FIRST IMPRESSIONS: SAMANTHA BOND
What are you working on?
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre, starring Robert Lindsay, Rufus Hound and Katherine Kingsley. It is my first-ever musical so it’s been a huge departure for me, singing and dancing in public.
When were you at your happiest?
About 21 years ago when I was lying in a bath with my 18-monthold daughter curled up at one end and me curled up at the other, with my baby son on my chest.
What is your greatest fear?
Anything with wings, so I am terrified of aeroplanes. But it does extend to wasps, butterflies, moths, birds and bees.
What is your earliest memory?
I was two years old in the family living room watching a funeral on the television in black and white. Twenty years later I was watching a documentary about JFK and I suddenly said, ‘That’s what I remember’.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Judgementalism.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My mother, who is no longer with us, but was inspirational. She was a working mother, which means I have felt no guilt. I’ve always felt it’s right to be a working mother. She was strong, loving, intelligent, passionate, fierce and loyal. Even if she did suffer from judgementalism a little.
What is your most treasured possession?
A ring that my mother bequeathed to me; it has a jade stone and she wore it every day.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Judgementalism.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My feet.
What is your favourite book?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
And your favourite film?
Casablanca. It is one of the great classics. Ingrid Bergman is so beautiful and the performance is so exquisite. From an actor’s point of view, I find it fascinating that while she was filming she didn’t know which man she was going to leave with at the end of the film.
Your favourite meal?
Macaroni cheese with a crunchy green salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Barack Obama, Sir David Attenborough, Cleopatra, Martin Luther King and Emmeline Pankhurst. We might throw in Helen Mirren, too.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It’s a really good one. When I was in my second-ever professional play, interestingly I cannot remember the man’s name but that’s probably just as well, I had corpsed during a dress rehearsal and the actor said to me, ‘If I had my way, you’d never work in professional theatre again’. That was 32 years ago.
What is your secret vice?
Playing games on my iPad. I’ve become absolutely addicted and I understand that most of the games that I’m playing are designed for seven year olds.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I have to confess I’m not very good at it.
Which phrase do you most over-use?
‘I mean I just want to say…’ then silence. So I never do say what it is I want to say.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Grandchildren... No pressure, kids.
Can you tell us one thing people might not know about you?
I’ve got A-level mathematics. I loved maths.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She tried’.
Samantha Bond is in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical at Savoy Theatre, London WC2: 0844871 7615, www.scoundrelswestend.com
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre, starring Robert Lindsay, Rufus Hound and Katherine Kingsley. It is my first-ever musical so it’s been a huge departure for me, singing and dancing in public.
When were you at your happiest?
About 21 years ago when I was lying in a bath with my 18-monthold daughter curled up at one end and me curled up at the other, with my baby son on my chest.
What is your greatest fear?
Anything with wings, so I am terrified of aeroplanes. But it does extend to wasps, butterflies, moths, birds and bees.
What is your earliest memory?
I was two years old in the family living room watching a funeral on the television in black and white. Twenty years later I was watching a documentary about JFK and I suddenly said, ‘That’s what I remember’.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Judgementalism.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My mother, who is no longer with us, but was inspirational. She was a working mother, which means I have felt no guilt. I’ve always felt it’s right to be a working mother. She was strong, loving, intelligent, passionate, fierce and loyal. Even if she did suffer from judgementalism a little.
What is your most treasured possession?
A ring that my mother bequeathed to me; it has a jade stone and she wore it every day.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Judgementalism.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My feet.
What is your favourite book?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
Casablanca. It is one of the great classics. Ingrid Bergman is so beautiful and the performance is so exquisite. From an actor’s point of view, I find it fascinating that while she was filming she didn’t know which man she was going to leave with at the end of the film.
Your favourite meal?
Macaroni cheese with a crunchy green salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Barack Obama, Sir David Attenborough, Cleopatra, Martin Luther King and Emmeline Pankhurst. We might throw in Helen Mirren, too.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
It’s a really good one. When I was in my second-ever professional play, interestingly I cannot remember the man’s name but that’s probably just as well, I had corpsed during a dress rehearsal and the actor said to me, ‘If I had my way, you’d never work in professional theatre again’. That was 32 years ago.
What is your secret vice?
Playing games on my iPad. I’ve become absolutely addicted and I understand that most of the games that I’m playing are designed for seven year olds.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I have to confess I’m not very good at it.
Which phrase do you most over-use?
‘I mean I just want to say…’ then silence. So I never do say what it is I want to say.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Grandchildren... No pressure, kids.
Can you tell us one thing people might not know about you?
I’ve got A-level mathematics. I loved maths.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘She tried’.
Samantha Bond is in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: The Musical at Savoy Theatre, London WC2: 0844871 7615, www.scoundrelswestend.com