Frances Tuesday - Tamzin Outhwaite

Tamzin Outhwaite found it a shocking but liberating experience to lose her identity for FRANCES TUESDAY.

“I loved the script because I get to play two different women. In part one, I look like myself and in part two, I become Frances 2, once the plastic surgery has happened.

“I was a bit shocked at first when I looked in the mirror. I thought I looked a bit of a freak, like someone who has had too much plastic surgery. Frances doesn’t want to look better, she just wants to blend in. She loses her identity and the good looks she’s traded on to become anonymous.

“It was very strange but it was good. I enjoyed the whole disguise and the process of the transformation I found fascinating. The best thing was that I was not recognised. It was the same freedom as leaving the country and going to one where you’re not known – you don’t get pointed at or nudged.

“I went shopping for the cast and crew as Frances 2 and I felt people were curious, looking at me and perhaps wondering if I was wearing a wig. But on the whole I got less attention and that was the whole idea of the process.”

Frances is forced to change her identity after giving evidence that puts her fiancé Lucas Pilgrim (Douglas Henshall) behind bars.

“At the beginning, Frances is very much in love with her fiancé. She is vivacious, outgoing and happy. She likes the fast cars, the rich and glamorous lifestyle and doesn’t see anything wrong in what Lucas is doing. She thinks she is just an accountant working for his business and trusts him implicitly.

“When the police tell her he is involved in organised crime she refuses to believe it. Then she does her own investigations and realises she has to get out. She gives information about Lucas to the police and they give her protection in return. She has a new lease of life but the terrorising soon begins again as Lucas starts to locate her.”

The only solution is for Frances to ‘die’ and then be given a new identity.

“I spoke to women living in refuges about their decisions to get away. Although Frances is not a battered wife, she is living in fear and wants to start again. The women I met had that dilemma about staying or going for real. They have been through so much more than I have ever done,” says Tamzin.

“Frances’ death is staged in a car crash. The car goes over the edge of a cliff and blows up. It looks spectacular. We had fire engines on site and they put any bit of fire out, so everyone was safe and we ended up with a great stunt. Thankfully it was a stuntwoman who went off the cliff and not me!

“After that, Frances has extensive plastic surgery to become unrecognisable. She has different coloured eyes, a new nose and cheekbones, false teeth and dark hair. For me, this meant a make-up job that took about one and a half hours.

“It’s a dramatic transformation. The new teeth were especially strange. They let me have them at home before we started so I could get used to them and talk without lisping too much.

“It was also weird being in the hospital all day, laying on the bed. They marked up my face and I kept thinking why would anyone want to do this? I am not against plastic surgery and I think it has helped people who have suffered through accidents rebuild their lives. I’m just glad it’s not something I have to think about at the moment!”

As part of her new identity, Frances has to give up her daughter Sarah.

“Frances fears for her daughter’s life. She worries Lucas will come out of prison and search for her and then the child. She wants her daughter to have a better lifestyle by giving her away. But I think she hopes that she can come back in a few years time and get her back.

“The babies and the children who were used in the film were adorable. I am so used to having babies around and always looked after my brother when he was born. At some stage it would be good to have children but it’s not a burning ambition and right now would obviously not be right.”

Tamzin’s career is on a high. Since leaving EastEnders where she won numerous awards in her role as Melanie Healy, she has starred in a number of high profile dramas including Red Cap, Final Demand, Hustle, When I’m 64 and the multi award-winning Out of Control. She also appears with Jason Flemyng in the forthcoming film Backwaters.

Since filming finished on FRANCES TUESDAY, Tamzin has been working with Wesley Snipes in the movie Seven Seconds.

“It’s shot in Romania and I play a military policewoman – again! My character is Kelly Anders, a British NATO officer. Wesley is cool and so professional. He’s great at all the action sequences. I was in awe of him when I first met him but you have to hold your own and stand your ground. At least I already knew about guns and loading a magazine because of Red Cap.

“I don’t think of it as the beginning of a Hollywood career, it’s just another job. I never dreamt my life would go this way and I am enjoying every minute of every day and never take anything for granted. I haven’t had a break since last November so come September, when Seven Seconds finishes, I’ll be off travelling to somewhere hot and faraway.”