Victoria Smurfit interview
Published: Wednesday, 9 January 2008, 2:45PM
Victoria Smurfit, who plays DCI Roisin Connor, chooses her favourite moments from the series
Roisin’s first appearance in the show was pretty good. Tell us about that...
Yes, her entrance was cool. She swept in, in her fancy Lexus and that set the tone. She came in as Pat North’s friend hating Walker because she knew of his rather shady past. It’s interesting because he’s gone from the anti-hero to the hero.
What have been Roisin’s best and worst moments?
One of my favourite things to act, and one of the worst moments for Roisin, was in Paradise Lost when she agreed to marry the barrister played by Adrian Lukis. He says, “Brilliant”, and then the very next day, he puts her on the stand and uses all the information she has given to him against her, mauling her in public to secure a conviction. One of my favourite moments was throwing his leprechaun-clad keys in the urinal. I really enjoyed that.
Walker and Connor are always fighting, aren’t they?
There is always a pivotal moment where Walker and Connor have their marital spat, and when it comes to those scenes you might as well throw us in a room and just see what happens. It’s like a dogfight. It is great, and I always think of it as a bit like when you sometimes watch American action movies: you may not hear every single word because they’re screaming so loudly at each other with explosions going on all around them, but understand what is going on.
Looking back have there been any memorable moments on set?
Rex Maidment, the director of photography, used to call me the Irish bitch, and so I called him the poison dwarf because he is tiny. The abuse was all in jest of course. I should point out that Rex is Irish, and he would say things like, “Oh, the Irish bitch is on set, Oh we’re going to have to get the big lights out because she’s looking rough today.” I loved it, that’s Irish quaintness for you. It’s a sign of affection. So if you really want to offend me you’re going to have to work really hard.
I remember he put this great big frame which he had lined with fabulous gauze (it looked like greaseproof paper) and was trying to diffuse the lights to make me look vaguely human. I was doing a very serious scene in the courtroom and right in the middle of the scene, the poxy little dwarf jumped through this great big gauze. I was sitting on one of those long benches, and I flew off the bench in total shock and ended up on my backside. He and everyone else was roaring.
We hear you’ve come a cropper in the past
Roisin is supposed to be quite elegant, but I’m just so not. In my very first film, I had to wear this fabulous floor-length camel coat, with leopard-print lining. I had to get out of my car, slam the door and strut off into the house. Unbeknownst to me, I of course had managed to slam the coat in the car door and as I walked away, I ended up facedown on the floor.