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In the few first minutes ofI Hate Suzie, an actresss life absolutely craters.
As the shows star Billie Piper puts it, I think I had adrenal fatigue by the end.
There wasnt anI Hate Suzie-lite, as Piper said.
It has to be a hot mess!
Ive read you describe it as trying to be an intentionally immersive experience.
For the first few episodes, we were likethese should feel like literal panic attack.
What was it like as an actor to have to stay in that place?
It feels, well, intensely stressful.I think it was, actually.
When youre working as fast as we were and playing quite a hysterical character …
I think I had adrenal fatigue by the end.
It all culminated in a new breakdown.
[Laughs] Which worked pretty well for the character in the show!
So we went back to the drawing board.
Its weird that not many people have spoken quite so explicitly about that.
Suzie has some obvious similarities to yourself.
She was a pop star, you were apop star.
Shes had a career on this big sci-fi show, you were onDoctor Who.
I share a lot of similarities, but theres something slightly more hysterical about this woman.
That allowed us to play in quite a bold and vivid way.
When you say brutally honest, do you mean her reaction?
The thing thats happened to her?I guess her experience as a woman.
We dont like to see women that way.
Ive always thought that was such a great tragedy, because women can do all those things.
We felt very passionately about making sure that is honest.
And its brutal, because the truth is.
What was it like putting that list together?It was weirdly satisfying!
That process of us being in different writing rooms all over London feeling like we were being naughty.
At no point did someone say you cant do that, or youve gone too far.
There wasnt anI Hate Suzie-lite.
It has to be a hot mess!
There are so many more layers to a female friendship, and theyre not all that nice.
It can be competitive, deceitful, vicious.
Its way more than girls stick together!
Which Ive found is a misleading message when Ive watched drama throughout my life.
Im always desperate to sing and dance in anything I do.
Lucy and I are both obsessed with musicals and big pieces of theater.
Do you have a favorite musical that youd love to do?Cabaret?
All the Fosse stuff, really.
I cant think off the top of my head.
Well you should doCabaret!
Thats a good start.The sort of political musicals are just wild, arent they?
In terms of theater, I saw you inthe playYermawhen it came to New York.
Do you think that performance fed into what you did onI Hate Suzie?I do.
How are you going to respond to this?
Its a really thrilling way to work, and allows for something way more truthful.
The work has to be meaningful to me, otherwise its not worth leaving your family.
It has to say something.
Its so much more of an experience if it feels really honest.
The other stuff is frankly really fucking boring, and a really missed opportunity!
Playing the polite, civil, malleable women, or extensions of men.
Its not real, and its boring!
Boring to act, boring to watch, unfair, and irresponsible!
Lucy is more likely someone who would have spoken with people.
I sort of hear about it when I meet people in the street.
Weve been through a lot together, some wonderful things and some really fucking awful things.
Its gone down well.
I cant wait for Americans to watch it.
Will they dig it?
Will it be too much?
