Single White Female - Lisa Faulkner Interview

By Anne Shooter

WHEN TV presenter, actor and author Lisa Faulkner was asked to read the script for Single White Female by her agent, it felt serendipitous.

“I actually feel like it came out of the sky because it was so weird - I haven’t acted in a theatre production for 21 years,” she says. “But I had been saying to friends that yes, it’s been ages, but I think it would be good to be scared and do some theatre again. And two weeks later my agent called and sent me a script and said ‘Look at it, they’re interested in meeting you.’

Photo by Chris Bishop.

“I always think the Universe is listening to you. I started reading it and couldn’t stop, it was great! I met the producer and director and I said yes.”

As well as having loved the iconic film when she watched it at the cinema years ago, Lisa, who is married to Australian TV chef John Torode, was also drawn to the character of Allie, a struggling, newly-divorced mum, trying to start a tech business, who takes in a lodger, Hedy - played by actor Kym Marsh in this production - to make ends meet.

“I remember going to see the film when I was much younger, in the early Nineties, and I remember thinking it was brilliant. So it was exciting to see how they have adapted it for stage and how it was going to work but also, obviously, I'm playing a character that's not completely far removed from me,” says the 53-year-old, who has an adopted daughter.

“I know about how it feels to be a mum with a teenage daughter, juggling everything and trying to keep all the balls in the air - and all the guilt that goes with it. So that made me think it would be really interesting to play this part.

“One of the reasons I could say yes to it is that my daughter is now nineteen and is off travelling and doing different things. So after a long time of us needing each other and wanting to be around for her, I am now in a position to be able to be away from home and join a touring production like this.

“I have been really lucky in that I have been working since I was 16 - initially modelling but acting since I was 19 - but when I adopted my daughter there were obviously things I couldn’t do and now I can say yes to those things.”

Lisa Faulkner and Kym Marsh. Photo by Chris Bishop

There was also the draw of working with Kym, whose character Hedy she initially becomes close to but, as their lives intertwine, boundaries blur and things take a sinister turn.

“Kym is friends with Angela Griffin, who I have been best friends with since we acted together in Holby City in 1998, and she said I would love Kym, that we would get on really well,” says Lisa. “So that made me feel it was all going in the right direction and was another reason to be excited when they offered me the part. It’s a huge challenge but it is so exciting, I can’t wait to travel round the country, playing to audiences in so many different places.”

And how do you think audiences will relate to her character and a stage adaptation of a film that was a hit more than 30 years ago?

She says: “I actually think people will relate to many parts of the story. We are all human and we can all be a bit naive or foolish at different times in our lives.

“Allie is divorced from her husband, who she obviously really loved and she gave him many, many chances. She's in quite a bad way, she's just moved out and so she's not thinking completely clearly and I think you can’t help but recognise that we're all just human. We have to give ourselves a break. Maybe it’s that I am so immersed in her now, but I definitely feel empathy and I think others will too.

“People will relate to different parts of the play - but without the extreme drama of our story which I hope nobody ever has to go through.”

The play has been adapted by writer Rebecca Reid for a modern age with social media playing a major part and Lisa feels this will help new audiences enjoy it.

“Whether you have seen the film or not, I think you will love it,” she says. “A lot of people I know don’t go to the theatre. They think it’s going to all be a bit highbrow and very worthy. But this isn’t like that at all. It’s really enjoyable - though there are some tense bits in it! People will be on the edge of their seats. Honestly, when I read it for the first time I was hooked. It feels like you are watching a film on stage.

And does the stiletto from the film make an appearance? – “You’ll have to wait and see! There’s still the noise of the lift that you hear in the film. And the relationship between Allie and Hedy is just as central. But as a piece of drama it is very standalone and different from the film and has been absolutely brought up to date with social media with that idea of somebody prying into your life.

“Whether you are a regular theatre goer or someone who wouldn't necessarily want to go to the theatre generally, I think people would love this as a night out. I can see mums going with their daughters, (the age guidance is 15+) and people going with groups of friends and having a great time.”

Amy Snudden and Lisa Faulkner. Photo by Chris Bishop.

As she is used to filming live television, the idea of doing theatre is more exciting than daunting.
“I do food shows in front of audiences all the time and I love it because I get to meet people and I love the reaction of an audience. You know they're with you and it's really lovely. But I do have a kitchen bench to hide behind, which is very different from theatre. I’ve learnt though that if something goes wrong you need to throw it away and move on. I did a show with Ben Shephard called What’s Cooking? for a long time and if we stumbled over a line or something, even though your brain starts wanting to focus on that, I learned to just move on, forget it and go forward to the next line.”

Being on the road for six months means she will not be spending as much time as usual with her husband, John Torode, with whom she presents John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen and its spin-off special editions.

“Yes, that will be hard and I will miss him very much and Billie, my daughter, and Rory, the dog,” she says. “I love being with John and I love working with him. It will be different not having him around - though we have always done separate things too, so I'm used to him being away, and he's used to me doing my thing, so it’s not a problem. I think it's lovely to miss someone actually. And I will be able to come home two nights a week which is important.

“I think it will be so busy and, in some ways, less lonely than doing television, when a lot of the time you are on your own working on what your part is and then you turn up on set and do it. Whereas on stage the process is about working with other people, finding your character and interacting with others. That’s what I love about it - watching people and listening to how somebody is saying something which completely changes your way of delivering a line. We are all working really closely together, relying on each other and looking after each other.”

So what is next for Lisa? “Honestly, I don’t know. I love cooking and I love acting. Both of them make my heart beat. So as long as I am doing one or the other, I will be happy.

“For now, I just want to get on the road, travelling the country, performing this brilliant play. I have never done anything like this and I can’t wait!”

Single White Female tours until June. For tickets visit swfonstage.com