Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I Friel ready to play gay character again
IT’S 23 years since Anna Friel and Nicola Stephenson broke TV taboos by sharing a kiss on Channel 4 soap Brookside.
The scene in 1994 turned Anna into an overnight star. But since then she has declined offers to play other gay characters – until now. The actress, who says she feels far sexier now that she has reached 40 than she ever did at 18, is starring in the second series of the American hit The Girlfriend Experience. And, with her typical northern candour, she admits to being “terrified” at the prospect. Anna tells us: “Nudity and sex is the key to the role. It’s terrifying”, adding: “I’ve definitely upped my hours at the gym.” She says: “I’m not perfect but I work hard to keep looking good and what I am is very real. I’ll take that over being 18 and perfect any day. I have confidence, wisdom, knowledge and I don’t care as much as I used to.” In the drama, Anna, who has an 11-year-old daughter, plays politician Erica Myles who needs the help of escort Anna Greenwald – played by Laura Krause – for a spot of blackmailing. A complicated sexual relationship ensues. Anna says the time was right for her to accept the role of Erica, more than two decades after playing Beth Jordache. “I don’t think I had any concept of how that kiss would change my life,” she says. “For a very long time I was defined by that kiss. And I didn’t want to be. I spent years turning down other lesbian roles because it felt like going back.” Now she’s rightly proud of what she did back then. “My 11-year-old daughter’s generation will never even think there’s an issue with being gay, straight, bisexual, whatever,” she says with a shrug. “The next generation is already educated and maybe this is something I started. Now seems like a good time to go back.” The Girlfriend Experience, which airs in the UK on Amazon, is the latest project from Oscar-winning director/producer Steven Soderbergh. He says of the second series, to be screened next year: “I’m as excited as a Swedish person is allowed to get.” Bodes well...