“I didn’t know what switching off meant until I tried scuba diving”

BEATIE EDNEY, 54, IS SINGLE AND LIVES IN LONDON. SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF ACTRESS SYLVIA SYMS.

WHEN I AUDITIONED FOR Poldark THREE YEARS AGO, IT WAS LIKE AUDITIONING FOR ANY OTHER PART – I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BECOME AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT IS TODAY.

I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH AIDAN TURNER’S PECTORAL MUSCLES – HE’S PRETTY SEXY, DON’T YOU THINK? IN FACT, Poldark IS THE ONLY THING I’VE EVER DONE THAT ANYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS PAID ANY ATTENTION TO! WE HAD A BIG FAMILY WEDDING DOWN IN CORNWALL RECENTLY AND THE BRIDE’S FATHER ACTUALLY MENTIONED Poldark AND MY CHARACTER, PRUDIE,

IN HIS SPEECH – THAT WAS BRILLIANT.

PRUDIE, WHO IS POLDARK’S SERVANT, MIGHT NOT BE THE MOST GLAMOROUS CHARACTER I’VE EVER PLAYED, BUT IT DOES HAVE ITS PERKS. WHEN YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE MAKE-UP CHAIR AT 5AM, IN ALL HONESTY NO ONE LOOKS THEIR BEST, BUT FOR ME, WHO CARES? IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE WHEN I HAVE TO PUT ON MY RAGGED COSTUME AND DIRTY UP MY FACE. IT ALSO MEANS AIDAN [TURNER] SPENDS QUITE A LOT OF TIME LAUGHING AT ME… THOUGH ADMITTEDLY, I’M NOT SURE IF THAT’S TO DO WITH THE COSTUME OR NOT!

YOU’LL SEE THIS SERIES HOW MUCH OF A CONFIDANTE PRUDIE HAS BECOME FOR DEMELZA. IT’S BEEN WONDERFUL TO PLAY THAT OUT BECAUSE ELEANOR [TOMLINSON] HAS BECOME ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS ON THE SHOW. SHE’S AN INCREDIBLE ACTRESS AND SOMETIMES I JUST SIT AND MARVEL AT THE INCREDIBLE CHEMISTRY SHE AND AIDAN HAVE.

AS A KID, YOU’RE ALWAYS DESPERATE TO BE CENTRE OF ATTENTION, BUT OF COURSE, THAT WAS NEVER ME, IT WAS MUM. I NEVER WANTED TO BE AN ACTRESS MYSELF UNTIL MY OLDER BROTHER, BEN, GOT A PART IN A FILM WHERE HE GOT TO WEAR THIS AMAZING MATADOR COSTUME… AND I WAS VERY JEALOUS! SO I PESTERED MY MUM UNTIL SHE GOT ME A ROLE IN A FILM CALLED A Day at the Beach WITH PETER SELLERS. I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT ALL I HAD TO DO WAS STAND WITH THE CREW AND SAY I MISSED MY MUM AND SOMEONE WOULD GET ME A TEDDY BEAR – I ENDED UP WITH HUNDREDS OF TEDDY BEARS ALL NAMED AFTER A DIFFERENT CREW MEMBER. LET’S JUST SAY IT’S PROBABLY A GOOD THING MY PARENTS REFUSED TO LET ME BE IN ANY MORE

FILMS FOR A WHILE AFTER THAT!

MUM AND I ARE VERY CLOSE NOW – PROBABLY TOO CLOSE! WE LIVE ROUND THE CORNER FROM EACH OTHER AND TALK ON THE PHONE EVERY DAY. WE BOTH HAVE DOGS TOO, SO WE’LL OFTEN WALK THEM TOGETHER… OR I’LL WALK MUM’S FOR HER. I GOT BILLIE, WHO’S HALF COLLIE, HALF GERMAN SHEPHERD, FIVE YEARS AGO FROM THE MAYHEW ANIMAL HOME, THEN SHORTLY AFTER I GOT MUM A JACK RUSSELL CALLED BUNNY – SHE’D BEEN VERY NEGLECTED, SO ALL HER HAIR FELL OUT, BUT HER AND BILLIE ARE BEST MATES NOW. I LOVE THE FACT THAT I COME FIRST FOR SOMEBODY – OR SOMETHING – NOW.

EVERY YEAR, MY BROTHER BEN AND I GO ON HOLIDAY TOGETHER – AND EVERY YEAR IT’S A DISASTER. WE LOVE EACH OTHER TO PIECES, BUT OUR INTERESTS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT! ONE YEAR WE WENT TO ITALY AND I FOUND THIS FABULOUS HOTEL IN FLORENCE RIGHT OPPOSITE THE DUOMO AND AS SOON AS WE GET THERE HE

SAYS, “I DON’T WANT TO LOOK AT ANY

OLD BUILDINGS.” SO INSTEAD, WE END UP AT THIS TERRIBLE NIGHTCLUB AND I’M THINKING, “I’M NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN.” THE NEXT YEAR? WE WENT TO GREECE. I SUPPOSE THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN YOU’RE FAMILY.

I LEARNT TO SCUBA DIVE ON HOLIDAY A FEW YEARS AGO AND IT’S MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE TO MY LIFE. I’VE NEVER

BEEN THAT PERSON

WHO CAN JUST

SWITCH OFF,

BUT WHEN I’M

SWIMMING

ALONE UNDER

WATER, I FINALLY UNDERSTAND

WHAT PEOPLE

MEAN WHEN

THEY SAY THEY’RE CHILLED OUT. IT ONLY TOOK A FEW DECADES TO GET THERE.

THE ONE THING I’M TERRIBLE AT IS DOING THE WHOLE FESTIVAL THING. I ONCE DID A PERFORMANCE AT LATITUDE FESTIVAL, WHICH MEANT I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO USE THE BACKSTAGE FACILITIES (I DIDN’T HAVE TO USE A LONG DROP LOO, THANK GOD!), BUT I STILL HAD TO CAMP. I TRIED TO MAKE THE INSIDE OF MY TENT BEAUTIFUL, BUT IT WASN’T ENOUGH TO MAKE IT SOUNDPROOF. I DIDN’T SLEEP ONE BIT.

I’M NOT LOOKING FOR A RELATIONSHIP AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE I’VE GOT WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND I FEEL HAPPY AS I AM. AND THE TRUTH IS THERE’S NOTHING A MAN CAN DO THAT I CAN’T. WHEN MY DAD DIED A

FEW YEARS AGO, MY BROTHER ACTUALLY SAID I’D TAKEN THE SOUL OF HIM BECAUSE I WAS DOING EVERYTHING HE USED TO DO – IN OTHER WORDS, FIXING EVERYTHING!

POLDARK is on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One. For our POLDARK exclusive, see page 54. W&H