A
fterspendingeightyearsonour
TV screensinEastEndersasformidable
RonnieMitchell,SamanthaWomackis
nostrangertobringingchallenging
characterstolife.
ButassheembarksontheWestEnd
runofthetouringstageproductionofTheGirlontheTrain,
adaptedfromPaulaHawkins’sbestsellingbook,the
Brighton-bornactresstellshello!thatplayingprotagonist
RachelWatsoncouldbehermostsatisfyinglygrittyroleyet.
“RacheldefinitelytopsRonnieasthemostdamaged
characterI’veeverplayed,”says46-year-oldSamantha.An
emotionallyunstablealcoholic,Rachelfindsherselfinthe
middleofa darkmystery
whenthewomanshe
obsessivelywatchesthrough
thewindowofhercommuter
trainsuddenlydisappears.
“Ronniewassemi-coherent.
Shewasdamagedbut
maintaininga normal
existence.ButRachelis
completelyat rock
bottom.Shestartsthe
play drinkingwinefroma
bottleinthemorningand
beingsickintoa pizzabox–
andit goesdownhill
from there.”
LeadingladySamantha
hasbeenona nationwide
tourwiththeplaysince
January,andhasreceived
ravereviews.She’sthrilling
audiencesat theDukeof
York’sTheatreforfourweeks
beforecontinuingtheUK
touruntilNovember.
“Wegota standingovation
onouropeningnight,which
I wassopleasedwith,”says
Samantha,witha smile.
Playingherunrulyalterego
has,shesays,been“liberating”.
“She has no filter or boundaries. I couldn’t behave like
Rachel in real life – I’d be sacked,” she laughs.
But the star, who is on stage for the entire two-hour play,
is the first to say the intense role hasn’t been easy.A GIRL
THING
SAMANTHA WOMACK
From soap cliffhangers to stage
thriller, the actress on her ‘liberating’
theatre role and the secrets of her
West End dressing room
‘Rachel tops Ronnie as the
most damaged character
I’ve ever played. She has
no filter or boundaries.
I couldn’t behave like her
in real life – I’d be sacked’
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