You get the feeling that there's nothing half-hearted about Rachael Stirling, currently preparing to star in the 50th anniversary production of John Osborne's Look Back In Anger.
The briefest scan of previous press interviews reveals that this is an actress who does not suffer fools lightly.
The fiercely intelligent London-based actress, deeply proud of her degree in History of Art from Edinburgh University (because it proves she's not just 'some dumb actress'), shot to stardom playing Nan in the BBC's controversial lesbian drama, Tipping The Velvet.
Ballsy, a smoker, and not averse to swearing like a trooper, Rachael has been described, in previous clashes with the media, as 'Audrey Hepburn with a touch of a building site thrown in'.
So it's entirely appropriate that the 26-year-old daughter of Dame Diana Rigg should tackle a role in Osborne's masterpiece at the Theatre Royal Bath. Bravery, it seems, is her thing.
"It's exhilarating," she says, taking a break during rehearsals. "I've never been the type of person who just dips my toe into something. I throw myself in completely, and that's why this profession is so glorious, so haphazard. You never know how it's going to turn out until you're actually taking the risk and doing it."
The process of rehearsing, particularly in comparison to filming rehearsals which don't allow the same luxury of time to explore themes, is something she enjoys too, relishing the 'arc of the journey' that the rehearsal takes the actors on.
"We're busy researching the realities of life in the 1950s right now. Was there running water in these little bedsits for instance, and how would you wash the leaves of some lettuce for supper, that kind of thing. It's the practicalities of existence in that era which give the production its authenticity."
When John Osborne's original 'kitchen sink' drama premiered 50 years ago, the critics were astounded by its realism. Legend has it that the audience gasped at the sight of an ironing board on stage, and some theatre critics cited it as 'grubby' and sordid. However, the Observer's Kenneth Tynan spotted the play's true potential and famously wrote: "I doubt if I could love anyone who did not wish to see Look Back In Anger."
Now, half a century later, Rachael believes the play is just as relevant as ever.
"It stands up very well because it's about basic human relationships, what it means to be human, and how often we cause each other pain. Emotionally, it's just as shocking as when it first appeared. In fact, I would say it has yet to be surpassed in terms of shock value."
Jimmy Porter (Richard Coyle), passionate, articulate and educated is trapped within a dead-end job and the claustrophobia of the bedsit where he lives with his wife and best friend. As sensationally gripping as a soap opera and as faithful to reality as fly-on-the wall documentaries, Look Back In Anger has all the elements that appeal to audiences today — that is, the cruelty that people are capable of towards each other, and how involving that is to watch.
"As John Osborne was venting his spleen through the character of Jimmy, as an actor you have no choice but to react. He's like a magician, producing handkerchief after handkerchief; just when you think there's no more that can possibly be thrown at you, out comes another jolt."
According to a fan website set up in her honour, Rachael has an unusual technique to get under the skin of a new character she is playing — she finds a perfume which sums them up and wears it throughout the production.
"This time I'm wearing something called Mandragora, which is a plain perfume, appropriate for the 1950s perhaps. Sometimes when I'm walking down the street I suddenly come across Nan Astley from Tipping the Velvet because somebody's wearing Clinique Happy."
Earlier in the year, Rachael auditioned for a part in the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale, a role which would have been a neat coup de grace as her mother was a Bond girl (in fact, Bond's wife, killed at the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service).
"Yes, how glorious was that experience, swanning around in several thousand pounds worth of Versace gowns?"
She did not, however, feel quite ready for the role so, for the moment, Rachael will not be joining her mother on the list of top Bond babes.
For now, she's happy to go where the work takes her — usually work that's not run of the mill, low budget British films, for instance, would be just up her street. She has recently completed filming a drama for BBC Four, The Haunting of Toby Jugg, and will be probably moving to Los Angeles to follow up on positive responses to some screen tests she did over there.
"I don't have a game plan. In some ways I wish I did have one because in some ways it would be great to know that next February I've got a play lined up, followed by a film in September, but for now, I'm still a gypsy at heart."
