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she has a degree, and is therefore more qualified than most of her team,
do you think she gets irritated by their reaction?
I
think that a degree even then wouldn't have helped her in the police
force. Obviously, it's fantastic that she went to University but, in
terms of policing, it doesn't help much with her job. I guess she feels
that after having graduated she has gone back to the bottom of the pile.
I
don't think that Annie feels intellectually superior because she's so
aware of her lack of experience. Even though she is brave enough to take
on these hard jobs, at the end of the day she lacks experience and
therefore the full confidence to do her job very well. She's still a
pupil, almost an apprentice, so Sam's support really helps her.
Annie
is torn between her allegiances to Sam and to her team. How does she
deal with these split loyalties?
I
think she's protective over the team, and she's trying not to let her
personal preferences get in the way of her work. She has to do her best
to stay neutral to the cause and not let affairs of the heart get in the
way.
She's
trying to be objective, and Sam has a tendency to be rather petulant at
times and that's what she doesn't agree with. She doesn't see any huge
attempts by Sam to rectify his wrongs.
In
episode four, Sam and Annie go undercover to investigate a murder and
end up at a wife-swapping party. Sam seems very protective over Annie in
such an extreme situation...
Yes,
Sam doesn't want Annie to show herself up in front of Gene. They are
investigating a man who may have assaulted someone, and possibly killed
a young woman, so she is potentially at risk. Sam is well aware of that,
and really looks out for Annie because it's a very serious situation.
It
takes a more experienced guy to see how a young detective can get
carried away, getting dressed up and the glamour of an alluring party.
Sam is well aware that Annie might get carried away thinking they were
safer than they actually were – she actually does very well but he
just lets his protective nature take over.
How
do you feel about the series coming to an end?
Life
On Mars was the first programme I'd done two series in a row of. It was
really nice to come back for the second series as I felt like I had
already done my homework and was really prepared!
But
now that it's finished rather than trying to make it last too long and
string it out it's much better to have two really solid series. I think
they're both really good and it was a fantastic project to work on.
Have
you got any new projects coming up?
I'm
doing a play at the Almedia called Dying For It which starts on the
Thursday 8 March. It's directed by Kathy Burke, and it's a Russian play
that was first written in the Twenties – it was actually banned by
Stalin.
It's
been completely re-written by Moira Buffini. I play a woman called Masha
– the main bread-winner in her family and the very supportive and
providing wife of the main character, who decides he is going to commit
suicide.
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