Misfits: Antonia Thomas plays Alisha

11 October 2011

What's it like to be back filming series 3?
It's brilliant. It feels like we haven't been away. There's always a slight worry that picking up where we left off might be a bit weird, but as a cast and a crew, we've formed such a tight bond that everything slots right back in. It's been brilliant.

 

Do you all socialise and go out together when you're filming as well?
Yeah, we do. We get on really well. I think everybody probably says that [in showbiz] but we actually do. We're like a strange, dysfunctional family. We hang out way too much. It's really nice, we've definitely made friends for life.

 

Robert has now left the family. Is he dead to you all now?
Oh God yeah, he's dead. I'm never speaking to him again! No, not at all. Annoyingly, we haven't seen him enough, because he's gone on to do other things. We're still in touch and he's doing very well. It's kind of odd without him, but Joe has come along larger than life and totally filled the void. It's like he's always been here.

 

What secrets can you let us into about the new series?
Lots is in store for Alisha. At the end of the second series, Alisha and Simon were very much an item, and so there's much more of that to come out. Series three, for Alisha, follows the ins and outs of their relationship, and the way they cope with the fact that Simon needs to become Superhoodie and fulfil his destiny, that kind of thing. That's difficult, because it means he's got to go back in time again and leave her.

 

You're not allowed to tell us what your new superpower is, but can you tell us whether you were pleased or disappointed?
Very pleased! It's so much better than my last power, which was just rubbish. It's really useful, and I get to use it a lot. And it's not embarrassing at all this time, which is nice.

 

You weren't a fan of the old superpower, then?
As a dramatic device it was hilarious, and as an actress, the trials and tribulations she encountered in having to deal with her superpower were great to play. But actually, it's quite a s**t power, really. The boys have invisibility, or turning back time, or immortality! So it's nice to have a good one.

 

You've had to do quite a lot of sex scenes playing Alisha. You've done them with both Nathan [who plays Curtis] and Iwan [who plays Simon]. Is that quite weird, having to film those scenes with your mates?
D'you know what? It's actually easier doing it with somebody you know. I think I found, in the first series, when Alisha was trying out her power, it was much harder to do. I remember a day when they got in three models, and they were like ‘Okay, now you have to pretend to have sex with all of these three for this big montage,' and it was so awkward, because I didn't know them. Before the scenes, I was going ‘So, what's your name? Tell me a bit about you,' because it felt so strange, whereas doing it with the boys, I know them so well, and we're good mates, and we just have a laugh. The whole thing is awkward, but it makes it less awkward when you know someone.

 

What's the etiquette for filming scenes like that? Do you have a mint beforehand?
Make sure you don't eat tuna! Yeah, you're kind to each other.

 

Have the boys asked you which one of them was the better kisser?
No, they haven't actually. That's interesting! They're both very good. I'd never say one over the other, because that would be mean.

 

What's been your favourite part of Alisha's storyline to date?
I'd say the whole Superhoodie thing has been really cool. It's so exciting and mysterious, and it's something a bit different for Alisha, especially in terms of where she was in series one, when she was being very direct and slaggy. She got to show a whole range of different elements of her character, which made her a little bit more human and vulnerable. I really enjoyed that.

 

How has being in Misfits changed your life?
Quite dramatically, really. It's very much changed my career. It's put me on the map. Misfits was my first job. It's given me that amazing start. The show's been so brilliant and so widely recognised as something that's really good. In terms of the rest of my life, it's still pretty much the same, it's normal, which is really nice. But career-wise, it's been brilliant.

 

What do you enjoy watching on TV?
All sorts of things. Period dramas. I love a period drama. Downton Abbey was great. I love a good Channel 4 drama. Any Human Heart was amazing. Also some of the American stuff like Mad Men.

 

Talking of America, Misfits is now available to an American audience. Are you excited about that?
Yeah, it's really cool. So far it seems to have gone down quite well. I think we were all a little unsure as to Americans would get it, being a very British take on the whole American superhero thing. But it seems to have gone down really well.