Chucky Venice

Last week, we spoke exclusively to Phina Oruche who appears as the outrageous Liberty Baker in the latest series of Footballers' Wives. This week, we caught up with Phina's on-screen partner Chucky Venice, who stars as another of Earls Park's freshest signings, Tremaine Gidigbi.

Could you tell us a bit about your character Tremaine?
"Tremaine is basically a very highly-skilled, superstar footballer who was unfortunately incarcerated due to GBH, while defending the honour of his girlfriend. He's controversial, he's outspoken, he's quite flash, definitely takes time in his appearance. He's an all-round cool guy. Quite loyal, very passionate and a natural born leader."

Are there any similarities between yourself and Tre?
"I would say one thing I definitely can relate to his passion and his strong-mindedness - he's the sort of person that, if he feels particularly strongly about a particular issue or a particular person, it's almost as though he's taking it personal himself... once he connects to a particular thing, he finds it hard to disengage."

Tremaine comes across as being a very protective boyfriend. Do you think he's just misunderstood?
"Yeah, I think in some ways he's misunderstood. At the end of the day he is a protective person, as anybody would be if you love somebody. I'd like to think that during the course of the series he becomes more understood and I hope people can empathise as to why he is the way he is. I think the show reveals some of the other sides of Tremaine."

How do you think Tremaine's time in the slammer changed him? Does he have any scores to settle?
"Maybe the only score he had to settle was having to explain and make clear that he went in there as an innocent man. I don't think it necessarily changed him - he was only in there for a couple of months - but I think it allowed him to reflect, it allowed him to then come and out just air some of the facts. He was defending his woman's honour, which I can relate to. If it was me in the same situation, I probably would have done the same thing."

Are there any skeletons in Tremaine's closet that might come back to haunt him throughout the series?
"You're going to have to watch that and see yourself! Put it this way, there are definitely skeletons that are going to rear their ugly head within our relationship and unfortunately, the tabloids and the press get hold of that, as you will see later on in the series."

In the new series, Liberty has a PA called Urzula. What do you make of her?
"Let's just say, Tremaine is not necessarily very keen on Urzula. She's almost like a spanner in the works, tends to pop up at the worst times, a bit of a hindrance. She's that third unwanted person in our home life."

Does everything pan out as Tremaine wants it to or does Urzula hang around for a bit longer than Tremaine wants?
"Definitely a bit longer than Tremaine wants. There's a shroud that Urzula has enveloped around her, but eventually it becomes unveiled and because of that, it makes her stay in the Tremaine manor end very prematurely. She's definitely just terrible, really tricky. Most of the things that Tremaine suspected about her turn out to be true."

Do you think Tremaine has the potential to become captain one day?
"He didn't join Earl's Park to be part of the furniture. He's the kind of man that wants to go to the top. He aims to be the best in his profession. You can rest assured that he will keep Bruno Milligan on his toes."

Does Tremaine have his eyes on any of the other Footballers' Wives and who is he most likely to have an affair with?
"Damn. That's a very interesting question. Footballers' Wives wouldn't be Footballers' Wives without a bit of seedy dealings, playing away from home. Tremaine definitely has his eye on someone..."

What is your relationship with your on-screen partner Phina like?
"We get on like a house on fire, man. It's though me and her met in a previous life. We're Bonnie and Clyde, ying and yang. We just got on from the off. The first day we had our audition together - it was so natural and it was so meant to be, I didn't want it to be anyone else. We just got on so well - two peas in a pod, perfect."

How did you actually land your role?
"Quite amazing really. I was originally woking on a show called Dream Team for about three years. I'd come to the end of my contract and I was also in a transition period of moving agents. I decided to make the bold move of taking my showreel, my CV and saying that if there was any spare capacity for any actors, 'don't hesitate to call me'. About two months later they gave me a call and that's how that came about."

How does your new role in Footballers' Wives compare with your role in Dream Team?
"I would say that the only comparison there would be is that they are both two skilled athletes in their profession. They are both passionate and they are both natural leaders. Otherwise, no. For [Tremaine], I actually put on a couple of pounds. I decided to bulk up and make Tremaine a bit more big. He'd just come from jail so he might be a bit slimmer but as he gets back to his normal life he gradually puts on a few more pounds. As the series progresses, Tremaine expands and looks bulkier."

Were you a big fan of the show before you landed the role?
"I'll be honest, because I was in Dream Team, it was almost like [Footballers' Wives was] the other team. You might watch another team play but that particular team is like an arch nemesis. So at that time Footballers' Wives was like an arch nemesis but I did watch it and I did think it was quite an outlandish show."

Who were you most looking forward to working with?
"I was definitely looking forward to working with Ben Richards (Bruno Milligan). I gathered from reading the scripts that we had a past. I knew that Ben would definitely come to the table and bring what he had to offer so I was relishing that challenge. It was also a big, exciting moment when I found out Joan Collins was going to be on the show. She was the woman I had looked at on the TV when I was eight years old."

What was it like working with Joan?
"It was arguably surreal. I'm an artiste, I'm a professional and she is too but it just so happens she is also a legend. When we got past the whole aura of who she was, it was fine. We were artistes working alongside artiste. Joan was a giving actress, well-natured. For a woman who is 72, she is amazing. She's very sharp, very intuitive. It was a definite pleasure."

How well did you settle in with the existing cast of Footballers' Wives?
"It was kind of scary. I'm thankful the way that I got to see all of the cast - it just so happened that my first major scene was in front of the whole cast. I was nervous as hell and it was a big scene but I was able to hold myself and calm myself. They were all sociable and welcoming. Really polite and friendly and wanted to welcome us in."

Overall, how well do the cast get on together?
"We do get together occasionally. It's difficult because the work is so intense - we work really long days - but at the end of every block, we would get together, have a little drink and hang out. We definitely got to know each other on a more personal level which helped with the team bonding."

Were there any particular awkward scenes to film?
"There was a scene where I had to show a particular part of my anatomy. Certain parts had to be unveiled and certain parts had to be strategically and skillfully concealed. That was an awkward one for me - I'd never really done anything like that - but I knew that Footballers' Wives was a racy show. We're talking about the sports version of Dynasty! I knew there were going to be some outrageous scenes."

Away from Footballers' Wives, do you watch a lot of TV?
"I tend to watch drama when I get the time. I'm more of a movie man to be honest but I do watch some of the soaps. Life On Mars, Hotel Babylon, EastEnders and The Bill. I'm a big fan of The Bill. It just so happens that I got a little part on The Bill, doing one episode with them."

What do you think of American programmes such as Desperate Housewives and Lost?
"I tend to watch Housewives [and] Lost obviously. There's another porgramme on the FX channel called The Wire which I find quite absorbing. Will & Grace is hilarious. One of my favourites is CSI - I'm a big CSI fan!"

Thanks for speaking with us - anything else to add?
"I'm running the London Marathon on April 26 and please, if anyone can, tap into chuckyvenice.com to sponsor me. Thanks - it's been nice to chat!"

Next week: Digital Spy will be chatting to Lyn Collingwood - Home and Away's Colleen McLoughlin.