Post by gossipcom on Sept 25, 2007 13:31:25 GMT 1
Hope this is the right forum to throw it into - found it on Factiva. It's from the Daily Mail dated September 24, 2007.
ANNA FRIEL, ACTRESS
ANNA FRIEL, 31, shot to fame as Beth Jordache in Brookside in the early Nineties and various film roles thereafter. Currently working in LA, Anna lives in Windsor with her partner, actor David Thewlis, and their two-year-old baby daughter Gracie.
CAN YOU SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE?
YES. From the very beginning in my relationship with David, I made a promise to myself that I'd never try to change him because I fell in love with him just as he was. He's very talented and committed to his career, which he was totally immersed in at the time, and it was important we both had space to breathe and do what we wanted.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
HAVING said all that, there was a time when David and I were apart for six months and it was really difficult. If anyone is away from their partner for six months there will be problems, and it certainly put a strain on our relationship.
We spoke every single day, but we ran out of things to say to each other. Then he forgot Valentine's Day and I missed his birthday. Near the end, we were in a really bad state. I'd gone straight from New York to Toronto to start a new movie and he went to Australia to promote Harry Potter.
One day I told him on the phone: 'Get yourself on a plane to Toronto now!' and as soon as he did, we were fine. Now we want to minimise time spent away from each other. Of course, we'll have to do it sometimes, but not for six months -- that was just too hard.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON MARRIAGE?
WHEN I was younger I thought I'd meet the man of my dreams, get married and have a child. But it all went higgledy-piggledy and the last one happened in the wrong order. I'd like to get married, but David's been married before and we are not in any rush. I think I'll find it a bit hard to take it seriously when we do get around to it (I'll probably feel a bit stupid standing in my meringue dress), but never say never. I am very happy with David but you never know what's around the corner, so you just hope for the best.
DO YOU AGREE ABOUT MANAGING THE DAY-TO-DAY CHALLENGES OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
WE TAKE it in turns to be the main carer for Gracie. When David is off doing a film, I follow him and bring Gracie with me, and vice versa. We try not to take jobs at the same time as each other. As for our domestic arrangements, we believe in keeping our money separate (I didn't want him to have a girlfriend bleeding his wallet dry) and we own separate properties so we make a lot of decisions independently.
Our very first investment together was buying a BMW -- we bought half and half -- but he got to drive it all the time so I ended up buying another car for just me.
WHO IS THE BETTER DRIVER?
THAT'S a bit difficult to say. David is a very calm and lovable man, but if you criticise his driving you quickly get on the wrong side of him. His dad used to drive racing cars and I'm certainly not allowed to be a backseat driver with him. He knows London like the back of his hand, and if I chirp up about another route he gets angry.
We've got a running argument about the indicator -- I put it on to let drivers know I want to come out, but he only does it as he moves out because he wants to wait for a space first. So we have a debate about who is right and wrong. I think I'm right, having done my test more recently.
WHAT WOULD SURPRISE US TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
I FEEL like I was born at the wrong time. I adore the late 19th century, I love classical music, I have a wardrobe full of beautiful vintage clothes to wear at premieres and I've filled my house with antiques.
I sometimes look at our modern culture and think: 'Everything that can be done has been already and all we can do now is copy.' I even sing Irish traditional folk songs. My ideal film role is any costume drama -- I was very envious of Keira Knightley getting Pride And Prejudice.
WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?
AFTER I gave birth to Gracie there was an awful lot of focus in the newspapers about me losing weight quickly and they all thought it was because I was preparing to be nude on screen.
One of the producers of Goal 2 was asked what I would be doing in the film, and he jokingly said I was a nymphette having sex all over the place. So the journalist ran a story about the awful pressure actresses have to endure in order to lose weight for roles. Then other newspapers accused me of being an irresponsible role model for young mothers. I'd like to put the record straight -- I ate very healthily all the way through my pregnancy and afterwards.
I didn't do any extreme exercises (there were reports of me using fat-sucking machines and all sorts of silliness) and I didn't even go on a strict diet: I've never been on a strict diet in my life. I just don't overeat, and I don't eat if I'm not hungry. And there was no nudity in the film. All those stories upset both me and David very much.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE TRYING TO QUIT, BUT CAN'T?
ANY self-destructiveness in my life comes in the form of worry. I used to think it was good for me to be a bit paranoid because it made my conscience very loud. I would justify it like that and then give myself hell -- I was completely anxious until I had a child. Thankfully, being a mother puts things into a different perspective. Now my biggest worry is something happening to Gracie; anything else I can handle.
That's not to say I'm calm and collected all the time -- I do still worry, but I'm getting a lot better as I get older.
ANNA FRIEL, ACTRESS
ANNA FRIEL, 31, shot to fame as Beth Jordache in Brookside in the early Nineties and various film roles thereafter. Currently working in LA, Anna lives in Windsor with her partner, actor David Thewlis, and their two-year-old baby daughter Gracie.
CAN YOU SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE?
YES. From the very beginning in my relationship with David, I made a promise to myself that I'd never try to change him because I fell in love with him just as he was. He's very talented and committed to his career, which he was totally immersed in at the time, and it was important we both had space to breathe and do what we wanted.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
HAVING said all that, there was a time when David and I were apart for six months and it was really difficult. If anyone is away from their partner for six months there will be problems, and it certainly put a strain on our relationship.
We spoke every single day, but we ran out of things to say to each other. Then he forgot Valentine's Day and I missed his birthday. Near the end, we were in a really bad state. I'd gone straight from New York to Toronto to start a new movie and he went to Australia to promote Harry Potter.
One day I told him on the phone: 'Get yourself on a plane to Toronto now!' and as soon as he did, we were fine. Now we want to minimise time spent away from each other. Of course, we'll have to do it sometimes, but not for six months -- that was just too hard.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON MARRIAGE?
WHEN I was younger I thought I'd meet the man of my dreams, get married and have a child. But it all went higgledy-piggledy and the last one happened in the wrong order. I'd like to get married, but David's been married before and we are not in any rush. I think I'll find it a bit hard to take it seriously when we do get around to it (I'll probably feel a bit stupid standing in my meringue dress), but never say never. I am very happy with David but you never know what's around the corner, so you just hope for the best.
DO YOU AGREE ABOUT MANAGING THE DAY-TO-DAY CHALLENGES OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP?
WE TAKE it in turns to be the main carer for Gracie. When David is off doing a film, I follow him and bring Gracie with me, and vice versa. We try not to take jobs at the same time as each other. As for our domestic arrangements, we believe in keeping our money separate (I didn't want him to have a girlfriend bleeding his wallet dry) and we own separate properties so we make a lot of decisions independently.
Our very first investment together was buying a BMW -- we bought half and half -- but he got to drive it all the time so I ended up buying another car for just me.
WHO IS THE BETTER DRIVER?
THAT'S a bit difficult to say. David is a very calm and lovable man, but if you criticise his driving you quickly get on the wrong side of him. His dad used to drive racing cars and I'm certainly not allowed to be a backseat driver with him. He knows London like the back of his hand, and if I chirp up about another route he gets angry.
We've got a running argument about the indicator -- I put it on to let drivers know I want to come out, but he only does it as he moves out because he wants to wait for a space first. So we have a debate about who is right and wrong. I think I'm right, having done my test more recently.
WHAT WOULD SURPRISE US TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
I FEEL like I was born at the wrong time. I adore the late 19th century, I love classical music, I have a wardrobe full of beautiful vintage clothes to wear at premieres and I've filled my house with antiques.
I sometimes look at our modern culture and think: 'Everything that can be done has been already and all we can do now is copy.' I even sing Irish traditional folk songs. My ideal film role is any costume drama -- I was very envious of Keira Knightley getting Pride And Prejudice.
WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?
AFTER I gave birth to Gracie there was an awful lot of focus in the newspapers about me losing weight quickly and they all thought it was because I was preparing to be nude on screen.
One of the producers of Goal 2 was asked what I would be doing in the film, and he jokingly said I was a nymphette having sex all over the place. So the journalist ran a story about the awful pressure actresses have to endure in order to lose weight for roles. Then other newspapers accused me of being an irresponsible role model for young mothers. I'd like to put the record straight -- I ate very healthily all the way through my pregnancy and afterwards.
I didn't do any extreme exercises (there were reports of me using fat-sucking machines and all sorts of silliness) and I didn't even go on a strict diet: I've never been on a strict diet in my life. I just don't overeat, and I don't eat if I'm not hungry. And there was no nudity in the film. All those stories upset both me and David very much.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE TRYING TO QUIT, BUT CAN'T?
ANY self-destructiveness in my life comes in the form of worry. I used to think it was good for me to be a bit paranoid because it made my conscience very loud. I would justify it like that and then give myself hell -- I was completely anxious until I had a child. Thankfully, being a mother puts things into a different perspective. Now my biggest worry is something happening to Gracie; anything else I can handle.
That's not to say I'm calm and collected all the time -- I do still worry, but I'm getting a lot better as I get older.
