Watch out Mr Selfridge! Princess Marie's 'a force to be reckoned with,' says Zoë in new interview

23 January 2015 01:26

Zoë has spoken in fascinating detail, in production notes released by the ITV Press Centre, about filming the eagerly anticipated third series of drama Mr Selfridge, which begins on 25 January in the UK. She sheds light on her approach to playing a headstrong Russian aristocrat, Princess Marie Wiasemsky, whose son, aviation enthusiast Serge de Bolotoff, marries Rosalie, eldest daughter of entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, during the aftermath of the First World War.

Zoë's childhood memories of Selfridges department store

'When I was a kid, my mum used to go to Selfridges all the time and I used to go with her,' says Zoë. 'I remember it really well. My mum is American so going into department stores was the norm. Selfridges was fairly close to where we lived so it was a place to go.

'Selfridges was a real experience for me. It was massive! It's changed so much now but it was a very glamorous place, and still is. The architecture is so beautiful. I love the clock and the doors and it still had the wooden floors. It is a beautiful shop.'

Immersing herself in early twentieth-century history

Many of the characters – including Zoe's – are based on real people.

'I didn't know anything about Harry Selfridge, but for me that was the fun of doing this job. I enjoy the research. Reading about Harry is quite a revelation. He was a genius. The whole idea of placing items on shop counters was his idea – but then he was surprised when people nicked things!

'I took a lot of the background research about my character from Lindy Woodhead, who wrote the book Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge. I’ve also been reading a lot about Russian history, particularly during that period in which my character lived.'

Princess Marie's flight from Russia after the Bolshevik revolution

'The fact the aristocracy had to get out of Russia very quickly and take as much wealth as they could carry without being searched was very important to me. You can see the desperation of having to survive and get by in a foreign land.

'To have to run must have been terrifying. Imagine horses chasing you across snow and ice and trying to get on a train and out of there. Apparently the mentality of the aristocracy was extraordinary. In Moscow, before they had to get out, the manicurists were run off their feet because the women had to have their nails done!'

Princess Marie makes a big impression on the Selfridges

'The first time you see her is at the wedding of her son Serge who has married into the Selfridge family. His bride is the beautiful Rosalie Selfridge.

'At the reception afterwards she seems to know everybody! She's quite a character. In history she's described as a bombshell.'

Serge's marriage to Harry Selfridge's daughter has plenty of benefits

'One thing that stands out is that she adores her son. She thinks he's the best thing since the invention of the telephone. She loves that he's married into money. That makes her very happy. And the excitement of marrying a Selfridge is great.

'Harry Selfridge moves in the same society which she moves in. Princess Marie goes higher because she knows lots of royalty and lots of rich and powerful people in England. She is a great society mover.

'Although Harry Selfridge is American, it's clear he's done well for himself. He's powerful, rich and charismatic and interesting. That suits her fine. For her son that is fantastic. Also, as family there's a possibility Harry might invest in Serge's aeroplane if Serge plays his cards right.

'I think the match has mutual benefits as the marriage elevates the Selfridge family too. It must have been a huge thing for his daughter to marry Prince Bolotoff.'

Deciding on the right look for glamorous Princess Marie

'At the wedding the hat Princess Marie wears is fantastic. We decided it had to look like a crown. We went on the premise that the hat would be completely eccentric and the look regal and powerful to accentuate her character, particularly as it's the first time we meet her.

'She had been in Paris before arriving in London so she would have spent a lot of money on clothes of the couture at the time. She would have had the very best clothes and it was very important she looked moneyed.

'The detail is wonderful. The costume designer [James Keast] has been great and very supportive. We talked a lot about what she would wear, the colours, jewellery and make-up. We looked at a lot of pictures and talked about different styles, and that she always had to look up to date.

'The era wasn't one I was unused to. When I was doing The Cherry Orchard at The National Theatre, the set designer, Bunny Christie found a fantastic book on Coco Chanel. It was a wonderful pictorial book on what Coco was wearing at this period and we based a lot of those costumes on them. Corsets had just started to go, so the shape was different. I now love the style, as I think James and the team on Mr Selfridge have done the most beautiful job.'

Imperious Princess Marie is accustomed to a life of luxury

'She's a force to be reckoned with,' laughs Zoë. 'I love her one-liners. She's arrogantly funny. But she's got to be witty and sharp – to go through all she has and keep your sense of humour, you have to be funny.

'Princess Marie is a complete aristocrat. It's not unusual for her to be waited on hand and foot. She never closes doors because someone else is meant to do that. She never picks things up and she expects someone else to clear up. It’s always been that way.

'There is one scene when she gives Serge and Rosalie a samovar as a wedding present. Samovars were considered the most beautiful, expensive piece. In the old days, to give something like that was a big thing as they cost a fortune. When she's asked how to use it she’s got no idea at all, but that is because it's always been done by someone else!'

Princess Marie loves to spend, spend, spend!

'When it comes to money she doesn't think anything of charging everything to Harry Selfridge's account. As far as she's concerned it's totally normal. She's the mother of his son-in-law and that's just how things are.

'She was known as a serial spend thrift and that's how she lived all her life.'

Learning to speak in a convincing Russian accent

'[Voice coach] Liam [Robinson] was a godsend. He did a lot of research for me. He has a Russian model as a friend who speaks English in a certain kind of way. He recorded her voice and I spent time listening to her. I didn’t want to make the accent too ''meerkat'' because that's going slightly too far. Instead I wanted to give her an aristocratic tone so it wasn't incomprehensible or laughable.

'During the filming of the wedding reception there were a couple of Russian speakers. I started speaking to them and asked them if my accent was OK. It was good housekeeping, and I got a seal of approval so that was good!'

Comments from other Mr Selfridge cast members

Also in Mr Selfridge's production notes, Leon Ockenden (Serge), speaks very highly of his co-star. He says, 'Zoë's character does have an accent in the show so we often practiced Russian dialect work together. We also use some words when our characters are together, exchanged between mother and son. The way we use Russian is at moments of heightened emotion. There's a really good word in Russian that basically means ''little brat''. In one scene Serge is being disrespectful to Harry and she uses it to call him into line.'

'I'd happily work with Zoe every day for the rest of my life until I die. She's amazing, wonderfully detailed and very precise. She's also really fun, and always has such a naughty gleam in her eye!'

Ockenden has also spoken to STV, which broadcasts Mr Selfridge in Scotland, about how much he admires her. In the video interview he emphasises that acting alongside Zoe is very enjoyable and praises her as 'an incredibly detailed, specific actress'.

In another video interview from STV Kara Tointon (Rosalie) makes clear that she too is delighted to be working with Zoe. 'She's wonderful, and I'm such a massive fan'. Tointon adds that Zoe is 'great fun to be around, and what she's doing with this character is fantastic!'

You can watch Zoë and her co-stars in the new, ten-part series of Mr Selfridge on Sundays, from 25 January, at 9pm on ITV1/STV.

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Zoë discusses playing a 'colourful', 'dangerous' princess in Mr Selfridge

21 January 2015 00:23

With the start of Mr Selfridge's third series now just days away, there is plenty of press coverage about Zoë joining the cast of the lavish costume drama as a Russian princess, Marie Wiasemsky (called Marie de Bolotoff in some articles). Perhaps most notably, Zoe is pictured on the cover of My Weekly – her second magazine cover this month, after Woman & Home a few weeks ago – and sheds light on the mysterious princess in an interview with the magazine.

'Marie is quite a character. She's colourful and a bit dangerous,' Zoë emphasises, adding that the princess's background is troubled. 'Like a lot of aristocracy she fled Russia after the Bolshevik revolution and she ended up in London after, we think, a time in Paris. She has four children by her divorced husband and wants the best for them, but her love of spending money means she has run up a lot of debt.'

It looks like episode one's wedding between Princess Marie's son, Serge, and the eldest daughter of wealthy retail entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, Rosalie, could be the answer to the Russian aristocrat's money troubles. But as Zoë points out in her interview with TV Choice, harmony between the heads of the two families is far from guaranteed: 'Harry is unsettled by her, and he mistrusts the marriage.'

Perhaps Harry is right to have reservations about the princess, who is no more careful with other people's money than her own. Interviewed by the TV Times, Zoe reveals that '[Marie] doesn't think anything of charging everything to Harry's account'!

In the Metro's Mr Selfridge feature Kara Tointon (who also makes her debut in series three, playing Rosalie Selfridge) suggests that Marie is an enigma who makes a big impression on everyone she meets. 'Zoë’s character is quite full on,' she remarks, adding: 'We'll get to know her as the series goes on about why she is how she is.'

Speaking to the Total TV Guide, Zoe explains why she identifies, to some extent, with Marie's experiences in Mr Selfridge. Zoë recalls visiting Selfridges department store with her mother. 'I remember the old wooden escalators and the pharmacy on the ground floor. It was there specifically for Americans in England, which is what we were. So I can understand what being an émigré is like, just being a stranger.'

Also in the Total TV Guide, Jeremy Piven (who plays Harry Selfridge) praises Zoë and offers insight into her approach to filming. 'She’s brilliant,' he emphasises. 'She stays in her accent when we're not filming, and it's not to be pretentious but to do the best job she can.' He also praises her in an interview with the Gloucester Citizen, describing her as 'really fun' and 'very hard-working'.

For more insights into the new episodes of Mr Selfridge, you might like to watch ITV lifestyle programme This Morning's interview with Amanda Abbington (Miss Mardle). She emphasises that series three 'definitely takes a darker turn' than previous episodes, and speaks highly of the 'amazing bunch of actors' in the drama. Meanwhile, Kara Tointon echoes her praise in an interview with ITalkTelly.com: 'the whole bunch of them have been really really great'. She adds that filming with Zoe and the other cast members is very enjoyable.

The magazines mentioned above are widely available to buy from UK retailers; some also have digital editions available to purchase online. The highly anticipated third series of Mr Selfridge begins on 25 January. Episode one will be broadcast on ITV1 at 9pm.

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Mr Selfridge series three begins 25 January; win tickets to exclusive preview of episode one!

14 January 2015 18:38

The ITV Press Centre has today confirmed on Twitter that the eagerly anticipated, ten-part third series of hit costume drama Mr Selfridge will begin on 25 January at 9pm on ITV1. The announcement is accompanied by a brand new cast photo taken on the enormous Selfridges shop floor set, with Zoë in a very striking red dress.

The real Selfridges department store, on London's Oxford Street, is offering fans of the show the chance to win two tickets to the exclusive preview screening of episode one, which will take place on 21 January at the Everyman Cinema in the store. To enter the competition, you just need to re-tweet Selfridges' message about it before 4pm BST on 16 January.

The competition is open to UK residents aged eighteen or over; for the full terms & conditions, see the Selfridges website.

Good luck to any of Zoe's fans who enter!

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News round-up: Mr Selfridge series three, The Older Woman, LJCC exhibition and more

14 January 2015 02:19

This week a number of TV listings magazines in the UK have offered us a glimpse of Mr Selfridge series three by printing a great new cast photo (see the TV Times clipping below as an example), heralding Zoë's arrival in the costume drama as Russian princess Marie Wiasemsky. The magazines promise more details about the series in their next issue, indicating that Mr Selfridge is set to return to our screens during the last week of January. The wait is nearly over!

Click on the image to see the full version.

In the meantime there is another chance to hear The Older Woman, which starts today on BBC Radio 4 Extra. This comedy series, from 1993, features Zoe as a feisty English teacher, Jane. Jane becomes the object of irrepressible local journalist Roy's affections but struggles to take his advances seriously – not least because he is one of her former pupils! Episode one will be broadcast on 14 January at 7am, and then repeated at 5:30pm and again on 15 January at 5:30am.

Also beginning this week is 'Guest Speakers at Ivy House', an exhibition of photos taken by Dr Adrian Dell for the London Jewish Cultural Centre. Zoë, who in 2012 gave a sold-out talk at Ivy House, the LJCC's home, is among the well-known individuals pictured. The Times series of local newspapers has published a preview of some of the photos, including a lovely portrait of her. The exhibition runs from 12 January to 27 March in the Ivy House Café.

Zoë was also photographed, alongside her husband, Gawn Grainger, attending 12 January's press night performance of Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown. This new musical at London's Playhouse Theatre stars Tamsin Greig. To see photos from the event, head to Getty Images, the Daily Mail and Daily Echo.

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News round-up: Sam Wanamaker Playhouse’s first anniversary, The Stage Awards and new interview

10 January 2015 22:08

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, built in the style of an indoor Jacobean theatre and named in honour of Zoë's father, celebrated its first anniversary yesterday. To celebrate the occasion, the Playhouse's sister theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, published a series of blog articles about the Playhouse's development and success.

The articles include a concise biography of Sam Wanamaker, who not only worked tirelessly to build The Globe on London's South Bank but also made plans for it to be joined by another venue, the indoor theatre; as the article emphasises, Zoë's father was truly a 'visionary man'. Another article presents a series of videos, providing insight into the building of the Playhouse, while the impressive list of awards, nominations and plaudits highlights just how much this 'exquisite little jewel box' (in the words of the Independent) has achieved in the twelve months since its first season began.

The Playhouse's nomination for The Stage's Theatre Building of the Year 2015 award is particularly timely, the news of it having been announced just days before the anniversary. The Globe has also received a nomination in The Stage Awards – in the International category. The Globe truly has gone global in recent times, with its mission to perform Hamlet in every country in the world.

What's more, as its Twitter profile points out, The Globe has successfully raised £7.5 million, match-funded by an anonymous donor, in order to create the Playhouse, which was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a special event attended by Zoë. So far, more than 92,000 people have visited this candlelit theatre.

Meanwhile, The Manor Academy has published an exclusive interview with Zoë in its school newspaper, The Manor Gazette. Zoe recalls particularly enjoying Art, English and History when she was at school, and she has excellent advice for anyone currently studying: 'Get as much out of it as you can and don’t ever stop learning.'

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