New role:Anna Friel?
Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, she has been acting since the age of 13, appearing in a number of British television programmes. She played Beth Jordache on the Channel 4 soap Brookside which had the first lesbian kiss on British television in January 1994. She made her West End stage début in London in 2001, and has subsequently appeared on stage in several productions, including an adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s and as Yelena in a 2012 production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.Friel made her film debut in 1998 in David Leland’s Land Girls and has since made a number of films appearing with such notable co-stars as Christian Bale, Gerard Butler, Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Robert De Niro, Will Ferrell, and Rachel Weisz. Outside of film, she is probably best known in the USA for her work as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles in the ABC comedy series Pushing Daisies for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2008.She is the recipient of a number of awards including National Television Award (1995), Drama Desk Award (1999), and the Royal Television Society Award (2009). She has also appeared in music videos and television and print media advertising campaigns and is the recipient of an honorary degree from the University of Bolton.She was previously in a relationship with the actor David Thewlis, and in 2005 had a daughter by him.
After engaging in a lesbian kiss on the popular UK-based soap Brookside, Anna Friel was trumpeted as the next big thing — a statement she cemented following appearances in popular movies such as Goal! and Rogue Trader.Anna Friel comes off as the sort of person who is completely comfortable in her own skin, and it seems highly unlikely that the actress will ever resort to plastic surgery to enhance her naturally sexy looks. At a height of 5’2″, nobody will ever mistake Anna for a statuesque beauty — but there’s no denying that she makes her lack of height work for her. Anna’s dark hair and exquisitely expressive face ensure that she oozes raw sexuality no matter what the occasion.
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Though Anna Friel has been acting for almost 20 years, she has yet to make an impact on North American viewers — though that’s not for a lack of trying. She has stated on many occasions that her lack of fame has caused her to miss out on many high-profile roles, including a slot opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day Lewis in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York. At the age of 13, she was hired for her first professional acting job in the Channel 4 drama serial G.B.H., as the daughter of Michael Palin’s character. Her performance led to a series of appearances on various British television shows, including Emmerdale. In 1992, she was added to the cast on the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, where she gained greater exposure in the role of Beth Jordache. She stayed on the programme for two years. Friel’s on-air lesbian kiss with Nicola Stephenson was the first in British soap history. In 1995, Friel won the National Television Award for Most Popular Actress for her work on Brookside.In 1996, Friel courted further controversy when she appeared in the television film The Tribe by Stephen Poliakoff, which included nudity and a much discussed ménage à trois sex scene between characters played by Friel, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jeremy Northam.In 2001, she made her West End stage début in London in a fringe production of Lulu, which also transferred to Broadway.Friel’s film credits include playing Nick Leeson’s wife Lisa in Rogue Trader opposite Ewan McGregor; David Leland’s The Land Girls, which also starred Rachel Weisz and Catherine McCormack; Adam Collis Sunset Strip as Tammy Franklin, opposite Jared Leto, Simon Baker and Nick Stahl; All for Love with Richard E. Grant; A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Hermia, opposite Christian Bale, Dominic West and Calista Flockhart; Timeline as Gerard Butler’s object of affection; Me Without You opposite Michelle Williams; and Goal! and Goal II: Living the Dream.Her television work includes the short lived The Jury for the Fox and ITV1’s Watermelon which was based on the novel by Marian Keyes.
In 2007, she started playing Charlotte “Chuck” Charles in Pushing Daisies, a new television series from the creator of Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, on the American network ABC. Although popular with critics, in November 2008, creator Bryan Fuller stated that it had been cancelled due to poor ratings. The show ran for two seasons. Following the series’ cancellation, Friel was offered six pilots during the next pilot season but declined all six roles in favour of focusing on her film career.In November 2006, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Bolton for contributions to the performing arts.Henry Bond’s photograph depicts Anna with David Thewlis. The couple were reported to have been paid £50,000 to appear in the campaign.She has also been seen as the face of Pantene Pro-V Ice shine in the United Kingdom, appearing in both television advertisements and print advertising.[citation needed] She has also appeared in adverts on television for 3 Mobile and Virgin Atlantic Airways.In September 2009, Friel starred in a West End adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. It was particularly noted for now including a nude scene which was not part of the original Breakfast At Tiffany’s performance.In April 2010, she was cast in the psychological thriller film The Dark Fields (now entitled Limitless and released in March 2011). In November 2010, Friel starred in London Boulevard alongside Ray Winstone, Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and her then partner David Thewlis.Friel appears in the video for the Manic Street Preachers’ September 2010 single “(It’s Not War) Just the End of Love” opposite Welsh actor Michael Sheen, with whom she co-starred in the 2003 film Timeline.
In January 2011, Friel appeared in an episode of the BBC series Come Fly with Me as a fictionalised version of herself.[28] In the show she is bald and has lost her wig. In December of that year, she played the star role (Ellie Manning) in ITV’s series drama Without You. That same month, she starred as Captain Elizabeth Bonny in the SyFy network’s production of Neverland, a prequel to J.M. Barrie’s classic story Peter Pan.In March 2012, Friel began filming for The King of Soho, later renamed The Look of Love, a biographical movie about “porn baron” Paul Raymond, in which she plays Raymond’s wife Jean alongside Steve Coogan as Raymond. She also starred in Public Enemies, a 3-part BBC television drama which aired in early 2012, opposite Daniel Mays. The two previously worked together during her appearance on The Street. It also featured Barnaby Kay, an actor whom she worked with in Without You.In 2013 Anna was cast in Showtime’s new drama The Vatican opposite Kyle Chandler. Anna Friel filmed Having You, a TV movie, opposite Andrew Buchanan (UK), in 2012, and it aired on Sky TV in early May 2013 for UK residents. Having You has yet to be released on DVD.In 2001, Friel began a relationship with actor David Thewlis, after the pair met on a flight to Cannes. (Contrary to popular belief, however, the two never married.) In the same year Friel collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, needing emergency surgery and two blood transfusions for a burst ovarian cyst. It was later discovered that she suffers from endometriosis and would have great difficulty conceiving. However, she succeeded in conceiving and gave birth to Gracie Ellen Mary Friel on 9 July 2005 at Portland Hospital in London. Gracie was named after Gracie Fields, who was also from Rochdale, and her mother’s grandmothers, Ellen and Mary. She has appeared along with her mother in the film Bathory.In December 2010, Friel and Thewlis separated after almost ten years together. Since 2011, Friel had been in a relationship with Welsh actor Rhys Ifans and would be interested in having children with him.In 2008, Friel began supporting the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign in support of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
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