Rachael Stirling has now played four boys, but it was still a stretch to trade places with Martin Freeman.
When lightning strikes it has unexpected consequences for journalist Veronica Burton in new comedy-drama Boy Meets Girl — because DIY shop worker Danny Reed becomes trapped in her body!
Rachael Stirling reveals what it was like playing the role, and why being respected actress Dame Diana Rigg's daughter hasn't helped her career…
What happens to Veronica and Danny?
We find ourselves one night at an electricity substation. My car has broken down and Danny's nicking some copper wiring to try and pay off his debts. Lightning strikes and we are electrocuted and swap bodies!
We become separated, so Danny has to go about trying to find his body while passing himself off as Veronica, this fashion journalist, when actually he's a working class DIY man.
What was it like playing Danny/Veronica?
Oh, it was the most enjoyable and extraordinarily testing part. This drama broaches gender and class and it's quite dark, because, when you think about it, waking up in someone else's body would be a nightmare.
I hope it has an element of realism, too, because Martin and I worked incredibly hard at getting the right mannerisms and the right speech patterns, to the extent of videotaping each other.
Is there anything you found particularly challenging?
There are four episodes and I'm in almost every scene. I walked around with this massive A4 file with notes about where I was at every moment. You have to plot everything so carefully, even down to costumes.
Also I was worried about how I was going to navigate the relationships with the individuals. Veronica's got a boyfriend called Jay, played by Paterson Joseph. How does Danny deal with that? Well, as it happens it's mostly by doing little sick-ups in his mouth whenever Paterson arrives to kiss him!
But then there's a scene where they make love. You can just see my face and you've got Danny's voice-over saying, "Think of Keira Knightley!"
How did you prepare?
I watched Dustin Hoffman's cross-dressing comedy Tootsie and All of Me with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin where they share a body. I watched everything that had to do with transgender. But I have now played four boys in my career and had four penises made for me, so I'm more than qualified to play this part!
Why do you keep getting these boy roles?
Because I'm obviously half boy! No, I don't know but I'm interested in this question of gender and how we are defined by it. I did an episode of Lewis because I was so fascinated by the script where I played a post-op transsexual.
Do you think you have any particularly male attitudes?
I was brought up in quite a male environment. I've got three brothers and having the mickey taken out of me was part of my education, so I'm definitely quite boyish.
If you could swap genders, what sort of man would you be?
I wouldn't want to be a man. I've taken a good 30 years to get used to how I am. This role was confusing enough! So, yes, I would much rather stick to being a chick, thank you very much.
You're best known for the rather raunchy Tipping the Velvet. Has that role overshadowed your career?
No. It got me the most publicity because Keeley Hawes and I were snogging. I still get fan letters from all over the world for that.
Has being Diana Rigg's daughter helped or hindered your career?
People constantly refer to it but it hasn't helped. I mean, I have never got a job because of who my mother is. If people see that sort of favouritism going on they make a huge deal of it.
