Siobhan McCarthy
Plays
Roisin Connor
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER.
She married a good old sensible man, not a marriage of convenience, but not a marriage of great passion either, I think, and has two young children about eight and ten. She was PA in a finance company, where she fell head over heels in love with a young whizz-kid, Cassie (Kellie Bright). Cassie had embezzled some money and Roisin covered up for her, so has been sent down as an accessory to the crime.
Her biggest personal problem is that she doesn’t want Aidan, her husband, to know about her lesbian relationship, because she might lose the children. She can’t deal with being sent down at all….
WHAT WAS IT LIKE COMING INTO BAD GIRLS?
Very scary, actually. I’m glad I came in to the series with Kellie [Bright] and I wasn’t absolutely on my own. All eyes were on you! For the first few weeks I thought ‘Oh my God, they think I’m terrible, I’m going to be sent to Holloway soon!’
I had been playing the lead in Mamma Mia in the West End, so I was completely bowled over when I was offered a TV series.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
It’s certainly dramatic enough. It’s nice to play a conflicting kind of character, one that has a bit of turmoil going on. At the moment she’s constantly upset, and it would be nice for her to relax a little bit. I kind of hope that she turns into a real Bad Girl, it’s always lovely to play the baddie, isn’t it? She’s not quite the baddie, but leaving your children for somebody is a pretty awful thing to do. I find myself a little bit unforgiving of her.
WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER?
I dislike her inability to pull herself together and try to get on with it. And yet I think it’s a very difficult situation, from the moment you get into that sweatbox. To arrive in one of those vans, get out, see the prison with high walls, guards around, being strip-searched. Just awful. I don’t know how anybody copes with it. I think particularly for somebody who isn’t a criminal. Yes, she did a cover-up, she did a naughty thing, but Roisin is not a criminal. They’re victims of circumstances, a lot of them.
DO YOU LIKE THE COSTUMES THAT YOUR CHARACTER WEARS? WOULD YOU WEAR THEM OUT?
It’s the colours more that I don’t particular like. I’m better with dark colours. She wears a lot of beige.
HOW HAVE PEOPLE REACTED TO YOU BEING CAST IN BAD GIRLS?
My sister and her friends in Ireland love it. Both my children were a little bit aghast when I said ‘Err, Mummy’s going to be playing a lesbian, all right?’ They’re twelve and thirteen, my son in particular did not like this idea at all. I said ‘I don’t have to kiss any girls… yet.’ Most of my friends were laughing like a drain when they heard that, and that I get into drugs and everything. It’s so completely different to anything that I’ve ever played.
ARE YOU LIKE YOUR CHARACTER? ANY TRAITS THAT YOU SHARE?
I think I’m probably quite emotional like her. I absolutely wouldn’t be able to cope with prison. I’m not a huge risk-taker, I don’t think I would taken that risk in a situation like that.
WHAT SCENE HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED OR HATED FILMING SO FAR?
I think my first day on set was very difficult. The first day was with quite a lot of people and I was very nervous, I felt everybody was there waiting for you to say your line and hear how your voice sounded and what your interpretation would be like. Always, the first day is nerve-racking. Obviously those great big screaming scenes are great to play.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREETIME?
Plan food for the children and my husband! And look at the children’s diaries every day and make sure that they have all the things that they need. I try and get to see shows at the theatre as often as I can, but I’m often so incredibly tired by the evening, that it’s really household, domestic family things.
HOW WOULD YOU GET ON WITH YOUR CHARACTER IF YOU MET THEM IN REAL LIFE?
I’d get on very well with her. I think she’s a nice character. She’s a good person, Roisin is. She’s very sympathetic. I don’t feel there’s a hard edge to her, and yet I don’t think she’s a walkover either. I think you’re seeing a very vulnerable side to her now, she’s very exposed.
Siobhan is one of the UK’s best know West End musical performers with credits including Mamma Mia, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Blood Brothers and Les Miserables. She is married to Andrew Bruce, whose sound company Autograph design for all musicals for Cameron McIntosh. She has two children Kieran (13) and Juliet (12).