Anna Friel is known for her roles in dramas, but that’s not the work she is looking for, she says…
Actress Anna Friel has said she would love to take on more comedy roles and dreams of starring as a “Bridget Jonesy” character.
The Golden Globe-nominated British star, who is best known for starring in TV shows Marcella, Pushing Daisies and Brookside, said she has had plenty of “nitty-gritty” jobs and now she is keen to do something more light-hearted.
“I think all I ever do is nitty-gritty roles, and I think – if I kept doing that all the time – I would have to do something that lightens it up, otherwise I’d go insane and become depressed,” Anna said.
“I don’t know, people tell me I’m good at comedy so I’d like more opportunities to be able to do that. I’d like a kind of Bridget Jonesy character, I think. Or a Calamity Jane.”
Earlier this year, Anna joined comedians Paddy McGuinness and Keith Lemon to film a parody of hit movie Rocky in the role of Adrian, a part she relished for its comedy value.
But she is also keen to branch out into the sci-fi genre after lending her voice to Audible's audio book version of a new part of the tale in the Alien franchise, Alien: River Of Pain.
Anna said she hopes that recent NASA findings will inspire sci-fi writers to take a different look at a future that is more pleasing.
She said: “I’d love to explore more sci-fi. I love looking at a future that, although it may be scary, isn’t already what’s been predicted – grey and miserable.
“NASA’s recent find of seven new earth-like planets will hopefully be food for thought for some writers.”
On the possibility of starring in a forthcoming Alien film, she said: “I don’t like to say things out loud like that because then you think, I’m going to jinx myself, but God yes.”
Anna added: “TV is my forte, I’ve had the most opportunities given to me in television and I think it’s great because you get to keep hold of that character and better it, it’s the same with theatre if you’ve got a four or five-month run. But film is beautiful because you have a beginning, middle and an end, so you know where you’re starting and where you’re going.”
For now, Anna is one of the leading stars in Audible’s Alien: River Of Pain, an adaptation of Christopher Golden’s 2014 novel for 20th Century Fox of the same name, which is being released on April 24, ahead of the Ridley Scott-directed blockbuster Alien: Covenant, out this summer.
It tells the story of the events that took place between the films Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), with a particular focus on Newt, one of the main characters in the latter film.
Anna plays Anne Jorden, the mother of Newt – who was played by Carrie Henn in the original film, and she said of the story: “I love that it’s about a family in pursuit of a better life and Anne’s bravery and determination to find a better existence for her and her family.”
