The TV Mag - 5 June 1999

Young Friel & Single

Following her controversial role as soap's first lesbian, Anna Friel has swapped Brookside for Broadway. Report by JANE PARKE.

Anna Friel was always guaranteed a place in TV history after playing British soap's first lesbian character.

But few would have predicted how successful the beautiful actress would go on to become just four years after quitting her role as Brookside's Beth Jordache.

At just 22, Anna is now one of our most sought-after female performers. And when her latest TV drama All For Love is shown this week, she'll be playing to packed houses on Broadway.

She stars as a stripper in the play Closer after deciding to try her luck in America, where she was a complete unknown. Anna admits that the chance to shake off her British image was one of the main reasons she auditioned for the part.

She says: "I go to cafes in New York and all these men talk to me and have no idea who I am. I feel completely free".

Being relatively unknown - she is referred to as a "talented newcomer" by US critics - means Anna is able to do what she wants without being pestered by fans. So she has been learning to swing-dance and has even been dating again after having her heart publicly broken by former boyfriends Darren Day and Robbie Williams.

She says: "Men are wonderfully up-front in New York. You go out with a guy, you're asked a lot of questions and you have a lovely time. But you don't know if he'll call again. Despite that, I'm enjoying being single and working hard".

All For Love, based on an unfinished novel by Treasure Island author Robert Louis Stevenson, is a feature-length romantic comedy set during the Napoleonic Wars of the 18th century.

Anna plays Flora, who ends up in the arms of dashing French army officer Jacques St Ives (Jean Marc Barr) after helping him escape from imprisonment by the British. Richard E Grant stars as the bumbling prison governor Major Chevening and Miranda Richardson plays Flora's aunt, Miss Gilchrist.

Anna reckons she can identify with gutsy heroine Flora because her character is similar to her own.

She says: "Flora is passionate and very independent. She's also intelligent and gutsy, which I really admire".

Anna went to a lot of trouble to get off on the right foot with her heart-throb co-star Jean Marc - but her efforts turned out to be a waste of time. "I'd seen him in a film called The Big Blue and really admired his work" she says.

"I thought I'd learn a few words of French to make him fell at home. But when we finally met, his first words were 'Hi, Anna. How are ya ?' in a near-perfect American accent! "

Anna's charm also failed to work in the drama's horse-riding scenes. She says: "My horse took a distinct dislike to me and started bucking and kicking all over the place. Luckily, they decided to replace me with a stunt rider. And I wasn't going to disagree!".

Anna's blossoming career meant she could afford to buy an apartment in London's swish Kensington last year. Bu she has been so busy working, she has hardly been able to spend any time there.

Before she appeared in Closer, she was filming in Los Angeles. and All For Love was shot on location in Ireland. But her home at the moment is in the same block in New York as her Closer co-stars, fellow Brits Ciaran Hinds and Rupert Graves.

Anna says: "It's on the 22nd floor. When Mum and Dad come to visit, they bring me supplies of Marmite and Typhoo teabags and Mum always brings some Cadbury's chocolate"

Landing a role in Brookside when she was just 16 meant Anna has had to do a lot of learning as she goes along. And she admits she sometimes lacks confidence.

But with four films out this summer - Rogue Trader with Ewan McGregor, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mad Cows and Sunset Strip - she is fast becoming and experienced movie actress.

The offers are still flooding in but she is determined to pick her roles carefully.

She says: "I want to take my time and build a career, rather than rush in and accept every offer that comes along. I don't want people to think of me as an instant hit and then never hear of me again".