Sarah Smart is getting used to strangers coming up to her and asking: "So are you a lesbian, then?"
She's even quite pleased about it - taking it as a sign that she must be doing her job properly.
"And, well, when you've been seen snogging another woman on television people tend to assume that you must be gay in real life too," she laughs now.
"Fortunately, when I'm out and about I'm often with my boyfriend and the question amuses him quite a lot. He likes to answer it for me."
Sarah plays Virginia, the angst- ridden lesbian daughter in ITV's award-winning drama, At Home With The Braithwaites.
With or without the boyfriend, when you meet here it's no surprise to learn that she's 100 per cent heterosexual.
She's overwhelmingly feminine - petite and bird boned with a delicate porcelain beauty. Her voice, which has traces of a native Birmingham accent, is soft and high with lots of girlie laughter thrown in.
"When I knew I was going to play a lesbian I wasn't sure how to go about it because, I've never had any doubts about my sexuality. I've always known that I like boys," she says. "But the scripts are great, which helps a lot, and I normally find that the character sort of arrives when I put Virginia's big sensible boots on. They make her walk in a certain way that just isn't feminine at all. Once I'd got her walk right the rest of her seemed to come along to."
Certainly, on screen the 23-year old actress couldn't be more convincing. During two series of At Home With the Braithwaites viewers first shared Virginia's "Am I gay?" dilemmas and seen her trying to make meaningful relationships with women.
She's been having a long- term affair with Tamsin (played by Lucy Whelan) whose parents hit the roof when she "came out".
"They're supposed to be liberals. But just because someone eats organic meat and reads the Guardian doesn't mean they can cope with their child being gay," Sarah observes. "It's 2001 but we've still got a long way to go on that score."
Now viewers are embroiled in Virginia's affair with gold-digging Megan (Julie Graham). She's determined to get her hands, not just on Virginia, but on her mother's fortune. Alison Braithwaite, played by Amanda Redman, has, after all, just won pounds 38 million pounds on the European Lottery.
Recently, as Sarah tells you with a laugh: "They had a full-blown snogging scene... tongues and everything involved.
"It was certainly a bit odd for me when I first saw the script, because I've never had to kiss a woman before. But Julie and I get on really well and we just had a real laugh about it. Every time we saw it each other we'd stick our tongues out and go, 'Whoaa!'. Julie also made the point that if you're going to kiss another actor it's probably better if it's a woman because they're a lot more hygienic. Breath freshener beforehand and all that. In the end we did the kiss and then, of course, we had to do it again...and again until the director was satisfied it was right. By the end we were pretty used to the idea of snogging each other. It was no big deal."
Not, she says that she plays Virginia lightly.
"Definitely not. Playing a girl who's tortured about her sexuality carries a real responsibility with it and I was determined to get it right and to make it truthful.
"I've had letters from girls like Virginia. One was from a 16- year-old who said it as really helpful to see someone on screen going through what she was experiencing in real life. She said it was very truthful and comforting and I was really pleased about that."
The actress has worked in various dramas since the age of 10 when she auditioned successfully for Central TV's junior drama workshop. She made her professional debut in the children's drama Woof!, playing the best friend of a boy who constantly turned into a dog. Since then there have been a variety of roles including a long- running part as Lucy Fitzpatrick in the final series of ITV's Soldier Soldier.
She starred too with American actress Sally Field and Anthony Andrews in an Anglo-American film of David Copperfield and recently appeared with Francesca Annis and Pauline Quirke in the Channel 5 financed movie, Deadly Summer. She's currently filming an episode of BBC's Dalziel And Pascoe.
"I play a sixth form student who's having an affair with her English teacher. She gets pregnant and eventually kills herself by jumping from a block of flats. So it's really cheerful! Unfortunately, I'm not one of those actresses who just walks away from a part. I find it difficult to leave behind. So after filming I've been going home and bursting into tears. It seems to affect me that way.
"Fortunately, Virginia's character is a bit lighter. She's tortured and a misfit. But she's very funny too.
So there are lots of layers to her which is why she's my most favourite character."
Sarah is grateful that she's not as mixed up as Virginia.
"But, there again, I think my family is a lot more normal than the Braithwaites," she says. "Mind you, if you put a camera in any family's house they'd probably all seem weird in their own way. But my family can't be too terrible because I still live at home. I know full well how lucky I am to have such wonderful, supportive parents."
Sarah is the oldest of four children. Her father John is a civil engineer. Her mum Pat is studying for a Masters degree in TV scriptwriting.
"When we were growing up she was the best possible mum, and now that we're older she's doing her own thing," Sarah says proudly. "I can't imagine a better role model."
Clearly, there's been precious little heartache in the actress's life.
"But none of us escapes completely," she says.
At the age of 18, for example, she had a health scare that could have threatened her budding career.
"I woke up one morning and the left side of my face was paralysed. My eyelid was drooping and so was the left hand corner of my mouth. I couldn't smile or do anything to control the muscles. It was terrifying. My mum rushed me to the doctor who diagnosed Bell's Palsy."
The condition, which doctors believe originates from an ear infection, can cause permanent paralysis and long-term problems. "But I was lucky. I was prescribed steroids and after a week or two I got back to normal. I've been warned, though, that the condition could return, so I'm constantly on the look out for it and if I'm over tired my face can still feel a little bit strange. When it first happened I used to look in the mirror and I'd think, 'Oh God, no one will ever give me a part again'. I was also at that awkward stage where boys mattered so much. I remember thinking, 'No one will ever love me like this'. It was very, very frightening."
Since then, of course, she has found love with the boyfriend she mentioned earlier - law student Paul Jennings. They were introduced by actress Sarah Churm, who played Virginia's younger sister, Sarah Braithwaite during the show's first series.
"She was still a student at Leeds University then and he lived next door to her. I went up to the uni to see her one weekend and she said, 'I want you to meet this really cute guy...' and that was it. We met and talked for hours and it just clicked.
"He's the most brilliant person. He gives me so much support and is convinced that I'm the best actress in the world. If I'm thinking about a scene too much or I say, 'I was rubbish in that,' he calms me down and says, 'No Sarah you were great.' He's also gorgeous. What more could you ask for in a partner?"
He's clearly not threatened either by the lesbian scenes in The Braithwaites. "No, they don't worry him at all," she laughs. "To be honest, I think he quite likes the idea of me playing a lesbian. Well, it's something different isn't it?" she adds with another laugh. It certainly is.
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She's even quite pleased about it - taking it as a sign that she must be doing her job properly.
"And, well, when you've been seen snogging another woman on television people tend to assume that you must be gay in real life too," she laughs now.
"Fortunately, when I'm out and about I'm often with my boyfriend and the question amuses him quite a lot. He likes to answer it for me."
Sarah plays Virginia, the angst- ridden lesbian daughter in ITV's award-winning drama, At Home With The Braithwaites.
With or without the boyfriend, when you meet here it's no surprise to learn that she's 100 per cent heterosexual.
She's overwhelmingly feminine - petite and bird boned with a delicate porcelain beauty. Her voice, which has traces of a native Birmingham accent, is soft and high with lots of girlie laughter thrown in.
"When I knew I was going to play a lesbian I wasn't sure how to go about it because, I've never had any doubts about my sexuality. I've always known that I like boys," she says. "But the scripts are great, which helps a lot, and I normally find that the character sort of arrives when I put Virginia's big sensible boots on. They make her walk in a certain way that just isn't feminine at all. Once I'd got her walk right the rest of her seemed to come along to."
Certainly, on screen the 23-year old actress couldn't be more convincing. During two series of At Home With the Braithwaites viewers first shared Virginia's "Am I gay?" dilemmas and seen her trying to make meaningful relationships with women.
She's been having a long- term affair with Tamsin (played by Lucy Whelan) whose parents hit the roof when she "came out".
"They're supposed to be liberals. But just because someone eats organic meat and reads the Guardian doesn't mean they can cope with their child being gay," Sarah observes. "It's 2001 but we've still got a long way to go on that score."
Now viewers are embroiled in Virginia's affair with gold-digging Megan (Julie Graham). She's determined to get her hands, not just on Virginia, but on her mother's fortune. Alison Braithwaite, played by Amanda Redman, has, after all, just won pounds 38 million pounds on the European Lottery.
Recently, as Sarah tells you with a laugh: "They had a full-blown snogging scene... tongues and everything involved.
"It was certainly a bit odd for me when I first saw the script, because I've never had to kiss a woman before. But Julie and I get on really well and we just had a real laugh about it. Every time we saw it each other we'd stick our tongues out and go, 'Whoaa!'. Julie also made the point that if you're going to kiss another actor it's probably better if it's a woman because they're a lot more hygienic. Breath freshener beforehand and all that. In the end we did the kiss and then, of course, we had to do it again...and again until the director was satisfied it was right. By the end we were pretty used to the idea of snogging each other. It was no big deal."
Not, she says that she plays Virginia lightly.
"Definitely not. Playing a girl who's tortured about her sexuality carries a real responsibility with it and I was determined to get it right and to make it truthful.
"I've had letters from girls like Virginia. One was from a 16- year-old who said it as really helpful to see someone on screen going through what she was experiencing in real life. She said it was very truthful and comforting and I was really pleased about that."
The actress has worked in various dramas since the age of 10 when she auditioned successfully for Central TV's junior drama workshop. She made her professional debut in the children's drama Woof!, playing the best friend of a boy who constantly turned into a dog. Since then there have been a variety of roles including a long- running part as Lucy Fitzpatrick in the final series of ITV's Soldier Soldier.
She starred too with American actress Sally Field and Anthony Andrews in an Anglo-American film of David Copperfield and recently appeared with Francesca Annis and Pauline Quirke in the Channel 5 financed movie, Deadly Summer. She's currently filming an episode of BBC's Dalziel And Pascoe.
"I play a sixth form student who's having an affair with her English teacher. She gets pregnant and eventually kills herself by jumping from a block of flats. So it's really cheerful! Unfortunately, I'm not one of those actresses who just walks away from a part. I find it difficult to leave behind. So after filming I've been going home and bursting into tears. It seems to affect me that way.
"Fortunately, Virginia's character is a bit lighter. She's tortured and a misfit. But she's very funny too.
So there are lots of layers to her which is why she's my most favourite character."
Sarah is grateful that she's not as mixed up as Virginia.
"But, there again, I think my family is a lot more normal than the Braithwaites," she says. "Mind you, if you put a camera in any family's house they'd probably all seem weird in their own way. But my family can't be too terrible because I still live at home. I know full well how lucky I am to have such wonderful, supportive parents."
Sarah is the oldest of four children. Her father John is a civil engineer. Her mum Pat is studying for a Masters degree in TV scriptwriting.
"When we were growing up she was the best possible mum, and now that we're older she's doing her own thing," Sarah says proudly. "I can't imagine a better role model."
Clearly, there's been precious little heartache in the actress's life.
"But none of us escapes completely," she says.
At the age of 18, for example, she had a health scare that could have threatened her budding career.
"I woke up one morning and the left side of my face was paralysed. My eyelid was drooping and so was the left hand corner of my mouth. I couldn't smile or do anything to control the muscles. It was terrifying. My mum rushed me to the doctor who diagnosed Bell's Palsy."
The condition, which doctors believe originates from an ear infection, can cause permanent paralysis and long-term problems. "But I was lucky. I was prescribed steroids and after a week or two I got back to normal. I've been warned, though, that the condition could return, so I'm constantly on the look out for it and if I'm over tired my face can still feel a little bit strange. When it first happened I used to look in the mirror and I'd think, 'Oh God, no one will ever give me a part again'. I was also at that awkward stage where boys mattered so much. I remember thinking, 'No one will ever love me like this'. It was very, very frightening."
Since then, of course, she has found love with the boyfriend she mentioned earlier - law student Paul Jennings. They were introduced by actress Sarah Churm, who played Virginia's younger sister, Sarah Braithwaite during the show's first series.
"She was still a student at Leeds University then and he lived next door to her. I went up to the uni to see her one weekend and she said, 'I want you to meet this really cute guy...' and that was it. We met and talked for hours and it just clicked.
"He's the most brilliant person. He gives me so much support and is convinced that I'm the best actress in the world. If I'm thinking about a scene too much or I say, 'I was rubbish in that,' he calms me down and says, 'No Sarah you were great.' He's also gorgeous. What more could you ask for in a partner?"
He's clearly not threatened either by the lesbian scenes in The Braithwaites. "No, they don't worry him at all," she laughs. "To be honest, I think he quite likes the idea of me playing a lesbian. Well, it's something different isn't it?" she adds with another laugh. It certainly is.
Credit: Find Articles
2/05/2001
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