Misfits: Lauren Socha plays Kelly

11 October 2011

What's it like to be back shooting again?
It's good, it feels like we were never really gone. Everything's still the same. It feels like home - except we've got the new kid on the block, Joseph Gilgun.

 

What can you tell us about the new series?
There are going to be eight episodes. Can you lot shut the fu...[At this point, Lauren turns round to reprimand her co-stars for making noise. At this precise moment, Joe Gilgun walks behind her wearing nothing but a pair of socks]. Walk back, Joe. [He walks past again]. Right, that's Joe. So, anyway, we all have a lot more storylines, it's grittier and scarier and we have new powers.

 

You're not allowed to tell us what your new superpower is?
Nope! It's very funny, though.

 

How's the body count looking for this series?
Yeah, there's quite a lot of death. Especially episode seven - cheerleader zombies. You can imagine what happens there. A lot of killing and a lot of blood.

 

Has it been weird doing the series without Robert?
No. Robert was a big part of this whole thing, we all came into it together, but he's doing well, and it was his choice not to come back. It's not weird at all. Joe's here now.

 

What's been your favourite part of Kelly's storylines in the first two series?
Just that she's a fun character to play. She was never meant to be funny, it was Alisha who was meant to be the dead-in-your-face one. I think they really wanted Kelly to be more dramatic, but I think I brought something a bit different to the audition. I love playing Kelly as a character, she's really fun.

 

How has Misfits changed your life?
Completely. With a Bafta and everything else, never in a million years would I ever think that I'd be in this situation. It's really good for me to have achieved this at 21 -people work 15-20 years to get somewhere. I've had to work hard for it, obviously, but I'm one of the lucky ones, I suppose.

 

How did it feel winning the Bafta?
Literally, I just didn't think I had a chance of winning it. They called my name out and I was just totally shocked. It was just weird. I sat there and it hit me.

 

I read on Wikipedia - so it's probably nonsense - that you do a bit of singing as well. Is that true?
No. Not professionally. I kind of sing as a hobby, but not anything more than that.

 

Would you like to move into musicals at some stage?

Yeah. I started off doing musicals when I was nine, so I've got an ear for it. But at the moment I'm comfortable where I am. I'm confident anyway, but I think you need more confidence to go into theatre, and I haven't yet really learnt that.

 

What do you watch on TV?

I don't really watch TV any more. I used to watch a lot of it. I like Channel 4 dramas, that kind of stuff. And I like a lot of true things, and I also like detective dramas. But I haven't got enough time to get really into TV series, so it's generally more films and stuff.

 

Series one and two of Misfits are now available to a US audience. Are you excited about that?
Yeah, really excited! In this country, you can relate to all the characters, everyone knows someone who's a bit like one of the characters. In America, it's a completely different world, so it's really exciting to see what they think of it. It's really cool, people there seem to really enjoy watching it.

 

So it's had a good reception?
Really, really good. Everyone's loving it, which is quite nice to know.

 

If it goes down really well in America, and you guys make a name for yourselves over there, could you see yourself going over to work?
Maybe in the future. Not now. I'm still learning. I'm really only just starting off. I came into this when I was 19, straight after I did the film The Unloved; a week later, I had an audition for this, and I got the part. So I'm still learning. I didn't go to drama school or anything like that, so I don't feel ready for America yet; maybe in my late 20s or early 30s. It's massive, isn't it? I wouldn't feel comfortable going there yet.

 

So, say ten years from now, you're working in America. In an ideal world, who would be your ideal person to star alongside?
Johnny Depp. He's absolutely amazing, he's so versatile. My brother loves him, so anything that Johnny Depp was in I'd sit down and watch with him.

 

Does it help that he's quite fit as well?
Johnny Depp? I don't think he's that good looking. And I've heard that he's dead little. He's not my cup of tea, but he's a really good actor.