Gina Bellman: the IOS Interview

Gina Bellman, 36, grew up in New Zealand before moving to England and starring, aged 17, with Richard Gere in King David. The movie bombed, but she went on to become muse to Dennis Potter, working with him on the notorious TV drama Blackeyes, and again on Secret Friends. She has been seen more recently in the TV sitcom Coupling. Bellman's stage roles have included Ophelia in Peter Hall's 1994 production of Hamlet. She is about to open in Beautiful People, a new play by Neil Monaghan, at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.

How are you?

I look like Nikita this morning. Last night I was at a girlfriend's and we were drinking rum punch and suddenly at midnight we decided she had to cut my hair. So she took to it with shears and now it's all hacked off. I haven't been to a hairdresser's for a year because I can't bear paying to sit in a chair and be primped. Tomorrow I'll have to go to work and account for my hair with the director. I'll have to make it some clever thing to do with my characterisation.

How are rehearsals going?

I'm obsessed with the play. It's all about anti-globalisation, and I play a businesswoman ripe for conversion. For research, I'm re-reading The Silent Takeover by my friend Noreena Hertz. I was meant to be going on holiday with Mariella [Frostrup] as a treat after filming Coupling, but when this play came up, I had to take it.

Could you let us in on the plot twists in the new third series of Coupling?

I get to snog Lloyd Owen, which is a real perk. He plays a celibate religious broadcaster while Jane, my character, is an absolutely out-there nymphomaniac. So there's a lot of comic potential in her trying to shag him. Jane has spent so long pursuing Jack Davenport I'm glad she actually gets a boyfriend.

Your character Jane is bisexual. Have you ever thought you might be?

No, I've been less than adventurous in that department. But very early on in my friendship with Mariella, I saw her at a party at the Ritz, and remembered I'd dreamt that I'd kissed her. There was definitely a frisson, but it just gave us the giggles, really. I did have a schoolgirl crush on Francesca Annis as Lily Langtry. But then I moved on to some boy in a band. My favourite actresses are Ingrid Bergman and Ava Gardner.

Do you think fame came to you too early?

I found out young that it meant nothing; that it wasn't really enjoyable, or satisfying. So I was allowed to put fame to one side and find something else which was more challenging. That was a liberating direction.

You were independent from an early age

Yes. When I was 17 and filming I had to choose a chaperone, who was meant to be over 21. So when they gave me a bunch of people to interview I asked one how old she was. And when she said "21 tomorrow" I thought, "right, you'll do". When we got to the airport I said "Have a good time, see you in six weeks" and she went off, and I got to be on set alone. I left home young, too: I moved to America at 18.

Do you dream about acting?

Before a play opens, I have a recurring anxiety dream. I'm on stage but I can't remember my lines. I grab my script but as I'm looking for my place it grows and grows and becomes broadsheet-size, then too big to hold. I guess it's about the fear of drying.

What's the best time in your day?

I must have some Mediterranean blood in me because I love a siesta. I get very dozy and romantic around 4pm.

In Blackeyes you played a passive, mute model. Now you're cast in stronger, more authoritative roles. How have you grown as an actor since working with Dennis Potter?

I don't think I was ever that comfortable in an ingenue skin: I've felt much more powerful as an actress since I turned 30. Although you can rage on about there being fewer parts, they are much more interesting. As a director, I don't think Potter influenced me: he was very inexperienced. But as an intellectual and as a philosopher he influenced me greatly. I think what I went through working with Potter is common to all actresses finding their feet. But I loved working with Terry Johnson. And now doing Coupling is brilliant because Steven Moffat only writes two-thirds of the series and we fill the rest out collaboratively. As a cast, we bounce off each other and he uses our input.

If people divide into two types: "coffee and cats" and "tea and dogs", which are you?

Coffee and goldfish. We had three, but Ant and Dec died so Cat's the only one left.

People think of you as very tall but you're only average. What's your secret?

I've no idea, it's some weird illusion. I'm only 5ft6ins. It's not killer heels, or big hair (well, big today after the attack of the shears). I've always been a bit lanky. I shot up very young so perhaps it's just because I think of myself as tall. It's a state of mind!

What do you look for in a man?

Availability! No, in terms of both friends and lovers, I always like motivated, assertive people.

And from life in general?

I like to be active but sometimes I need to be bullied into it. That's why Mariella's so great; she's a good corporal to go travelling with. I hate routine and that's why I've had gear changes all through my career, going from film to stage and back. It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it's just that I'm insatiable!

'Beautiful People' previews at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, from 10 October. Booking line 01723 370541