Cherie Lunghi on The Secret Diary of A Call Girl @ The UK TV Archive

MORE STUFF

Subscribe to uktva for updates,comp news and more or Via Email

CHERIE LUNGHI IS STEPHANIE IN THE SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL

It’s not the first time Cherie Lunghi has played a madam, as Stephanie in SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL she has a team of high class escorts yet in the eighties she was in charge of a sultan's harem under the watchful eye of Omar Sharif.

“Admittedly that was more gold bangles and bandanas but both required a strong hand!” laughs Cherie, star of shows including The Manageress and The Brief.

Cherie admits she was immediately drawn to the role of Stephanie because of the current national obsession with sex.

"I thought the project was fascinating. As a society we are bombarded by sex. They say nothing sells like sex and it's true. Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and I think it's great that it is now up for discussion. Sex is the next emerging addiction. We are so into instant gratification and escape from stress – we look for avenues offering relief or euphoria, and for some sex is there alongside alcohol and drugs."

Talking of her character, Cherie explains: " No one knows more about men than a prostitute and she would have been one herself. I think she had to make it on her own from an early age and sex became her passport. She enjoys sex, but has probably become quite cynical through the career she has followed.

"In terms of her love life I imagine she chose pretty poorly, was perhaps screwed financially by a male partner and decided to go it alone. She is a strong woman, nobody is going to mess her around anymore, especially not her girls, but I think she's disappointed in life. She would rather be happy and in love but the money is a consolation; a substitute for what she hasn't achieved in life."

Cherie believes her character handles the girls with a degree of suspicion.

"She doesn't trust them at all. She handles them with an iron fist because they could cheat her at any time. She also thinks it's a good policy not to get too involved, so she keeps a professional barrier there. I don't think she looks after them terribly well, not even Belle. She's a bit unscrupulous but that is fantastic to play."

Cherie laughs as she likens her latest role to that of a theatrical agent. "Once upon a time Stephanie would have been the ultimate actress, now she is the agent who finds the right 'actress' for the right job. When a client comes along and describes the woman who can fulfil his fantasy Stephanie goes through her books, chooses the right girl and takes her percentage. That was a parallel I could use in some respects to make it feel more accessible."

For Cherie the appeal of such a role is the research that goes into finding out about different lives.

"I love delving into different worlds. It's what drives me to work on such projects. I'm currently filming Casualty 1906 in which I play a matron running a team of nurses in Liverpool. Of course there's no sex, she's very straight laced, but they are both caring professions catering for those in need."

So Cherie will be swapping her glamorous clothes for a starched uniform and sensible shoes and a distinct lack of openness, sexual or otherwise.

She concludes: "What I love about Secret Diary of a Call Girl is the way it's been written. This is a controversial subject but it is handled in an honest way, without making judgement. It doesn't titillate, sensationalise or glamorise prostitution. It just shows how it is for one young woman who chooses to do it , and the humour comes from that."

back to home | interviews