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After her scene stealing turn on Bad Sisters, Sarah Greene is ready to turn even more heads as she gives us the origins story of Sexy Beast’s Deedee Harrison — apple of Gal’s eye, thorn in Don’s side. Here, she talks the sizzling chemistry with co-star James McArdle as he steps into Ray Winstone’s gangland past, and her character’s feminist verve to change the world she exists in.
ES: I’m very excited to be talking to you about Sexy Beast. How are you feeling about it? Is it exciting?
SG: Isn’t it? The trailer dropped today. So everyone, we’re all excited. I’m super pumped.
ES: Deedee is obviously an iconic character and the film is a kind of cult classic. Were you a big fan or fresh to it?
SG: Oh, I was such a fan. Obsessed back in the day. It’s pretty incredible to have the chance to explore these characters further.
ES: When you got the script through, what did you think?
SG: I actually heard about the part a few years ago. It was supposed to go ahead maybe five, six years ago but that didn’t happen. I went on tape but I didn’t do it right — the accent wasn’t right, my boyfriend — now fiancé — said I sounded like Dick Van Dyke! But then I did it again and when I had my chemistry read with James [McArdle], I thought, ‘Please give me this part.’ It was very easy between us, we have incredible chemistry in the room. It was very exciting.
ES: It’s bringing back that kind of Nineties kind of Cool Britannia vibes. We’ve seen Deedee in the silver dress in the previews, she’s got this upmarket porn-star vibe. I guess we’re going to see a lot of iconic outfits — were there any favourites?
SG: So many! Cathy Prior is the costume designer on the show and she also did Derry Girls. We went down to a place called Angels, which is costume warehouse and most of the costumes are vintage. We actually had way too much to choose from. It was really hard to pick our favourites on camera and there are many costumes that we didn’t get to use. I don’t dress up like Deedee does so that was really freeing experience. To just be like this really sexy, confident, empowered woman. She wasn’t afraid to dress up — people did back then. You really got to express your identity and who you were as a person through your clothes. And no one turns a blind eye. For audiences, I think this is going to reach quite a huge demographic in terms of, you know — the Nineties is so popular right now with Gen Z. The music, the fashion. And then we’ll get the die-hard, old-school fans. I think we’re going to get a wide range of audience.
ES: It was definitely a different time. Deedee massively butts up against the patriarchal stuff that’s been put upon her in her industry. And then she’s finding balance with her relationship with Gal where they’re a meeting of minds. It must have been fun to take on that dynamic.
SG: She knows the power she possesses. She knows how to get what she wants, she plays everyone around her, really pushes her to limit herself. Yeah, it was fun.
ES: Do you see DeeDee as similar to Bibi, your character in Bad Sisters, at all?
SG: They share some qualities and they’re kind of standing up for the people they love. For Deedee that’s her porn family, her chosen family; for Bibi it’s her actual sisters. You can really see her she supports and protects the girls who work to make it better for them, not just for herself.
ES: Has it been fun going back into the Bad Sisters? It’s such an incredibly written show...
SG: It’s really great. You know, we weren’t sure where the story would go on to, but it’s genius. It’s incredible. Blows my mind and we’re having an absolute ball. So I really can’t wait to see how it goes. We started shooting in September in Dublin, then London, then back to Dublin. We are working on episode six now.
ES: Where did you shoot Sexy Beast? Was it actually London?
SG: No, it was Liverpool! I love Liverpool. I think it was like eight months we were up there.
ES: Did you feel like you got into the action of it all with the robberies and shootings. Did you kind of get into the action stuff yourself — like how did you feel about that stuff?
SG: Oh, Deedee doesn’t get involved in that stuff, but I feel like she could...
ES: Instead you get to kind of blow up the dialogue and then the porn industry...
SG: Oh, yeah. She definitely doesn’t mess about.
ES: Like you said, the chemistry between Gal and Deedee is so good. It’s sort of undeniable and you need that when you see his initial relationship paling into insignificance...
SG: From the original, you never find out how they met and they’re so involved. They’re so beautifully in love. I think the line that James kept coming back to from the script. It was: 'I know you love me, because I feel strong.' It’s so beautiful. And I think that we really held on to how they make each other feel that when they’re together. That’s often not the case in relationships, and in relationships you see on screen as well. It’s sort of usually a weakness for people, isn’t it? You know, they’re in love and that takes away from them as opposed to building them up to be better.
ES: Did you ever kind of feel like you needed to go back and rewatch the original to take any of Amanda’s characterisation?
SG: Yeah, absolutely. Her performance is just so, so beautiful. It has a real stillness to it, you know? And obviously, we couldn’t start there. We want to show how the character gets to where they are and then some. So yeah, we have a bit messier Deedee. When she has her first run-in with Gal, they tease each other. But really the life that she’s got at the moment she’s dissatisfied with, and she is ready to graduate. She can see that he could be an access point to that.
ES: It’s opening up so many doors for so much fun to be had — it’s just ripe for the picking to go through that whole decade. Have you heard from any of the actors from the original?
SG: There was a moment I really hoped I might get to meet Amanda Redman... Some day! I really hope she is happy with what we have made.