Q&A with Elaine Cassidy

How would you describe character of Annie
When you first meet her she's in a long term relationship where I don't think she's able to grow fully and blossom. She's stunted at beginning but when she meets Barry new sides of her come to the fore. She's a kids TV presenter so it was a very fun part to play, all 'make and do' stuff, it felt very silly!

Are there any elements of yourself in Annie?
That's hard to answer because of how I approach characters, I tend to let character inform me as to what I should do. It's an organic thing and happens gradually. Sometimes you don't know what a character is going to do and you just play with the energy in the room, that's the lovely thing about the job. Sometimes you surprise yourself. There's certainly elements in there. But our lives are very different.

Is your TV presenter modelled on anyone?
No, not specifically, I guess it comes from watching Blue Peter so I drew on what I liked as a kid. Plus I have nieces and nephews whom I adore. When you're talking to kids you tend to get more animated because you have to keep their attention.

Would you like to do it?
No, but I enjoyed doing it on this job. I had one scene reading from autocue and found that quite a challenge. That's what I love, when you come face to face with challenges. You get to do things you wouldn't normally do when you're an actor which is great fun. But presenting is probably not a profession I'd like. I think I'll leave it to the experts!

What do you think Annie likes about Barry?
It's a funny one, life happens with twist and turns and they're integral to the path you end up on. If he had said he was an actor, they might never have ended up together. Those little things end up being huge. She wants someone to protect her and more worldly, but Barry's got a soft, gentle, funny side - the opposite to Jim. He's not full of himself. They make a better match I think.

How would you describe relationship between Jim and Annie?
Jim's very meticulous, Annie is under his thumb so she never completely relaxes. And she doesn't like his friends. The fundamentals of their make up and morals are completely different. He has high standards and is very restrained. When she meets Barry she's able to breathe.

What's your favourite scene between Barry and Annie?
I love their first date where they go for toast. The scenes in Barry's surgery were good too.

Did you have fun?
The crew are lovely. It hasn't been easiest of shoots, three weeks is unheard of in this industry. Everyone is really nice though and that's what gets you through.

How was working with Andrew?
I actually worked with him nine years ago so I knew him already. When I read the script I thought of him as Barry before he was cast or anyone had even mentioned his name. I had seen him on stage and he was amazing. He has a great ability to be really honest and yet comedic at same time. It was lovely working with him.

What's it like coming home from London for Little White Lie?
It's the first time for both of us working here in ages, it's been about five years. And it's nice to have a project to bring me home. It was really important for me to know who was casting on this though. And when I found out Andrew Scott was cast I knew it would work really well.

Do you think Little White Lie is a good reflection of Dublin life?
It's been a long time since I've spent a lot of time there. I noticed huge changes, a lot of building has gone on. If work wasn't in the equation I would come back but it doesn't make sense at the moment. Being back here has been interesting.