Irish actress Victoria Smurfit has discussed how much fun she had playing Maud in comedy drama Rivals and how the cast were mindful of not letting author Jilly Cooper down.
Rivals, based on Cooper's novel of the same name, is set against the backdrop of the drama and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, while also delving into the cut-throat world of the era's independent British television sector.
Speaking on the Lorraine TV show, Smurfit said: "No scenery was left unchewed by Maud, When you are an actress playing an actress, I feel like you have licence to chew all the furniture and you are playing with such incredible people."
"You know, Aidan Turner is my husband, drop the mic." she added.
Asked if she had read the Jilly Cooper books, Smurfit said:" I devoured them, I read them all, my mum had them, I'd steal them, Where on earth, where is Rivals?
"I'd take it out from under the bed, 'mum you left it in the kitchen', gaslighting her, but yes, I loved them all and when I heard it, they were casting - I sort of begged my agent to please get me in there."
Asked if the cast having too much of a good time filming might have effected the actual drama of the show, Smurfit said, "100% that was the secret fear, we all had, we've all had far too much fun for this to be any good. None of us wanted to let Jilly down.
"We are all deeply in love with her, she is the most glorious, sprightly, funny, smart, naughty, she is divine, and none of us wanted to let her down. so We all secretly worried that it wouldn't translate as we had too much fun.
"Thankfully it did, I think the world really needed a good laugh."
Rivals 2 filming will start soon.
