'SATURDAY' magazine, 6-12 April, 2002

(part of the Daily Express newspaper)

Gillian Kearney: Men? "I've got weird tastes," says 'The Forsyte Saga' star.

Appearing in ITV's remake of 'The Forsyte Saga' gave Gillian Kearney a real lift, but
when it comes to men she keeps her feet firmly on the ground, she tells Tim
Oglethorpe. Photograph Nicky Johnston

There's a piece of film, captured during the making of ITV's new multi-million pound
version of 'The Forsyte Saga', that will probably end up on 'It'll Be Alright on the
Night'. It involves actress Gillian Kearney, a kite, a large amount of clothing -- and a
sudden gust of wind. "I was about to start shooting a scene in the middle of a field in
Cheshire when I got blown over," says Gillian, who can hardly speak for laughing
when she recalls the incident.

"It may sound bizarre, but my clothes -- full Victorian garb including corset, bottom
padding, underskirt, cage, dress, coat, hat and wig -- meant I literally couldn't bend to
stop myself from falling when this sudden gust of wind blew. I must have looked
hilarious toppling over."

To add to the merriment was the saga of the kite. " My character was supposed to be
in control of this kite, but because it was so windy, we couldn't get it down once it
was airborne. It was one of those occasions when a prop worked too well.

This scene marked a rare moment of hilarity during a tough six-month shoot on
locations around the north-west of England.

The £6.5 million budget for 'The Forsyte Saga' may sound vast but it's probably no
more than the catering bill on one of Hollywood's more lavish productions, and it was
needed to provide more than seven hours of period drama. And high-quality drama
at that.

Those old enough to remember it are bound to compare this new version of 'The
Forsyte Saga' with the BBC's epic interpretation in the late Sixties. You can almost
hear some of them mouthing the words: "It's not as good as..." before it even hits the
screen.

At least the pressure's off a little for Gillian. Her character is crucial to the whole
drama, but is not so well remembered from the original than some of the others,
such as Soames and Irene, so comparisons are less likely.
Gillian plays June, fiancé of the architect Bosinney, played by Ioan Gruffudd.
Bosinney is the man who designs a dream home for Soames and his wife Irene.
Soames, played by 'Band of Brothers'' Damian Lewis, discovers that Bosinney has
been having an affair with his wife. He then brutally rapes Irene as their marriage
falls apart. Throughout it all, Gillian's character manages to retain a quiet dignity,
refusing to renounce her love for Bosinney, despite his caddish bahaviour.

Gillian, 28, isn't sure she would be quite so forgiving under the circumstances, but
admires her character's quiet strength and bravery.

"This was during the late 19th century and to have been cheated on in this way
would have meant social disgrace for her. But June didn't let it affect her. There was
no self-pity on her part, just a mature realisation that the man she loved had fallen in
love with somebody else and that she -- June -- hadn't been enough for him."

Gillian, petite, pretty and dark-haired, laughs off any suggestions that she has been
hurt as much by a man in her own life as June was by Bosinney.

Hasn't every woman been hurt at some time in their lives?" she asks. I think we've all
met men who are heartbreakers, people who you think are special, who you think
have something that nobody else has.

"But I've never been left devastated, never been left for dead. I've never been
engaged, and found that my fiancé's been cheating on me. Actually, I think I've been
too busy with work to get hurt by anybody."

She's certainly too busy at the moment for a relationship but has clear ideas about
her ideal man.

"He'd be well-mannered -- although that makes him sound like a dog or a child -- and
have integrity and decency.

"As for looks, I've got wierd tatses -- I don't always go for the conventional. I like
quirkiness, really. Personality is important, too, and a sense of humour. I don't mean
I'd want someone to be cracking jokes all the time, but to be intelligent and fun to be
around.

Mr Perfect will have to wait, while Gillian, who lives in north London, pursues an
acting career which now spans 14 years.

Half her lifetime agao, she was plucked from the lunch queue at her school in
Liverpool to star in 'Brookside'.

"I went for the audition during my lunch break and my mum and dad were convinced
I was only going to get a bit part, perhaps as one of the people who stand around in
the background in the shops.

"But 'Brookside' obviously wanted me for something bigger and I stayed for a year."

That something bigger was the part of Debbie McGrath, the doe-eyed girlfriend of
Damon Grant, one of the show's most popular charaters in its early days.

There was even a spin-off series, 'Damon And Debbie', in which Damon, played by
Simon O'Brien, met a sad and premature end.

Child-acting careers can sometimes reach sad and premature ends, but not Gillian's.
'Brookside' proved the perfect showcase and she has been in almost constant work
since leaving drama school.

In a profession where more than 90 per cent of the people are out of work at any one
time, she has never been idle for more than a couple of months.

Her TV credits include playing singing twin Ellie Brookes in BBC1's 'Sex, Chips &
Rock 'n' Roll', and English teacher Kitty Burton in the BBC drama series 'Hope And
Glory'.

She was also the star of the Catherine Cookson drama 'The Tide of Life', and played
the young Shirley in the hit movie 'Shirley Valentine'. There's even been an
appearance as Cynthia Lennon in a US movie biopic of former Beatle John, called 'In
His Life: The John Lennon Story'.

"It's only been shown in America and that's probably just as well," admits Gillian. I
wore a blonde wig and I swear it made me look like Myra Hindley. I looked absolutely
disgusting."

There's no sign of a blonde wig in 'The Forste Saga', but plenty of evidence of the
kind of sartorial pain that women of that time had to put themselves through.

"The corsets my character wears pull you in so much that you end up with a waist of
23 inches," says Gillian, whose waist, in real life, is probably not that much bigger.
"The ironic thing is, they even give you bum pads, a cage, an underskirt and a dress
so that you end up looking huge everywhere else.

"That's why I fell over when I was flying that kite. I was like the Michelin woman."

Mercifully, Gillian isn't the kind of actress who takes herself, or her work, too
seriously -- hence the stories, at her expense, about out-of-control kites and being
blown over.
You suspect this may have something to do with her good, solid family upbringing in
Liverpool, where her mother is a school secretary and her father a civil engineer.
Gillian has three brothers, including Peter, a chemist, and Matthew, an accountant.

But it's her other brother, 19-year-old Tom, who could one day be as famous as his
sister. Despite coming from a family of avid Liverpool fans, Tom is a midfielder on
the books of their deadly Merseyside rivals Everton. His big sister goes to watch him
play as much as she possibly can.

"I'm very proud of what he's achieved and I obviously hope he goes on to> play in
the first team," she says. "He gets great support from the people at the club, not
least from Gazza [Paul Gascoigne]. He's been really kind to Tom and some of his
team mates and goes along to support them when they are playing in reserve
matches."