31st
October 2004 - Simone did a live Chat on the BBC Monarch of the
Glen website.
To see two pictures of Simone from this live chat feature, see
bottom of the page.
BBC_Host - Hello and welcome to tonight's live chat with Simone Lahbib. Here's just a couple of facts about Simone then we'll get started as we've had loads of questions in already and expect this to be a very busy chat! Simone's part as Isobel in Monarch has meant a return to Scotland for her. She was born and grew up in Stirling. Do you know that "Bimbo Inhales" is an anagram of Simone Lahbib! OK enough nonsense, let's get started with chat you're all here for. Here's the first question...
First question from Lin:Your character
Isobel is quite feisty. Do you feel you are a feisty person. Keep
up the fab work.
Simone: Yeah, I am fairly feisty, I suppose.
I'm a fairly feisty Scottish lass who doesn't back down from a
good fight and my husband would agree with me on that one. (laughing)
Question from steviebaby: Hi there Simone, you are fabulous in
Monarch and you were fab in Bad Girls, can I ask, what's it like
to work with Tom Baker?
Simone: He's great fun, always a good laugh
on set, loves to play around, great storyteller and I think he's
great at playing Donald.
Question from Mike: Are you really a country
girl or do you prefer cities?
Simone: I'm more of a city girl but I like
to balance that out with getting into the country and into open
spaces. Coming from Stirling, I've always had a bit of both. So,
when I was up in the Highlands I was loving it but it was good
to get back to London occasionally.
Question from Jayne: What was it like
working with the Highland coos... ? :)
Simone: We actually had two sets of Highland
coos. The first set were the top quality highland cows but they
were too expensive, so we had to get some cheaper ones who looked
a bit scabby! We had to downgrade. I've really enjoyed working
with all the animals in the show. In one of the last episodes
there was a beautiful white horse in some scenes which I wanted
to take home with me!
Question fromVictoria: It's time Isobel
had a dog to keep her company on that farm so - classy intelligent,
stylish Standard poodle or crofters hairy mutt?
Simone: I'd have to go for the crofter's
mutt! It would be great to have a collie, in fact. It would really
suit the character. But I would definitely have to take it home
:-)
Question from Niccie: Bad Girls and Monarch
have been very different roles for you – what attracted
you to the Monarch role?
Simone: The money! (laughs) No, working
back in Scotland, I’ve really enjoyed working with a predominantly
Scottish crew, who are fantastic. They've all been working with
each other for the last six series so they're like a well-oiled
machine. And the Scottish scenery… and I liked the character!
It felt like Isobel was a character I could relate to and have
fun with. Being close to Stirling and my family is great. I can
go back and see them at weekends.
Question from Gingie: Would you ever like
to live and work on a farm like Isobel?
Simone: My husband's family have a farm
in Italy, about an hour from Florence. We spend quite a lot of
time there, which we both love. But we know just how much hard
work running a farm is! We spent a week there last month and we
spent a day picking grapes because it was grape season which was
fun, for one day but not something I could do as a proper job.
And it would be so much harder running a farm in Scotland with
the weather you get here!
Question from Matilda: In pretty much
all the articles you read about you, your role as 'bisexual Helen
Stewart in Bad Girls' is mentioned. Do you think people will ever
drop that image and do you mind it?
Simone: I'm flattered that people remember
the character and still make a lot of reference to it. For me
as an actress it was a great part and helped establish me in television.
But also as an actress I have the typical actor's disease of wanting
to play different roles, so it's been great playing a variety
of characters for the last three years, not least Isobel in Monarch
of the Glen.
Question from Joe: I would like to be
an actor. When did you decide and what did you do to become an
actress?
Simone: When I left school I actually took
up an offer to go full-time to ballet school. Then while I was
at ballet school I was offered a small part in an independent
Scottish film called "The Girl in the Picture". It pushed
a button in me and I made the decision then that it was what I
wanted to do as a career, but I also recognised that I didn't
really know anything about acting as a craft, so decided that
I wanted to go to drama school.
I read lots of books on acting, went to see as many plays as I could afford, and I watched lots of films. I made my application and they said they wanted two pieces - one classical and one modern. So, I found a drama teacher and worked on the pieces. First of all by reading the plays that the pieces were from, doing a lot of research about the plays, making a connection with the characters and then going for the audition. At the audition we also had to do a movement class and an improvisation. After that I got a letter to say I'd been accepted to Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh.
I went there for three years. In my last year, we did "The House of Bernarda Alba", by Lorca; I played one of the sisters, Marterio. A Scottish agent, Pat Lovett, came to see it and other plays that we performed during our last year. She offered me a place on her books just before my graduation. So, I had a great start!
Question from Becky: Saw you in The Homecoming
in Manchester - Do you prefer TV or Theatre? Any plans to return
to the stage?
Simone: I equally like both, for different
reasons. There's something magical about a live performance and
the interaction with an audience. The Homecoming, was in particular,
because it was in a theatre in the round. The audience were very
close so they really affected the performance.
My ideal would be to do one play a year but, unfortunately, I've been busy with television work and not been able to fit a play into my working schedule. This year I was offered a part in a new adaptation of Uncle Vanya by John Byrne, called Uncle Varrick, with Brian Cox at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, but unfortunately, I had to make a choice between doing it or Monarch of the Glen and I chose Monarch.
Question from Amjomech: Someone's gotta
ask is the character Paul as lovely in real life as he come across
on the screen!
Simone: Yes! He's gorgeous. He's a very
generous actor and a very sincere, lovely person. In the past
six months, I've come to consider him a real friend.
Question from clairebear66: Malt whisky
or champagne?
Simone: Champagne, I think…
Question from titch: did it take a lot
of time and effort from the hair and makeup dept to make you look
so hangover in tonights episode??
Simone: I've very flattered. But yeah, it
took hours! (laughing)
Question from Lauren: Have you had any
other jobs besides acting and dancing?
Simone: Yeah. After Thief Takers, I bought
my first flat, expecting to do a second series, only to find that
it wasn't recommissioned. And in the interim, between that and
my next job, in order to pay my mortgage, I set up and ran a café
in Camden for a friend and employed all my unemployed actor friends.
It was fun but hard work and reminded me of the value of money,
since I was working for five pounds an hour.
Question from dr help: Did you know that
there is a record of you singing for sale on ebay? Did you want
to be a singer or has acting always been your main ambition?
Simone: I did sing on a compilation album
called Shift, on a track called "It Happens All The Time".
I didn't realise it was for sale on eBay. What a laugh! I dabbled
with singing in bands when I was younger. I didn't really think
it would come to anything but it was something I enjoyed and had
a lot of fun with. I also sang a track in the first film I did,
The Girl In The Picture.
Question from Rose: Do you answer your
fanmail anymore, as there are rumours going round that you no
longer do so?
Simone: The past two years, I've been so
busy with work, getting married, etc. I just found I haven't had
the time. I keep all the fan mail with every intention of dealing
with it at some point when I get a break from work. I just want
to say thank you to everyone that's taken the time to write and
for all the lovely presents I've received, I'm very touched and
feel terribly guilty about not responding to every letter personally.
Question from Isla: What's your favourite
way to spend a day off?
Simone: Different things. I love, once in
a while, having a pamper day. Recently, because I've been spending
so much time away from home, when I do get home I'm just happy
to potter about. Going to the cinema or the theatre, I love. I'm
happy just spending time with my husband, family and friends.
Question from Lindsay: Did you dress up
for Halloween as a child?
Simone: My mum's got a picture of me, I
must be about seven years old, and she's dressed me up as a snake
charmer. I had one of those plastic snakes, with all the linked
pieces. I think I had a whole little performance worked out when
I did my trick-or-treating, which I was only allowed to do around
a couple of family houses and neighbours.
Final question from Alex: What would be
your dream role in anything, past, present or future?
Simone: I'd love to do **Therese Raquin
on stage at some point. I'm currently doing a dream job - another
Ecosse production - a TV film called Heartless, which is a romantic
comedy, also starring Angus Deayton. We're half-way through filming.
I spent all last week on the Isle of Skye. It's a very magical
script and feels like a very special job.
BBC_Host - Here's a final word or two from Simone!
Simone: Thank you to everybody for staying loyal to the programme. Stick with it. It takes time to get to know new characters but hopefully you'll fall in love with them through time. Thanks also for logging on tonight. And Happy Hallowe'en!
BBC_Host - That's all we have time for. Thanks to our guest tonight Simone Lahbib, and to all of you who logged on tonight.
**Premise of Therese Raquin:
In this romantic thriller, Therese Raquin has an affair with the
best friend of her much older husband, which leads to murder.
Soon enough, the ghost rises up to haunt the murderers, leading
to psychological terror and torment.
 |
 |
© Photos courtesy of the BBC MOTG
website chat
NOTE - These online chats were not arranged by SL Net and we cannot arrange future ones.