You’ve seen her steaming up the screen with Dashing Dalby, but we had to find out exactly what it was like to share a shower with Mark Furze!
What motivates Viv?
She’s a very lonely person who has a very charming personality that has got her a long way in life, but it was the easy road for her and it’s left her in a unhappy marriage with no real friends around her – they’re just people with money. I think her loneliness is her motivation for every choice she’s made.
What was it like working with Mark Furze?
It was really good! He’s a lovely boy, very funny and light-hearted. He manages to focus when the cameras are rolling which is good [laughs]. No, he is a really good actor and he seems to keep his character on track which can be hard in these fast-paced soaps. We had a lot of fun and he made me laugh a lot! That’s what it’s about, keeping it alive on-set.
How do you find him different from his character?
The character of Ric is quite serious and sombre, and Mark is the complete opposite. It’s funny how that happens – Mark is a laugh a minute, he’s always cracking gags, to the point of him being like an annoying little brother, that’s how I ended up feeling like! Someone who pokes fun of me constantly [laughs]! Ric has all this responsibility on his shoulders, he’s very different.
What did you find similar to yourself in Viv?
The charm… she’s quick and quick-witted, she’s sparkly - that’s her tool, that’s how she gets what she wants. She flashes a smile and makes a cheeky comment, wraps everyone around her finger – it’s what she has to use to get by in life and it could be fair to say I’ve used that in the past! I think she has a genuine heart and a warmth about her too – she really does love people, she’s not a sinister person – like I said, she’s just lonely.
Would you ever pursue someone like Viv does?
No way. Absolutely not. No way in hell. She’s so full-on! I quite like being pursued, but she’s definitely the pursuer. She’s a hunter!
What was it like filming THAT shower scene?
There’s nothing sexy about filming sex scenes, it’s always awkward, wrong and uncomfortable. You’d be really hard pressed to find an actor who likes that sort of stuff. The best you can do is crack a joke and get to it as quick as you can, and hope that something appears steamy to the camera.
Does the same go for kissing someone? It seems hard to imagine it could be anything but quite intimate!
Most people who aren’t actors can’t understand – it’s such a mechanical thing. It’s just the same as going to the kitchen and making a cup of tea. It really feels no different. For a start, you have a working relationship with this person. Unless there’s chemistry off-screen, which believe me in this case there wasn’t, then it is just mechanical action – ‘Where’s the camera, where do you want me to stand, how should we do it’. They call action and you go into your character, and you just do what the character requires, and then they call cut, and then it’s all over. It’s just part of the job, being able to switch in and switch out again.
What’s next for you?
Well I don’t have a job, so I’m just pottering away on my own thing which is writing stories. Looking forward to the festive season with my beautiful man – bit of travelling planned!
By Georgia Clark
