TV
The fourth series of Shameless is about to come out on DVD - can you remind us briefly what happens during that series?
"Monica's back on the scene so once again it's whether Sheila will win Frank over Monica and it's the journey of that really."
The fifth season starts in January. When it began did you ever think it would become this successful?
"Well when we first started filming it, I think we were aware that they were thinking about it for longer because we signed for three years. But I don't think anyone realised how popular it would become and how successful - I mean we knew it was great writing but I don't think anyone quite knew what it was when we first started it because I don't think there had been anything quite like it on telly before. None of us quite knew what we were dealing with - we didn't even really know what area it was meant to be in. It was very funny and dramatic but it was also very moving. So I don't think any of us could really see it properly at the beginning."
Have you been missing playing Sheila since you left the show?
"No, I'm very very fond of her though. I think she is a genuinely good person, she's a genuinely good character. I think she's full of love and I don't think she's got a bad bone in her body and it was just great fun to play. Being an agoraphobic, nymphomaniac and off her head on drugs all the time. It was a great pleasure to play that."
Getting the part, was it a strange audition to have to go through?
"I think I was the very last person they saw actually. I think they had the read-through the next day. It was a really nice audition actually because although it was about the writing, it just felt very easy to read it. Sometimes you have to work really hard with a script that's not so well written. But when it's that well written it just makes your job a hell of a lot easier. So I remember it was a very nice audition."
Are you in any way like Sheila at all? She can be quite loopy...
"No, I don't think so. Actually I don't think she is that loopy. The trouble with Sheila is she's completely governed by anxiety, she's one of these people that might read something about a certain condition and then decides that she's got it, but she takes it to the furthest extreme. And of course she's on such heavy medication that she would appear to be loopy. I don't think she actually is, I just think she's very anxious."
Do you know anything about the new Shameless set?
"I know they've got a permanent set up there, I know they've moved it and now it's a permanent studio set now and they're doing 16 episodes, so I would have thought they'll be having a lot of new characters in it. But I think if they keep the writing up to standard then they can kind of go where they want to with it really."
You've appeared in things like Peak Practice and Gorillas in the Mist, but you're perhaps best known now for your Shameless role now, how do you feel about that?
"It's funny because for about ten years I did heavy drama type roles, I hadn't done that much sort of comedy drama, I suppose you'd call that really. But I think being acknowledged for anything in this industry is a good thing - well as long as it's good! But no it's been lovely. I want to go on and do - the reason why I left is because I want to go on and do different stuff. I never went into the industry wanting to do one kind of part, it's good to be moving on as well."
You once apparently admitted you'd love to be on a soap like Coronation Street - is this what you're working towards?
"No. I'm not against soaps at all, but what I said was - it's always come back at me this one - I was at drama school with Sarah Lancashire, so it's always come back that I apparently want to be in Coronation Street, but it's never been my ambition. I like watching Coronation Street but I wouldn't be so keen on a soap just because it's full time. I like doing shorter jobs and I like doing different stuff. I don't think I'd like to get stuck into anything for too long."
What have you got lined up next?
"Yeah I've got a couple of things in the pipeline I'm just waiting to hear about now. I've just got back from South Africa from doing telly over there and I've been trying to write this year as well, which I've always wanted to do. So I've spent quite a bit of time sitting, trying to write a script and we'll see. I mean I don't know if it's going to be any good or if I'm any good at writing but I've really enjoyed the process and I'm glad that I took the opportunity because I think I would have really regretted it if I hadn't."
Shameless series four is out on DVD now.
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