Amanda Abbington: ‘They knew my chemistry with Martin Freeman would

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Sherlock newcomer Amanda Abbington: ‘They knew my chemistry with Martin Freeman would be good’

Интервью Аманды Аббингтон "Metro"







Martin Freeman’s partner Amanda Abbington has landed a part in Sherlock – but it’s not nepotism.

‘I’ve already had the nepotism label thrown at me, big time,’ laughs Amanda Abbington when I ask her whether being Martin Freeman’s partner had anything to do with landing the part of Dr Watson’s new wife in Sherlock. ‘It started on Twitter right away. It was: “OMG she’s awful.” I know I’m not going to be to everybody’s taste but hopefully some people will think I’m good.’

Many people already do, most importantly Sherlock creative duo Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt, who wrote the part of Mary Morstan for Abbington. She readily admits it was a massive vote of confidence for an actress until recently more noted for comedy roles than straight drama. Landing Sherlock comes hot on the heels of playing the repressed Miss Mardle in Mr Selfridge.

‘Well, they knew my chemistry with Martin would be good,’ she says. ‘Well, if it wasn’t, there’d be a problem! They were sat at our house and I asked who they had in mind for Mary and when they said “you!” it blew me away.’

MORE: ‘They’re not fans’: Martin Freeman hits back at Sherlock Twitter trolls who targeted Amanda Abbington

You probably know Abbington’s face, if not her name. As funny in person as she is on screen – it’s well worth following her tweets @chimpsinsocks – she was part of TV sketch comedy show Man Stroke Woman.

She also became a confectionery ad legend as half of the Maltesers double act, joined by The IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson in a series of ‘naughty’ skits, memorably arranging their settee-sprawling sleeping boyfriends in a bromantic clinch. Talking of bromances, was she worried about coming between the simmering subtext that is Holmes and Watson?

‘It was daunting because Martin and Benedict [Cumberbatch] do have such amazing chemistry,’ she says. ‘And there’s such a thing about those two on the internet – fans who are obsessed with the idea of those two being together. But Mary doesn’t come between them in a negative way – she doesn’t destroy their relationship. A lot of Sherlock Holmes fans don’t like Mary in the books but she’s an interesting character to play – she’s very feisty.’

Beyond that, Abbington can’t be pressed on plot points. But she can’t hedge too much around the feverish speculation that greeted leaked pictures of her, in Sherlock character, sporting a wedding dress: the secret was out. Was it odd getting married on screen to your real-life partner when the two of you aren’t married in real life?

‘I think it’s the third time I’ve married Martin on screen,’ she says. ‘We’ve been there and done that, the real thing would be a bit boring. When we’re doing it, we kind of look each other and think: “Let’s not.” We’ll either stay together or we’ll split up. Marriage doesn’t change that.’

The pair met on the set of movie Men Only in 2000 and have two children, Joe and Grace.

‘I’ve never really wanted to get married to anybody, it’s never appealed to me,’ she admits frankly. ‘I don’t really see the point. It’s more of a commitment to have a house and furniture and kids together. I’ve never had the belief that a piece of paper will keep you together.’

Their relationship did feel the strain while Freeman was away in New Zealand filming The Hobbit.

‘That was the longest period apart, four months,’ she says. ‘We were Skyping but he’d just be getting up and I was ready for bed. You were never in sync. You start to think like a single parent and Martin was behaving like a single person. We were trying to find our places in the relationship. We won’t do that again.’

She says that confidently but with her own career accelerating at a rate of knots, there might be tough choices ahead. She’s been relishing the chance to flex her straight acting muscles and Mary could become an ongoing character in Sherlock. There’s nothing remotely luvvie about Abbington but she says working on Sherlock, particularly with Freeman, has been a dream.

‘He’s always a joy to work with but then I would say that, wouldn’t I?’ she says. ‘I know I am biased but he’s really interesting as an actor, he brings something different to the table.’

She wouldn’t be human, though, if you hadn’t cast envious glances at his success. ‘No, it’s not as if we’re up for the same parts. I’ve never been jealous of his career, even though I had no work for 18 months after we met. He’s worked incredibly hard to get where he is. I’ve never felt anything but pride.

Though she bagged parts in British TV mainstays such as Casualty and The Bill, Abbington’s big breakthrough is long overdue.

‘I used to take everything personally but since I’ve had children, they come first,’ she says. ‘Ironically, when you start caring not so much about rejection you relax, your confidence grows and the parts come to you. You feel you can stand up and say: “I have a right to be here.”’