The actress reveals five secrets from the set of the crime drama series

1 I play Samantha Winslow, a powerful Hollywood producer who hires Tinseltown’s Mr Fixit, Ray Donovan, to try to sort out crises in her life. I’m always asked who she’s based on – she’s an amalgam, a mixture of all those executives from the past who ruled studios with iron fists.

2

Samantha likes a drink, but if I’d drunk as much as her while doing my scenes I’d have been in a state of collapse! Instead of wine, spirits or beer, I was drinking grape juice, coloured water and alcohol-free beer.

3

Bette Davis, who I played in the series Feud, insisted on walking up and down staircases in as many scenes as possible for dramatic effect. So when you see me on staircases while talking to Ray, you’ll know why.

4

There’s a rumour that Liev Schreiber, who plays Ray, has a word limit – a small one – on each of his scenes! He’s the strong, silent type, it’s mainly me who does the talking. So

you could look at a page of dialogue and it would be five lines of Samantha and then a word from him.

5

I spent quite a while in the make-up chair each morning, as my character was so high maintenance. At one point Liev even insisted we re-shot a scene because the lighting on it hadn’t been as flattering to Samantha as it should have been. I wish I could have taken some of her expensive clothes and jewellery home!

Susan as Samantha with Liev as RayDON’T MISS THIS!