Mr Humphries
30-10-2006, 07:46
Shameless about show
In The Sun By JEN BLACKBURN October 30, 2006
FORMER Shameless star Maggie O’Neill still has a soft-spot for her warm-hearted but neurotic character Sheila Jackson, even though she was a little shocked about her strap-on sex toys!
The actress, who played Frank’s downtrodden but saucy mistress for two years, insists she was never perturbed by the show’s outrageous storylines because she was always so amazed by writer Paul Abbot’s ability to surprise and delight.
"I don’t think many people feel particularly comfortable being filmed like that! But luckily there weren’t many scenes like that," Maggie confided.
"I was a bit gobsmacked by Shameless really, it was different from anything else. Paul’s just such a brilliant writer, everything he writes is really fresh."
She added: "I’ve got a real soft spot for Sheila, I feel really protective towards her because I know people like her exist in real life."
And now she’s left the award-winning show, Maggie has plenty of meaty roles on her plate – not to mention some great co-stars.
She told us: "I’ve just done Mansfield Park with Billie Piper. That was a really different part again because my character had to be really nasty to Billie Piper's, which was kind of bizarre because she’s just such a special girl. She’s such a laugh."
And Maggie can’t believe there was ever any doubt about Billie’s transition from pop to acting.
"She’s brilliant. She is just such a great person to be around on set and she is very good at what she does. She handles it all with such ease and grace. She is very bright and very funny."
But despite Billie’s charms, Ray Winstone is Maggie’s favourite co-star; she has starred alongside the Hollywood hardman three times in his ITV drama Vincent!
She said: "I worked with him a few times before Vincent, he is fantastic. He is my favourite actor to work with. My ideal actor."
And although she has Hollywood connections, Maggie admits she is drawn to soaps – one in particular.
"I’d choose Corrie, even though I’m from London," she said.
"They have some great writers on there, it can be really funny and camp, but they can also tackle the serious issues really well. It’s not bleak, I like that."
However, the actress doubts she would be able to cope with the instant fame of being a Coronation Street star.
She added: "The one thing I would find difficult about a soap is the fact that soap stars are probably more famous than film stars, and it really must overtake your life."
With a more than illustrious career behind her, Maggie insists auditioning for Shameless was one of the best things she ever did.
She revealed: "All the actors on there are just fantastic - a really nice group of actors.
"It was just such bonkers stuff to do, it felt just like being released and able to go completely berserk."
Shameless: Series Three is released in a new box set today
In The Sun By JEN BLACKBURN October 30, 2006
FORMER Shameless star Maggie O’Neill still has a soft-spot for her warm-hearted but neurotic character Sheila Jackson, even though she was a little shocked about her strap-on sex toys!
The actress, who played Frank’s downtrodden but saucy mistress for two years, insists she was never perturbed by the show’s outrageous storylines because she was always so amazed by writer Paul Abbot’s ability to surprise and delight.
"I don’t think many people feel particularly comfortable being filmed like that! But luckily there weren’t many scenes like that," Maggie confided.
"I was a bit gobsmacked by Shameless really, it was different from anything else. Paul’s just such a brilliant writer, everything he writes is really fresh."
She added: "I’ve got a real soft spot for Sheila, I feel really protective towards her because I know people like her exist in real life."
And now she’s left the award-winning show, Maggie has plenty of meaty roles on her plate – not to mention some great co-stars.
She told us: "I’ve just done Mansfield Park with Billie Piper. That was a really different part again because my character had to be really nasty to Billie Piper's, which was kind of bizarre because she’s just such a special girl. She’s such a laugh."
And Maggie can’t believe there was ever any doubt about Billie’s transition from pop to acting.
"She’s brilliant. She is just such a great person to be around on set and she is very good at what she does. She handles it all with such ease and grace. She is very bright and very funny."
But despite Billie’s charms, Ray Winstone is Maggie’s favourite co-star; she has starred alongside the Hollywood hardman three times in his ITV drama Vincent!
She said: "I worked with him a few times before Vincent, he is fantastic. He is my favourite actor to work with. My ideal actor."
And although she has Hollywood connections, Maggie admits she is drawn to soaps – one in particular.
"I’d choose Corrie, even though I’m from London," she said.
"They have some great writers on there, it can be really funny and camp, but they can also tackle the serious issues really well. It’s not bleak, I like that."
However, the actress doubts she would be able to cope with the instant fame of being a Coronation Street star.
She added: "The one thing I would find difficult about a soap is the fact that soap stars are probably more famous than film stars, and it really must overtake your life."
With a more than illustrious career behind her, Maggie insists auditioning for Shameless was one of the best things she ever did.
She revealed: "All the actors on there are just fantastic - a really nice group of actors.
"It was just such bonkers stuff to do, it felt just like being released and able to go completely berserk."
Shameless: Series Three is released in a new box set today