For those who may not yet have caught No Offence, what can you tell us about the show and the character you play?
I play DC Dinah Kowalska. She's second generation Polish, a single mom who lives with her daughter and her Polish mom. She's strong, tough, impulsive, determined and has a lot of heart.
How was it working with Paul Abbott on the new drama?
Paul was mainly in the writers studio writing and wasn't on set that much. I have since gotten to know Paul a lot better and he is such a giving, warm, positive person as well as a bit of a genius. It was a real honour to be a part of this special project and hard work delivering his beautifully written words. His dialogue is unlike any other writers and so different to the way I talk so I had a lot of homework but it was so worth it.
What was it about this show that drew you to getting involved?
Firstly it was Paul. Secondly it was the challenge I was looking for. I've not played anyone like Dinah before and I've never done a Manc accent before so it was a no brainer. Also I needed to get out of the corset I had so long been in and there wasn't a better show in order to do to break out of that whale boning.
Can you tell us about a typical day filming No Offence?
Early starts and late finishes and lots of material to get through. My first port of call was always the makeup truck where I would get my hair and makeup done while I ate a bacon and egg toasted sandwich with a proper coffee. No matter what other combinations I tried nothing else seemed to get me through to lunch without hunger pains. Then we would start filming. Break for lunch halfway through the day for lunch and if it was a Friday and there were a number of us being dropped off at the train station on wrap we would have a competition to see who could get changed the fastest (incentive to get there as soon as and home likewise).
What's the chemistry been like on-set?
When we are in the police station it's slightly easier as we all know the set up there and generally most of the team are in so there are giggles and complaints galore. When on location it's all about staying warm (as it got closer to Christmas) or where we can get the nearest coffees from.
I know you're also starring in Deluge at Hampstead Theatre, what's that experience like?
Wet, as part of the set is immersed in water. Overall very satisfying. Kitty, the character I play, definitely allows me to explore such a rich and complex character. I'm so passionate about this play and Fiona Doyle's writing. Anna Ledwich directed it beautifully and Moi Tran's set design gave us an extra challenge to perform in but it only enhances the piece.
How different are the worlds of onstage and television?
Well to state the obvious there are no second takes on stage. You have to wait until the next performance to put right what went wrong. That's the excitement of stage. When you feel comfortable doing it and start owning it you enjoy and embrace things going wrong e.g. Things breaking, people forgetting important props, forgetting lines, wearing the wrong outfit in certain scenes. It then becomes a challenge to keep a straight face. In TV you can always have another take if you aren't happy with the performance. You shoot out of sequence although in Deluge the time line of the play jumps around a lot so it's not daunting because that's the same as TV and film. The difficulty of TV is getting to as deep a place as you do with theatre in a very short space of time and then the difficulty with theatre is keeping the performance fresh.
You're also in upcoming movies Strangeways Here We Come and Icon - what can you tell us about those projects?
I've just finished filming Strangeways Here We Come and it was such a giggle. The character I play is unlike anything I've ever played and I had to do things I've NEVER had to do before. It's a savage comedy, and a good sign when you are doing comedy is if it makes you laugh when you're making it. This one had me in stitches.
Icon (which now may be called The Program), was so interesting to work on. It's about David Walsh, an Irish Sports Journalist (played by Chris O'Dowd) and Lance Armstrong (played by Ben Foster). I play Betsy Andreau who was one of two whistle blowers on the whole Armstrong lie. She's an amazingly strong woman. I really enjoyed all the research for this role. I was naive to the whole cycling culture and sports culture before taking on this part. It was also great to get to work with Stephen Frears who directed it.
Are there any other projects you're involved with you can share some details about?
I did a film called The Loft directed by Erik Van Looey. It was released in the U.S. At the beginning of the year. I have yet to hear when it will be released here. It's a remake of a Belgium film of the same name and by the same director. It has also been remade in Dutch. So a popular film to remake, ha!
Who would you love to work alongside in the future?
Ken Loach. He has been on my to-work-with list since the start of my career. There are loads of other directors I'd love to work with but the list would be too long. Also, I'd love to work with pretty much everyone I have ever worked with. My instincts never seem to let me down.
If you could star in any show, what would you choose and why?
Penny Dreadful. I love John Logan. He is a prime example of someone I have worked with in the past and would jump at the chance again. Plus, I'd be able to stay at my moms and see loads of my family and friends.
No Offence airs on Tuesdays, Channel 4 at 9pm. @ElaineCassidy_