LAURA FRASER
LAURA FRASER IS THE ACTRESS WHO snogged Leonardo Di (‘aprio in The Man In The Iron Mask and hasn‘t bothered to see the film. ‘My mum and dad went to see it and said. “you were all right. pet. but it was crap"f says the 23—year-old Scot.
Fraser's latest film. Dirureing Jack. is released this fortnight: and follows an impressive track-record — San l'itees. (‘tntsin Bette. T/It’ Tribe and Left Luggage. as well as the Dumas adventure yarn. But she won't trade being close to family and friends for international stardom. Fame. she says. is 'bollocks'. The question is. do we believe her'.’
The minute she walks in. you can tell that Laura Fraser is absolutely unimpressed by the publicity shebang. Her clothes are —— no offence — sloppy and her lovely face is unmade—up. She lights a cigarette immediately and speaks in soft tones that might not make it as far as the tape-recorder. But Fraser is more determined and less fragile than she looks.
David (‘affreyu
Dim/ring .luek. may have been struck
by this contradiction when Fraser
blamed in to meet him for the first
time. ‘1 think l got the part because of
what happened that dayf she laughs.
16 THE LIST 2-1 8-9:: 8 C11
the director of
‘I'd just moved out of a house that l was sharing with my boyfriend and I had a big suitcase with me. I was swearing all over the place — "Bastard. bastard. I'm going to kill him." I was saying. David Caffrey asks. “So. you’d like to be in the film?" and I go. "Yeah. I’d like to be bastard. bastard. I’m sorry. this bastard . . . ‘ David admitted to me later: "It‘s just the way you said bastard all the time. I thought it was very funny. I had to give you the part.”
The part in question was Margaret. a doomed Belfast art student who has connections with both Government leaders and the IRA. It is a minor role. but Fraser takes a memorable. kitten- with—a-death-wish approach to it. seducing David Thewlis and dying horribly on screen. ‘()h I hated that.‘ she exclaims. “That was a terrible day. I had to just lie there naked to the waist with freezing cold blood on me. All day.’
It is clear that Fraser has a confident sense of herself. and a healthy-sized ego. She happily admits that her Belfast accent was 'a bit shite’ and that the team behind a film deserve as much credit as her. When she first acted. in a school play at the age of eleven. she was quite
'Acting is about saying things that you don’t have to take responsibility for. I like that — maybe because I have a responsibility problem!’
Laura Fraser
embarrassed but enjoyed the experience enough to jack in the notion of becoming an air hostess. ‘Acting is about saying things that you don’t have to take responsibility for.‘ she says. 'l like being able to explore all sorts of different ways of thinking and doing things. without the responsibility. Maybe that‘s just because 1 have a responsibility problem!’
She reseryes particular venom for the film industry players who trade on an actor's status. '.-\ll this stuff means that there are brilliant actors who can‘t get work.’ she rages. ‘l'nlcss they have a profile they don't get cast. It’s really fucked-up. It's just quite wrong. Do you not think'."
Now Fraser is putting her money where her mouth is by staging the Scottish premiere of Sarah Kane's play. l’lItlt't/I'u's Lure. 'lt‘s great.’ sltc says. 'lt's all about exposing the hypocrisy of a lot of situations. And I‘m really looking forward to being on stage and doing whate\er the fuck I want.’
\Vatch ottt world Laura Fraser.
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Divorcing Jack opens on Friday 2 October.