before. “That was a great

signal to me that this was the role I wanted. I’d been looking to shatter this pristine image.

“I’ve never felt more like Ruth than when I was auditioning for the show and that helped. I saw the desperation coming through in it.”

She was blown away by the source material.

Alison said: “The original GLOW is totally outrageous. It was wild and bizarre, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen – aside from the physical challenge of learning to wrestle.”

Alison, who recently married actor Dave Franco, loved getting into character and developing her 80s look.

She said: “When I started, I brought in a picture of Sigourney Weaver in Alien and the kind of look she had. I said we needed to shag my hair and perm it and our hair department had very similar reference photos as well. Once I got my hair cut and permed, the characters came together.”

She said the thing she has retained most from the show is her character’s strength. Alison said: “I feel a lot tougher thanks to the training, I feel like more of a badass.” ● GLOW launches on Netflix on Friday. See www.netflix.com

This idea of the wrestling and the 80s is so fun and exciting I became obsessed with getting a job on the show ALISON BRIE