Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole In My Heart
Daniela Nardini plays Maya
Scots star Daniela Nardini shot to fame 10 years ago in 91Èȱ¬
ONE's cult series This Life as Anna, the intense, bed-hopping lawyer
whose skirts were famously as short as her temper.
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In 91Èȱ¬ TWO's new drama,
the actress plays a woman with a decidedly more sophisticated wardrobe – but
she says, Maya is still far from "fluffy".
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Having played a succession of troubled, flawed women in heavyweight dramas such as Rough Treatment and Outside The Rules, it came as no surprise to Daniela that Maya is not straightforward and has a serious lack of empathy for others.
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"My boyfriend watched Shiny Shiny the other day because I had a copy in my flat and afterwards he said: 'My God, you're horrible! You're a really horrible woman'. It's funny but I don't tend to think like that when I'm playing a role. But I suppose Maya's not someone I'd seek out as a friend," she laughs.
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Nathalie (Sally Hawkins), employed as Maya's personal shopper, could probably benefit from a dash of Daniela's insight.
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Utterly seduced by Maya's wealth, she attempts to emulate
her lifestyle with the help of a credit card or two. When Nathalie's spending
spirals out of control, she turns to her friend for help.
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"Maya has a lot of money and she enjoys spending it. She thinks it's all a bit of a laugh at first and she becomes a bit intoxicated by Nathalie's passion for shopping.
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"But after she witnesses one particularly out-of-control
shopping binge, she realises that this girl is ill and that she needs help – but
not from her," grimaces
Daniela.
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"The problem is that Nathalie considers Maya one of her best friends, but Maya isn't really interested in Nathalie other than as someone who helps her buy the best. She's not what you'd call the caring type.
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"You know, there's clearly something about me that just doesn't come off as fluffy at all. I can't even do a voiceover that's light – the last two I did, one was about a pathologist and the other one was about cemeteries!"
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The Largs-born actress – who is currently in talks to bring back feisty Anna for a new series of This Life, a prospect she describes as "intriguing" – says that filming the drama opened her eyes to an addiction she hadn't really taken seriously before.
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"If I'm honest, I laughed when I first heard about it – and everyone I talked to about this shopping addiction thing laughed, too. It wasn't until we got stuck into it that I realised that it exists like any other addiction.
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"It could be drugs, alcohol, gambling, anything, but Nathalie's addiction is shopping and inventing a life for herself that she doesn't have, which I suppose all addiction is about. It is a horrible illness but I think it is very sensitively portrayed."
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Despite the dark subject matter, Daniela says that she had a lot of fun on set – though not always when she was supposed to.
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"Marc [Munden, the director] sent Sally and me off to the personal shopping department in Liberty's to do some research," she says.
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"He was thinking we'd see what that job is all about, what the relationship between the shopper and clients is like, but all I could think was, 'God, it'd be great to have a personal shopper!'
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"It was actually very informative – now I know exactly
what I should be buying this season – so
I wasn't fibbing when I told Marc it was really helpful!"
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But when it comes to hitting the shops, the actress herself is no footballer's wife.
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"I, like everybody, wish I had more money to spend and feel guilty if I have a bit of a binge. But my binge is usually in Topshop – though if I started earning an absolute fortune, I might reconsider that!
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"But I've got a proper streak of Scots in me ... I just
couldn't spend five hundred quid on a handbag – no way."
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However, while on the set of Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole In My Heart, Daniela almost came up with a way of nabbing the latest designer bag without upsetting her bank manager.
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"We shot some scenes in Harvey Nichols in Manchester after the store was shut for the night. It's the only time I've ever felt like shoplifting! I was just wandering through Harvey Nicks, thinking, 'Why didn't I bring a big black bin bag with me?'" she laughs.
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"It was the best place to be ... there's always a lot of hanging around when you're filming, so you could just wander off and there were goodies everywhere. I don't know how many times it crossed my mind.
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"Can you imagine Marc's face if a policeman had came
up to him and said: 'Sorry, sir, but your actress has been nicked'..."
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It wouldn't be the first arresting role Daniela's had and it's unlikely to be the last.
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