26th May 2007
Up-and-coming British actress Marsha Thomason is tired. Tired of her absurdly early wake-up calls on the TV series 'Lost', that is.
"Sometimes you've initially got a 4am call and they call you and they say, 'Listen, we're not picking you up until five' and you're grateful. When 5am is a lie-in, something's wrong!" Marsha exclaims, laughing.
The stylish star, cheerily perched on a brightly-patterned couch in the press suiteof the Haymarket Hotel in London, looks anything but tired.
Her face become serious as she adds, "You know, sometimes when you're in the middle of it, you're just like, 'Oh my goodness, I'm so tired.' But to be honest, I really love what I do. And I know, particularly where I live, there are so many people serving you food and washing your car who would give their right arm to do what I'm doing. So I hear myself complaining and then I have a word because I could be having a lot worse."
The down-to-earth actress has had immense success in both the UK and US. British-born Thomason got an early start at the age of 12 when she joined the Oldham Theatre Workshop and performed in a number of diverse plays, including 'Our Day Out' by Willy Russell, and 'Peace' by Aristophones.
Click here to find out more!
Her first chance at professional acting came at 14, when she starred in 'The 8:15 from Manchester', produced by the BBC. She continued scoring roles in the UK, including starring alongside stage and screen legends Helen Mirren, in 'Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment' in 1996, and Julie Walters and Robert Lindsay in 'Brazen Hussies' during the same year.
By 20, Thomason moved to Notting Hill to take a role as Shazza Pearce, a beer-guzzling, drug-addicted soccer star, in TV's 'Playing the Field'. She also played nurse Jacqui Richards in 'Where the Heart Is'.
Thomason gave her professional theatre debut in 'Breath Boom' at the Royal Court Theatre, portraying a 15-year-old New York prostitute. The performance was the first to showcase Thomason's ability to use an American accent.
"I cringe at some of my earlier work with my American accent," Thomason admits. "Having lived there for longer and really having much more of a feel for it, now I trick people all the time. They think I'm American and that is really a great thing."
Making the leap across the pond to the US was her next career move, and she quickly landed roles as Victoria in 'Black Knight' (2001), Brandy in 'My Baby's Daddy' (2004) and Eddie Murphy's wife, Sara, in 'Haunted Mansion' (2003).
"It was kind of surreal to be playing Eddie Murphy's wife, to be honest," Thomason says. "The first day I had to kiss him. It was literally like, 'Hi, Eddie Murphy, nice to meet you, (Marsha makes kissing sounds)'."
Her big TV break in the US was landing the role of "ice-queen" Nessa Holt on NBC's 'Las Vegas'. Thomason co-starred with Josh Duhamel, James Caan and Molly Sims on the drama, set in the "Sin City" itself, for two seasons.
"James Lesure, who plays Mike Cannon, and I used to dance a lot. He's the best dancer," Thomason says, recalling the good times shared with fellow cast members on set. "We'd go out all the time and dance. He really had the moves."
Thomason's newest role is the mysterious Naomi on ABC's 'Lost'. Naomi entered the show five episodes previous to the third season finale, when she lands on the island by parachute after her helicopter crashed. Suspicious of her motives, the other survivors are still trying to unravel the true reason for her arrival.
Simultaneously, Thomason has earned her place in the spotlight by scoring roles in David Arquette's 'The Tripper' - a comedic slasher movie - and John Cosgrove's 'Caffeine', which chronicles the events of one day in a London café. Both are set for UK release this summer.
Marsha talks with Rachel Johnson about British and US culture, men who drive Hummers and "deja-wu."
Q: How does shooting 'Lost' in Hawaii compare with filming 'Las Vegas' in the "Sin City"?
M: Well, you know, Las Vegas is very glamorous. Lots of make-up and designer clothing. 'Lost' is the complete opposite. You're in the jungle in big boots, head-to-toe in black in 90-degree heat. The make-up is mud, you've got mud on your arms, you spray sweat all over yourself.
Q: What's in store for your 'Lost' character, Naomi, in the next season?
M: Well, unfortunately, I can't really talk about that. The truth of the matter is I don't really know! They're so secretive. You get to the last page and that's as much as you know. You just have to go with it.
Q: How is Naomi different from the "Ice Queen," Nessa Holt, your character in 'Las Vegas'?
M: Naomi's shrouded in mystery. I still don't know who Naomi is. I don't have a back story or anything like that whereas with Nessa, I had a huge back story and I knew more about my relationship with all of the other characters. With 'Lost', I really don't know how she relates with everybody or what she's even really doing. The one thing I was told before I got the job is that she isn't as she seems.
Q: How are the film and TV industries different in the US and the UK?
M: I think it's really pretty basic in that there's just more money. There's always a bigger budget in the US. There's quality TV in England and America, that's kind of the same. But just the little things like in the US you have Kraft service all day in tables. An area designated to food and drink and, you know, you name it, it's there. And in England, you get your breakfast and then you get your lunch. And then at 4pm, it's so British, you get tea and biscuits. And then you finish at 7pm.
Q: Speaking of differences, what are the differences between American and English men?
M: They're definitely different; I notice the difference between the cultures all the time. Living in the US, I'm surrounded by the differences. I do find the men to be different, but how exactly, I don't know. I live in Los Angeles, which is full of confident, attractive people. The men in Los Angeles, to tell you the truth, whether they are American or English, generally just think they're the dope s**t, which I'm not really feeling. So I'm really enjoying being back in England for a little bit. I went out last night, for example, and, you know, English men are just much more polite about it! I think their styles are different but it's all to the same end - and we know which end I'm talking about!
Q: I read somewhere that you have a celebrity crush on Justin Timberlake. Is that true?
M: (Marsha laughs) Yeah, whatever.
Q: He has been performing in the UK. Did you get to see him?
M: No, I saw him in the US.
Q: How was that?
M: It was hilarious! It was so funny because I sat by his friend, Trey, because my friend knows him. They got us the tickets, actually. Trey sat right behind us and before the concert I was so excited that I turned to Trey and said, "I really want to scream but, you know, you're going to be there and you're going to see that I'm not cool!" And he was like, 'You scream, baby, I'll be screaming along with you'. He was very sweet.
Q: Do you consider yourself now a Londoner or an Angeleno?
M: I lived in London for a while but I'm from Manchester. I consider myself a Manchunian. I always have, always will. But I do call Los Angeles home.
Q: When did you think to yourself, 'This is it - this is what I want to do'?
M: When I was 17, I did a film called 'Safe' for the BBC, directed by Antonia Bird, about homeless kids in London. It was the first time I got to leave home and work. I came to London and stayed in this hideous bed and breakfast. I was alone, I was away from my parents; it was so cool. Aidan Gillen, Kate Hardie and Robert Carlyle were all in it, and we had a really extensive rehearsal period. We had to do research and work in a way that I had never worked before. That was when I knew that acting was what I wanted to do.
Q: If you have any, what do you like to do in your free time?
M: I like to hang out with my dog, Drexl, see my friends, go to the movies, go to gigs. I love music.
Q: What are you listening to right now?
M: I'm listening to Amy Winehouse and Robin Thicke. Last night I went to see Terra Naomi, this great female soloist. She plays guitar and piano. She's got an album coming out in August. She's incredible. She's very Joni Mitchell meets P.J. Harvey. It was really good. And this guy called James Maxim went after her and he was great. His album's coming out in a minute so I'm discovering all of this new music, it was really fun. But I'm loving Amy Winehouse right now.
Q: So what kind of dog is Drexl?
M: He's a Shih Tzu. I've had him for a year and a half. He's such a cool dog and he's my first pet.
Q: I read somewhere that you are a supporter of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Why is the issue of global warming so important to you?
M: I had a conversation with somebody the other day who said to me, 'Yeah, but that's even if global warming exists. I mean, it's a conspiracy'. No, 'Lost' has conspiracy theory. This is real life and it's really happening. I mean, when we're having earthquakes in Kent and tornadoes in Kendal Rise in the UK where they don't usually happen, something is amiss. For me, personally, I am a resident of this world and so it's important for me and for the generation coming that we deal with the problems. Yeah, I'm really passionate about that. I'm actually about to trade my car in to get a low-emissions Prius. I think I'm going to get a Prius, or some kind of hybrid. Because we have to take responsibility.
Q: Did you see on MTV, Arnold Schwarzenegger was on 'Pimp My Ride' (Marsha makes a face). What - you don't like Arnold?
M: He's got a Hummer.
Q: But he got a bio-diesel engine put in.
M: Still doesn't make a difference, it's still a Hummer. It's a yellow one, right?
Q: I don't know, I think it's black.
M: That's always my worst scenario. You meet a guy, think he's amazing, right? And he shows up to pick you up on the date in a yellow Hummer. Close your curtains and pretend you're not home!
Q: Good advice. What's your personal philosophy?
M: "Embrace the chaos", which I have actually tattooed on my wrist. My ex-boyfriend said it to me a long, long time ago. I was wigging about something and he said to me, 'Babe, what are you going to do? Just embrace the chaos. It's gonna be fine'. And that really resonated with me because I'm a worrier; I worry about things all the time. Generally things are OK, you know? Worrying about it isn't going to make much of a difference.
Q: I like that. If you could pick any role in the future, TV or film, what would it be?
M: I'm looking to play a real bad-ass superhero-type. Like Jennifer Garner in 'Alias'. She got to wear fabulous wigs, brilliant outfits and kick ass! What a great role. I also really like films like 'Happiness' and 'Magnolia' - big ensembles, very dramatic and emotional. Some people would call them depressing. I like that kind of film. I'd love to work with P.T. Anderson, who directed 'Magnolia'.
Q: Are you interested in directing, producing or writing?
M: I've been writing. I'm definitely interested in writing and producing; that would be great. Directing, not much, no.
Q: Any future projects coming up?
M: Did I tell you this? There's a moment where I think, 'Did I just say this to you or I did I say this to someone else?' Did I tell you about the movies I have coming out?
Q: No, tell me.
M: OK. I'm really just deja-vu-ing. For real, I feel like I just said it to you. I was in Malaysia - this is a digression - and me and my boyfriend were talking to these old Malaysian men and they were talking about something and were trying to describe it, and they said, 'What is it called, what it is that thing?' And one of them said, 'Deja-wu'. And they went, 'Deja-wu, yeah, deja-wu!'. And they wouldn't stop saying 'deja-wu'! And me and my ex just sat there. So whenever I say deja-vu, I think about 'deja-wu'.
Q: 'Deja-wu', I like that. What about your movies?
M: 'The Tripper'. David Arquette wrote and directed it and Courteney Cox is in it, Thomas Jane, Paul Reubens, Jaimie King, Jason Mewes, me. It's about a group of friends that go to a music festival. When they get there, this dude is dressed as Ronald Reagan and is killing everybody. So it's a slasher film but it's a comedy. It's got tongue in its cheek with sort of political undertones, which I really love. It just came out in the US and will be out in the UK soon.
Then there's 'Caffeine' with Mena Suvari and Breckin Meyer, which is due out next month.
Q: Are you working on anything else right now?
M: I don't know what I've got next, actually. It's exciting!
By Rachel Johnson.
Click here to find out more!
Her first chance at professional acting came at 14, when she starred in 'The 8:15 from Manchester', produced by the BBC. She continued scoring roles in the UK, including starring alongside stage and screen legends Helen Mirren, in 'Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgment' in 1996, and Julie Walters and Robert Lindsay in 'Brazen Hussies' during the same year.
By 20, Thomason moved to Notting Hill to take a role as Shazza Pearce, a beer-guzzling, drug-addicted soccer star, in TV's 'Playing the Field'. She also played nurse Jacqui Richards in 'Where the Heart Is'.
Thomason gave her professional theatre debut in 'Breath Boom' at the Royal Court Theatre, portraying a 15-year-old New York prostitute. The performance was the first to showcase Thomason's ability to use an American accent.
"I cringe at some of my earlier work with my American accent," Thomason admits. "Having lived there for longer and really having much more of a feel for it, now I trick people all the time. They think I'm American and that is really a great thing."
Making the leap across the pond to the US was her next career move, and she quickly landed roles as Victoria in 'Black Knight' (2001), Brandy in 'My Baby's Daddy' (2004) and Eddie Murphy's wife, Sara, in 'Haunted Mansion' (2003).
"It was kind of surreal to be playing Eddie Murphy's wife, to be honest," Thomason says. "The first day I had to kiss him. It was literally like, 'Hi, Eddie Murphy, nice to meet you, (Marsha makes kissing sounds)'."
Her big TV break in the US was landing the role of "ice-queen" Nessa Holt on NBC's 'Las Vegas'. Thomason co-starred with Josh Duhamel, James Caan and Molly Sims on the drama, set in the "Sin City" itself, for two seasons.
"James Lesure, who plays Mike Cannon, and I used to dance a lot. He's the best dancer," Thomason says, recalling the good times shared with fellow cast members on set. "We'd go out all the time and dance. He really had the moves."
Thomason's newest role is the mysterious Naomi on ABC's 'Lost'. Naomi entered the show five episodes previous to the third season finale, when she lands on the island by parachute after her helicopter crashed. Suspicious of her motives, the other survivors are still trying to unravel the true reason for her arrival.
Simultaneously, Thomason has earned her place in the spotlight by scoring roles in David Arquette's 'The Tripper' - a comedic slasher movie - and John Cosgrove's 'Caffeine', which chronicles the events of one day in a London café. Both are set for UK release this summer.
Marsha talks with Rachel Johnson about British and US culture, men who drive Hummers and "deja-wu."
Q: How does shooting 'Lost' in Hawaii compare with filming 'Las Vegas' in the "Sin City"?
M: Well, you know, Las Vegas is very glamorous. Lots of make-up and designer clothing. 'Lost' is the complete opposite. You're in the jungle in big boots, head-to-toe in black in 90-degree heat. The make-up is mud, you've got mud on your arms, you spray sweat all over yourself.
Q: What's in store for your 'Lost' character, Naomi, in the next season?
M: Well, unfortunately, I can't really talk about that. The truth of the matter is I don't really know! They're so secretive. You get to the last page and that's as much as you know. You just have to go with it.
Q: How is Naomi different from the "Ice Queen," Nessa Holt, your character in 'Las Vegas'?
M: Naomi's shrouded in mystery. I still don't know who Naomi is. I don't have a back story or anything like that whereas with Nessa, I had a huge back story and I knew more about my relationship with all of the other characters. With 'Lost', I really don't know how she relates with everybody or what she's even really doing. The one thing I was told before I got the job is that she isn't as she seems.
Q: How are the film and TV industries different in the US and the UK?
M: I think it's really pretty basic in that there's just more money. There's always a bigger budget in the US. There's quality TV in England and America, that's kind of the same. But just the little things like in the US you have Kraft service all day in tables. An area designated to food and drink and, you know, you name it, it's there. And in England, you get your breakfast and then you get your lunch. And then at 4pm, it's so British, you get tea and biscuits. And then you finish at 7pm.
Q: Speaking of differences, what are the differences between American and English men?
M: They're definitely different; I notice the difference between the cultures all the time. Living in the US, I'm surrounded by the differences. I do find the men to be different, but how exactly, I don't know. I live in Los Angeles, which is full of confident, attractive people. The men in Los Angeles, to tell you the truth, whether they are American or English, generally just think they're the dope s**t, which I'm not really feeling. So I'm really enjoying being back in England for a little bit. I went out last night, for example, and, you know, English men are just much more polite about it! I think their styles are different but it's all to the same end - and we know which end I'm talking about!
Q: I read somewhere that you have a celebrity crush on Justin Timberlake. Is that true?
M: (Marsha laughs) Yeah, whatever.
Q: He has been performing in the UK. Did you get to see him?
M: No, I saw him in the US.
Q: How was that?
M: It was hilarious! It was so funny because I sat by his friend, Trey, because my friend knows him. They got us the tickets, actually. Trey sat right behind us and before the concert I was so excited that I turned to Trey and said, "I really want to scream but, you know, you're going to be there and you're going to see that I'm not cool!" And he was like, 'You scream, baby, I'll be screaming along with you'. He was very sweet.
Q: Do you consider yourself now a Londoner or an Angeleno?
M: I lived in London for a while but I'm from Manchester. I consider myself a Manchunian. I always have, always will. But I do call Los Angeles home.
Q: When did you think to yourself, 'This is it - this is what I want to do'?
M: When I was 17, I did a film called 'Safe' for the BBC, directed by Antonia Bird, about homeless kids in London. It was the first time I got to leave home and work. I came to London and stayed in this hideous bed and breakfast. I was alone, I was away from my parents; it was so cool. Aidan Gillen, Kate Hardie and Robert Carlyle were all in it, and we had a really extensive rehearsal period. We had to do research and work in a way that I had never worked before. That was when I knew that acting was what I wanted to do.
Q: If you have any, what do you like to do in your free time?
M: I like to hang out with my dog, Drexl, see my friends, go to the movies, go to gigs. I love music.
Q: What are you listening to right now?
M: I'm listening to Amy Winehouse and Robin Thicke. Last night I went to see Terra Naomi, this great female soloist. She plays guitar and piano. She's got an album coming out in August. She's incredible. She's very Joni Mitchell meets P.J. Harvey. It was really good. And this guy called James Maxim went after her and he was great. His album's coming out in a minute so I'm discovering all of this new music, it was really fun. But I'm loving Amy Winehouse right now.
Q: So what kind of dog is Drexl?
M: He's a Shih Tzu. I've had him for a year and a half. He's such a cool dog and he's my first pet.
Q: I read somewhere that you are a supporter of Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Why is the issue of global warming so important to you?
M: I had a conversation with somebody the other day who said to me, 'Yeah, but that's even if global warming exists. I mean, it's a conspiracy'. No, 'Lost' has conspiracy theory. This is real life and it's really happening. I mean, when we're having earthquakes in Kent and tornadoes in Kendal Rise in the UK where they don't usually happen, something is amiss. For me, personally, I am a resident of this world and so it's important for me and for the generation coming that we deal with the problems. Yeah, I'm really passionate about that. I'm actually about to trade my car in to get a low-emissions Prius. I think I'm going to get a Prius, or some kind of hybrid. Because we have to take responsibility.
Q: Did you see on MTV, Arnold Schwarzenegger was on 'Pimp My Ride' (Marsha makes a face). What - you don't like Arnold?
M: He's got a Hummer.
Q: But he got a bio-diesel engine put in.
M: Still doesn't make a difference, it's still a Hummer. It's a yellow one, right?
Q: I don't know, I think it's black.
M: That's always my worst scenario. You meet a guy, think he's amazing, right? And he shows up to pick you up on the date in a yellow Hummer. Close your curtains and pretend you're not home!
Q: Good advice. What's your personal philosophy?
M: "Embrace the chaos", which I have actually tattooed on my wrist. My ex-boyfriend said it to me a long, long time ago. I was wigging about something and he said to me, 'Babe, what are you going to do? Just embrace the chaos. It's gonna be fine'. And that really resonated with me because I'm a worrier; I worry about things all the time. Generally things are OK, you know? Worrying about it isn't going to make much of a difference.
Q: I like that. If you could pick any role in the future, TV or film, what would it be?
M: I'm looking to play a real bad-ass superhero-type. Like Jennifer Garner in 'Alias'. She got to wear fabulous wigs, brilliant outfits and kick ass! What a great role. I also really like films like 'Happiness' and 'Magnolia' - big ensembles, very dramatic and emotional. Some people would call them depressing. I like that kind of film. I'd love to work with P.T. Anderson, who directed 'Magnolia'.
Q: Are you interested in directing, producing or writing?
M: I've been writing. I'm definitely interested in writing and producing; that would be great. Directing, not much, no.
Q: Any future projects coming up?
M: Did I tell you this? There's a moment where I think, 'Did I just say this to you or I did I say this to someone else?' Did I tell you about the movies I have coming out?
Q: No, tell me.
M: OK. I'm really just deja-vu-ing. For real, I feel like I just said it to you. I was in Malaysia - this is a digression - and me and my boyfriend were talking to these old Malaysian men and they were talking about something and were trying to describe it, and they said, 'What is it called, what it is that thing?' And one of them said, 'Deja-wu'. And they went, 'Deja-wu, yeah, deja-wu!'. And they wouldn't stop saying 'deja-wu'! And me and my ex just sat there. So whenever I say deja-vu, I think about 'deja-wu'.
Q: 'Deja-wu', I like that. What about your movies?
M: 'The Tripper'. David Arquette wrote and directed it and Courteney Cox is in it, Thomas Jane, Paul Reubens, Jaimie King, Jason Mewes, me. It's about a group of friends that go to a music festival. When they get there, this dude is dressed as Ronald Reagan and is killing everybody. So it's a slasher film but it's a comedy. It's got tongue in its cheek with sort of political undertones, which I really love. It just came out in the US and will be out in the UK soon.
Then there's 'Caffeine' with Mena Suvari and Breckin Meyer, which is due out next month.
Q: Are you working on anything else right now?
M: I don't know what I've got next, actually. It's exciting!
By Rachel Johnson.
source: FemaleFirst.co.uk