“My big ambition is to write a novel”

LesLey sharp, 57, lives in London with her husband and her two grownup children. she’s starring in the new sky1 comedy, Living the Dream.

Filming Living the Dream meant being in the Us for 12 weeks, which was a real challenge. But it was a good way to remember who i am as an individual.

FaceTime with family and friends was a daily ritual. My lunchtime was 6pm uK time, so we’d talk while they were chopping vegetables or having dinner.

I like to keep pushing myself but I still get nervous about starting new things. i keep my fingers crossed that people are going to like me. the upside is that working so intensely with a group of people makes for strong friendships.

My big ambition is to write a novel. I’m part way through a first draft and I love it. You can do it when, where and how you want. that has been really thrilling.

What makes me happy has changed. i used to feel alarmed going out of the city but as i’ve got older, something about being by the sea or seeing the countryside is a real balm for my soul.

I can feel like my life is a bit flung together. But that unpredictability and the possibility that something new could happen at any time, is one of the reasons i wanted to be an actor.

It’s horrible feeling you have nothing to contribute and no place in the world. But the very act of deciding to keep on going gives you confidence. Giving something my best shot makes me realise i’m not ready to disappear.

It’s not good, it’s not bad, it just is. Acceptance is one’s greatest power.

Living the dream is on Sky1 in October. Lesley stars in the Seagull at the Lyric Hammersmith from 3 October; lyric.co.uk >>

“The very act of deciding to keep on going gives you confidence”