Zoë supports Fishlove campaign for sustainable fishing with photoshoot celebrating World Oceans Day

8 June 2015 23:25

Zoë has taken part in perhaps the most unusual photoshoot of her career, in order to support the Fishlove campaign, which raises awareness of unsustainable fishing practices. Alongside Judi Dench, Fiona Shaw, Julie Christie and others, she poses nude with marine life in photos celebrating World Oceans Day (which is today, 8 June).

The photos were taken by talented photographer John Swannell, who also photographed Zoë for black comedy Passion Play in 2013. They first appeared in The Sunday Times at the end of May and have since captured the attention of the international media, with articles being published by Australia's Daily Telegraph, among others.

Zoe, who is pictured with a blonde ray fish, commented in The Sunday Times: 'I was very happy to do the shoot, as saving the planet and trying to prevent more pollution have long been major concerns of mine'.

She and the other stars pictured have outlined what needs to happen in order to protect our oceans (such as over-fishing ceasing) in a press release available to download from Fishlove's website.

Fishlove is the brainchild of Greta Scacchi (who appeared alongside Zoë in Poirot episode 'Elephants Can Remember') and Nicholas Röhl, who is co-owner of Brighton-based restaurant MOSHIMO. To find out more about the campaign, visit Fishlove.co.uk.

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Gay City News hails Zoë as 'One of the greatest, most versatile actresses alive'

19 May 2015 04:11

News and arts publication Gay City News has published a fascinating new interview with Zoë, hailing her as 'One of the greatest, most versatile actresses alive'. Zoë talks to David Noh, who remarks he has long been an admirer of hers, about her recent theatre work, her father's project to rebuild Shakespeare's Globe, and much more.

The interview took place shortly after Zoë arrived in New York to rehearse the musical Zorba!, which delighted theatregoers earlier this month as part of City Center's famous, hugely popular Encores! season. Zoë sheds light on the appeal of her character, mysterious innkeeper Hortense, describing her as 'a very delicate, extraordinary creature, passionate with no limit to her emotional availability'.

She describes Zorba! as 'a dark musical' with 'brilliant lyrics and some wonderful, delightful characterful songs, very clever'. Filled with enthusiasm for City Center's Zorba! revival, Zoë emphasises that she is 'working with the most wonderful people, glorious singers and actors'.

Zoë joined rehearsals for Zorba! just days after completing the run of another theatrical gem, Stevie – in which she starred as highly individual poet Stevie Smith – across the Atlantic, at London's Hampstead Theatre. She is very happy that this successful production has led to a resurgence of interest in Smith, commenting that 'because of the revival of this play, Smith's collected works are coming back again, as well as her first novel'.

Also in London, Shakespeare's Globe and the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse are thriving. Zoë points out that her late father, Sam Wanamaker, who brought the theatre of Shakespeare's day back to the South Bank, felt certain the area would be reinvigorated as a result. She says that 'the whole area has exploded with new people moving in, as he predicted'.

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Birthday wishes for Zoë!

13 May 2015 01:42

It's 13 May – Zoë's birthday!

Let's all wish her Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!

Zoë's certainly had a very busy, exciting few months, with stage productions – Stevie and Zorba! – on both sides of the Atlantic. Having done so much fantastic work on these shows, hopefully she will have the chance to sit back and relax today.

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Photos: Zoë at New York Theatre Workshop 2015 Spring Gala

12 May 2015 18:48

Yesterday Zoë joined Helen Mirren, Bill Nighy and a host of other well-known theatre industry figures at the New York Theatre Workshop's 2015 Spring Gala, where they celebrated the achievements of hugely successful theatre designer Bob Crowley.

Zoë was photographed at the event, which was held at the elegant Edison Ballroom in New York City, for BroadwayWorld.com, the Telegraph, Playbill and Getty Images.

She looked very chic in a jacket made from fabric inspired by vintage newspapers. It was a highly appropriate choice, given that Crowley designed the memorable set for the National Theatre's 2003 production of fast-paced press-room comedy His Girl Friday, in which Zoë starred as feisty journalist Hildy Johnson.

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Please donate to The Esther Benjamins Trust's Nepal Earthquake Appeal, following second earthquake

12 May 2015 16:19

Following today's terrible news that a second major earthquake has struck Nepal, I wanted to remind Zoë's fans about The Esther Benjamins Trust, a charity supported by Zoë and working in Nepal.

The Esther Benjamins Trust is running a Nepal Earthquake Appeal, for which donations are urgently needed. You can donate to the charity online, by cheque or text to help fund its vital relief work in Nepal – which includes supporting children and impoverished families, as well as carrying out search and rescue work.

You can see The Esther Benjamins Trust's work in action in the video above. In addition, a news article from the charity shows its staff in Makwanpur spearheading a relief operation, bringing aid to a remote village.

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