Woman interview Laura Fraser
As she returns to our TV screens, actress Laura Fraser reveals the highs and lows of the acting life
Laura Fraser is known across both sides of the atlantic thanks to starring roles in hit shows, including Breaking Bad and The Missing. But when we meet in person at ITV’S headquarters, it’s clear Laura’s stateside success hasn’t gone to her head. welcoming us in with her gentle Scottish lilt, while offering us a biscuit, the actress is friendly and funny as we discuss her brand new crime series, The Loch. But with Laura no topic is off limits and we’re soon chatting about everything from the challenges of motherhood to why she’s teetotal. Laura, 40, lives in Glasgow with her husband, writer Karl Geary, and their daughter Lila, 10. She is also stepmum to Karl’s son from a previous relationship, Billy.
‘I live in Glasgow and The Loch was filmed in Glasgow, Glencoe and Loch ness. The idea that you can work from home and then to go to the Scottish Highlands for the other half was amazing. I’d just done two jobs back to back that were away from home, one of which was The Missing where I spent five months in Belgium, which was grim. Because The Missing was really long and we were a long way from home, it affected everyone and we were all quite unhappy. Also, where we were filming was where they trained the Hitler Youth, and there were the Belgium attacks. It was a horrible time. Coming from The Missing, The Loch seemed like light relief! I had so much fun laughing with my co-star Siobhan Finneran.’
‘Last year we moved from the States back to Scotland. My daughter Lila was dying to move back! As soon as we arrived in America, she was saying, ‘We are moving back, right?’ She never lost her Scottish accent either – she was doing the pledge of allegiance in a Scottish accent! It’s so nice to be back as all of her cousins are almost like siblings to her.’
‘I really missed the Scottish humour when I was away. Sometimes the Americans couldn’t understand what I was saying, because of my accent, and then when you repeat something again, it’s just not funny. I made so many lovely American friends, but I feel so much happier here. I also missed really terrible things, like proper chocolate and Scottish potato scones. I had to eat brownies and doughnuts instead of Cadbury’s! People would always bring it when they came over, but it wasn’t often. Now I just take them for granted every weekend!’ ‘It’s the last year Lila’s going to let me walk her to school because she’s going into her final year of primary school. She finds me really embarrassing. I’ve committed so many crimes that I’m not even aware of – walking into the wrong bit of the playground, holding her hand the wrong way or asking her the wrong question in front of someone. ’
‘when Lila was younger I definitely suffered from working-mum’s guilt. I’d think, ‘I really want to play this part,’ but at the same time I was so drawn to being close to her. One time I took this job in Australia and I had to do the first two weeks on my own. I honestly felt a constriction in my chest. It hurt so much to be that far away from her. She was only two. The reunion was mad. My husband was like, ‘Calm down! She was with me.’ I did find it an enormous wrench, but it’s great to set an example that you can go out and fulfil your wants.’
‘I’m trying to be a good stepmum, as well as being a good mum. It’s really tricky. We don’t get Billy that often as he lives in Ireland with his mum and he’s 16. I don’t feel like I’m that involved in bringing him up, but he’s such a lovely boy.’
‘I’ve never had any body confidence and was overweight in my teens and some of my twenties. I fluctuated madly from a size 8 to a size 14, depending on how happy or unhappy I was. But my weight only ever bordered on unhealthy. I definitely lost parts when people would think, ‘She has a nice face, but her body doesn’t match.’
Once I was asked to send some footage to see how my weight looked in it. That feels bad, as you start to think, ‘To do this job I have to fit a certain mould.’ But I feel better now at this age as it doesn’t seem like anybody’s bothered! I totally accept my body now and if someone asked me to lose weight for just an aesthetic reason, not for the character, I’d tell them to sod off!’
‘most of the time I look in the mirror and I don’t like the way that it looks,
but I’ve come to appreciate it. I’m really grateful for the fact that it’s strong and healthy and I hardly ever get sick. I do feel happier the older I get. But I look in the mirror less and less. When I lived in the country, we didn’t even have a mirror. It was brilliant – until somebody said, ‘You know you’ve got dirt all over your face!’’
‘a lot of people go mad in their twenties and I think I was a particularly bad case.
I’m much happier now that I don’t drink. Lila was two when I stopped. For years I tried to drink like a normal person but I couldn’t find a way to control it, so I knew I had to stop completely. I’ve had to find other ways to get that kind of relief, and yoga does that. I’ve also been doing Transcendental Meditation.’
‘I would do yoga all day if I could. After doing a couple of poses something just seeps though me and I just feel right.’
‘me and my husband decided to do
three different trips this year. My daughter, husband and I did Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast at the beginning of the year, then India in April and the next one we want to do is Iran. We’ve realised we don’t like sitting on a beach. My husband’s really into cycling – I like the feeling you get after you’ve done it, but not during!’
The Loch is coming to screens on ITV this month
it hurt so much to be that far away from her.