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Alex Kingston Q&A - Radio Times, September 2003 |
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The actress talked to Benji Wilson about trading scalpels in ER for chariots in Boudica.
BW: Boudica is your first
British production since
1996's Moll Flanders and
you've lived in LA for more
than six years. Was it nice
to be filming with Brits?
AK: Well, I have to say we were
working under extreme
conditions in Romania.
American actors would just
have walked. There was no
running water in the trailers,
no heating - I had to flush my
toilet with Coca-Cola! One
girl got run over by a chariot
and she had to go to hospital…
Was it your chariot?
It was my chariot. But I wasn't
on it. The horses just went
wild and it ripped through
the throng.
Andrew Davies,
the writer of Boudica, said
there's going to be quite a
lot of sex and violence. But
you said you didn't want
to do "nudity or a romp" -
so how's it turned out?
Well, there's romping, but
that's all happening with
the Romans.
So you're not romping?
Not really. If it had felt
appropriate, I would have
done it . But I thought,
if we're focusing
on Boudica as
some sort
of lusty warrior queen, we're doing her a
disservice, because that's not
what her story's about.
Moll Flanders, Boudica -
you must enjoy playing
feisty heroines.
I do like playing feisty
characters, especially at the
moment - this is my seventh
season on ER - and
I think it's good to stretch those
acting muscles a bit.
Any news from the
ER set?
We had a producer over
from Holby City just
recently. They have a
relationship with us
now where they can
come to us with
questions. Quite
frequently we lend
them our babies.
I beg your pardon?
Our animatronic
babies, for use in
childbirth scenes.
Oh. And in return,
they offer lots of
ideas on how to
make ER as good
as Holby City?
Not yet, but they
do a lot of
cardiac-related
storylines,
so I think
they've sent
us various
moulds of
hearts
and things. We give them the
babies, they give us the hearts.
What a lovely relationship.
As you know, US drama
is massively admired
over here.
What do
your
fellow cast members think
of British television?
I don't think they watch
anything… no, they like
The Office. They're trying
to do a US version - when
I read that I put my head in
my hands. Goodness, leave it
alone! I don't think they'll
pull it off. What the
Americans do well,
nobody else can copy,
and vice versa.
Apart from the
sun, the sea,
the beaches,
the money,
the opportunities,
the beautiful
people and
the free-flowing
orange juice, what
drew you to LA?
I just wanted to take
a risk. Looking back,
I can't believe
I thought it would
be a risk.
One final
question…
Having now
played Boudica
and Corday,
which is harder -
riding a chariot
or doing open-heart
surgery?
Riding a chariot.
When I'm
performing
surgery, the only
person who's
in danger is
my patient.
**
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