Perdita
15-12-2008, 12:02
Connie Fisher has come a long way since first appearing as a twinkly-eyed West End wannabe on How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? After winning the BBC talent search in 2006, she spent fifteen months treading the boards as Maria von Trapp in The Sound Of Music, released a solo album and headed up a revival of the musical They're Playing Our Song. Now she's making her first moves into TV drama with a role as an Elvis obsessive in the one-off Caught In A Trap. We gave Connie a bell to find out more.
What's Caught In A Trap about?
"It's a family musical drama using the lyrics of Elvis to further the story along. It's inspired by a true crime - an unbelievable tale of a young girl called Gemma who works for a local council and starts to steal money from parking meters to spend on Elvis memorabilia. Eventually she gets caught, having spent a lot of money. You'll have to tune in to find out exactly how much it was!"
Why does she start stealing?
"Gemma's had quite an unexciting life and she's a social outcast. Her mum died when she was very young and that's the reason she seeks comfort in Elvis as a performer. She lives her life through Elvis's lyrics. I think she starts stealing for a bit of excitement. She's ignored, bullied and forgotten about in her office, so she thinks 'it seems easy enough, maybe I'll get away with it'."
As you say, she's very lonely - but there's a guy who's interested in her, isn't there?
"She grew up with a guy called Marcus, played by Joe Absolom, who is quite shy himself. He's got a stutter and he's not great at expressing his feelings. He fancies Gemma and would love to take her out for dinner! One day, just to appease him, she agrees to go out on a date with him, and finds out that maybe there could be more than one love in her life apart from Elvis."
This is your first TV drama role. Were you nervous?
"I was nervous on the first day of filming. Having done the screen test, I was confident that I was right for the role. I've always felt that my casting falls into a 'different' category. I was overjoyed to get the part but also really nervous about working with such great actors like Jim Carter, Geraldine James and Joe. Their support was massive. I got a thousand tips and I learned really quickly, so by the second day I was really enjoying it. Even now though, when I watch the show, I can tell which scenes I did first!"
Were you much of an Elvis fan before this?
"In the car growing up my dad used to play either Cliff Richard & The Shadows or Elvis. I hadn't really listened to him since. I hadn't really appreciated what a great performer and entertainer he was until I got the part and did a bit of research. Part of that research was watching Elvis's 60 Greatest Performances on DVD - I watched that three times because it was brilliant!"
Was there a comparable idol for you when you were younger?
"I suppose obviously Julie Andrews, who I idolised as a kid. Having met her now, it's like I need to find another idol or something! She still remains a living legend for me."
Have you thought about what sort of TV roles you would like next?
"I have dreams! We're in discussions at the moment with the BBC about something, but I think that's for 2010, which would be really exciting if it comes off. But I've dreamed that maybe if Catherine Tate's leaving Doctor Who, I might be the next Doctor's assistant. Billie Piper's out of the question now, so little Connie Fisher - she's Welsh, she's available in Cardiff, last minute, just get her in! If they asked me that would be awesome."
What can we expect from your next album?
"My second album is out in February, and it's called Secret Love. It's what I'd call old school cool, so old school composers like Gershwin and Ivor Novello, kind of revived with a modern vibe. It's quite Eva Cassidy and wistful. I'm really excited about people listening to it. After that I'm going back into The Sound Of Music on tour in June, which should be quite fun."
Caught In A Trap airs Boxing Day at 9pm on ITV1.
Might just have a look at that
What's Caught In A Trap about?
"It's a family musical drama using the lyrics of Elvis to further the story along. It's inspired by a true crime - an unbelievable tale of a young girl called Gemma who works for a local council and starts to steal money from parking meters to spend on Elvis memorabilia. Eventually she gets caught, having spent a lot of money. You'll have to tune in to find out exactly how much it was!"
Why does she start stealing?
"Gemma's had quite an unexciting life and she's a social outcast. Her mum died when she was very young and that's the reason she seeks comfort in Elvis as a performer. She lives her life through Elvis's lyrics. I think she starts stealing for a bit of excitement. She's ignored, bullied and forgotten about in her office, so she thinks 'it seems easy enough, maybe I'll get away with it'."
As you say, she's very lonely - but there's a guy who's interested in her, isn't there?
"She grew up with a guy called Marcus, played by Joe Absolom, who is quite shy himself. He's got a stutter and he's not great at expressing his feelings. He fancies Gemma and would love to take her out for dinner! One day, just to appease him, she agrees to go out on a date with him, and finds out that maybe there could be more than one love in her life apart from Elvis."
This is your first TV drama role. Were you nervous?
"I was nervous on the first day of filming. Having done the screen test, I was confident that I was right for the role. I've always felt that my casting falls into a 'different' category. I was overjoyed to get the part but also really nervous about working with such great actors like Jim Carter, Geraldine James and Joe. Their support was massive. I got a thousand tips and I learned really quickly, so by the second day I was really enjoying it. Even now though, when I watch the show, I can tell which scenes I did first!"
Were you much of an Elvis fan before this?
"In the car growing up my dad used to play either Cliff Richard & The Shadows or Elvis. I hadn't really listened to him since. I hadn't really appreciated what a great performer and entertainer he was until I got the part and did a bit of research. Part of that research was watching Elvis's 60 Greatest Performances on DVD - I watched that three times because it was brilliant!"
Was there a comparable idol for you when you were younger?
"I suppose obviously Julie Andrews, who I idolised as a kid. Having met her now, it's like I need to find another idol or something! She still remains a living legend for me."
Have you thought about what sort of TV roles you would like next?
"I have dreams! We're in discussions at the moment with the BBC about something, but I think that's for 2010, which would be really exciting if it comes off. But I've dreamed that maybe if Catherine Tate's leaving Doctor Who, I might be the next Doctor's assistant. Billie Piper's out of the question now, so little Connie Fisher - she's Welsh, she's available in Cardiff, last minute, just get her in! If they asked me that would be awesome."
What can we expect from your next album?
"My second album is out in February, and it's called Secret Love. It's what I'd call old school cool, so old school composers like Gershwin and Ivor Novello, kind of revived with a modern vibe. It's quite Eva Cassidy and wistful. I'm really excited about people listening to it. After that I'm going back into The Sound Of Music on tour in June, which should be quite fun."
Caught In A Trap airs Boxing Day at 9pm on ITV1.
Might just have a look at that