Anna Friel on The F Ward and Australian beauty
British actor Anna Friel stars in the new Australian medical drama The F Ward, describing the country as a 'nation of beautiful people.' She noted, 'I don't think I’ve ever seen so many beautiful people walking down the street.' The show, set in a hospital, required Friel to study real surgical procedures, including footage that initially made her gag. 'My gag reflex is quite strong and I was like, “Oh my God, I can’t” – but it’s very weird how quickly you become immune to that,' she said.
Medical insights and no-nonsense women
Friel learned that female surgeons face a 'very male-dominated world,' according to two surgeons on maternity leave who consulted on the show. They reassured her that her character, Dr Gloria Wall, needed to be tough: 'No, she has to be and we love her.' Friel admires no-nonsense women like the late Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and her own mother and daughter. She recalled meeting Smith and Dench on Broadway at age 22, saying, 'I just remember them keeping an eye out for me.'
Australian lifestyle and fan interactions
Friel was struck by Australians' daily swimming habits, even with early call times. 'The fact that everyone actually goes for a swim nearly every day, even when your call time was 5.45am and you would wrap at 8pm. And it’s dark, at both times – the nonchalance!' She also noted the confidence of Australians: 'I’d say the majority are confident but not in an arrogant way.' One memorable fan interaction involved a collection of newspaper clippings about Gracie Fields, after whom Friel named her daughter. 'I thought that was one of the most extraordinarily kind things to do,' she said.
Learning lines in the bath and lighting obsession
Friel confirmed she learns her lines in the bath, sticking pages around the room. 'I am not able to get out of the bath until I’ve learned that bit.' She also revealed a passion for lighting, collecting period furniture from 1880 to 1920 with Vaseline glass. 'I go to every location with a bag full of bulbs,' she said, adding that lighting affects mood: 'Light affects the brain – we’re meant to have natural light.' She always travels with fairy lights.
Advice and Pushing Daisies legacy
The best advice Friel received is to 'hope for the best, expect the worst,' which she interprets as being prepared without negativity. On Pushing Daisies, she said it 'was very much ahead of its time' and that fans still bring it up. 'It was essentially a love story with music and colour and imagination.' She expressed interest in a revival: 'It would be great to get that group of people back again.'
Comfort films and love story
Friel finds comfort in 80s and 90s films like Pretty Woman, Ghost, and The Goonies. 'When we used to watch a movie, we knew it wasn’t real life but we all thought life could be like that.' She shared a story about meeting her former partner David Thewlis on a plane to Cannes, where she confidently approached him. 'Two years later he said: “I liked you from that moment.” We went out for dinner and we didn’t spend a night apart for a year.' They bought each other weekly gifts for that first year, a tradition she now misses.
