Inside Men
New four-part drama serial for BBC One
Interview with Kierston Wareing
Can you describe your character and her relationship with Marcus?
Marcus and Gina are very much in love and happy together. They have a lot of fun. Marcus is the dreamer in the relationship. He has big plans but they always go wrong, whereas Gina has got her head screwed on a little more when it comes to the crunch.
She’s a hairdresser and wears lairy clothes and always has different hairstyles. Her outfits are quite fun and they represent her well. Everything is going well for her. She has a partner who she loves, a great career that she enjoys, so the future does look bright. But then all that changes.
How has this role been different to your previous roles?
Gina is not as down trodden as the other roles I’ve played, and she laughs and smiles a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled in anything before! Gina’s partner loves her and she loves him. I always get usually the men who are cheating or messing around and my character is trying to hold the relationship together.
Can you empathise with Gina and why she’s so tolerant of Marcus’s ways?
I would worry if I was with someone who was in a dream world, always making grand plans that fall flat and have dire consequences. I would have to intervene and try and make them see sense. Gina can sense Marcus is up to something early on, something big. This time though it’s going to be different. Rather than wait for it all to go wrong, she wants in and she wants everything running past her. She doesn’t want to see Marcus getting walked over and pushed out of the way. She ends up getting more involved than I think she bargained for.
What are the motivations for carrying out the heist?
Each character has their different motivations, but for Steven’s character (John) it is definitely about the power. He’s been walked over all his life. He’s been bullied practically all his life and has no back bone. He’s got a great character going on there, John has a perfect life but it’s boring. He’s got the wife and now a child but everything is routine. I can understand why he completely turns and I think that’s a fantastic transition. He turns into this powerful human being that you wouldn’t mess with.
What was it like to play Gina and being on set?
It was great fun because I wouldn’t wear those clothes in real life. We had so many changes during the day that I had so many hairstyles and costumes and I loved all that. It’s like fancy dress.
I’m very easy and just do what’s asked from me and if I’m asked to do something I do it. I take notice of the director and I do the job, hopefully as quickly as I can then move onto the next scene. It was a very enjoyable job and I didn’t want it to end.
