January 13, 2004

By: Jenny Post
Website: http://www.1st-in-cosmetics.com

Nights in with the girls for actress Tamzin Outhwaite

Instead of nights out on the town, especially during the tough four and half months shooting schedule of the new series of Red Cap, Tamzin Outhwaite liked nothing better than having her close-knit circle of single girlfriends over to her luxurious north London flat for a Friday night treat of champagne, takeaways, girl talk and Sex In The City.

This heralds a change of lifestyle for Tamzin, the stunning, award-winning actress, who finds herself without a man for the first time in years, since her recent split from DJ boyfriend Steve Ellington. "I'm really excited about it," says Tamzin. She clearly relishes her new-found freedom. "I've being able to deal with things that I haven't done for a very long time. You need to get to know yourself again because you end up putting an awful lot of energy into a couple situation and into another person that you forget to put it into yourself.

"I like remembering what I like to do instead of phoning home and making sure it's okay. Or even not having to think for two. It's nice just thinking for one." Tamzin's 'gang' includes Maggie Lloyd-Williams, who plays Corporal Angie Ogden in Red Cap, her girlfriend Polly, a journalist, and a few other female mates.

"We're also starting to do yoga together on a regular basis. You need encouragement from each other to do all of these things and we're providing each other with a lot of support. A very female thing, even if it's only on the phone while I was filming Red Cap." Shooting Red Cap for almost half a year, with early starts and late finishes, gave Tamzin little time for anything else during the period of filming.

Despite the pressures of such a long and intense schedule, Tamzin enjoyed spending time with her 'family' of co-stars, including Douglas Hodge, Gordon Kennedy and James Thornton. "It sounds ridiculous but it's like one big youth club without having to pay your subs on the door.That's what it feels like, you can't really do anything but have fun.

"We are a group of people who didn't have a cross word in the whole time we were working on the series. We also saw each other through some strange times this year and we were a strong support network. We constantly took the mickey out of each other but we were very comfortable with each other. Tamzin first hit the screen as the tough talking and uncompromising army detective Sergeant Jo Macdonagh in December 2000.

"In the pilot," says Tamzin, "Jo was definitely the underdog and having to prove herself constantly. She was quite emotionally damaged and closed off. "In the first series she wasn't as much of an underdog and had earned some respect from her boss and her colleagues and she became a little bit more open, a bit less guarded.

"Now in the second series I think she has become much more part of the team, not so much an outsider and freer as a human being. So she's more open to friendship and probably to love." The 'will-they-won't-they' relationship between Jo McDonagh and Staff Sergeant Philip Roper (James Thornton) continues, although as Roper is married Jo considers him to be off-limits.

She does however succumb to a couple of flirtatious encounters, signalling perhaps a sexier Jo and someone more open to the possibility of romance. "Roper's marriage isn't going too well and Jo and Roper have a tug of war between them, they're still in a love/hate stage but I hope that they do get together. They almost do so many times."

The fit and athletic Miss Outhwaite is, like her screen alter ego, quite an action girl and relishes any opportunity to put this into practise during filming. Tamzin excelled herself during her week-long army training at the army training centre in Chilwell, Nottingham, prior to filming the pilot of Red Cap. She was particularly adept with weapons.

"Jo is such a weapons nut and it's easy to be get obsessed with something like a gun when you know it's not loaded, it's not dangerous. "I got quite into letting the boys know that if they had done their weapon training they would know that they wouldn't hold a gun in a particular way. I probably got to be quite a know-it-all!

"At school I was very sporty and competitive. I also like all the self-defence sequences and when we were actually doing some kind of stunt I'd always push myself and try and do it before a stunt person arrived." Since filming the first series last year, Tamzin has been very busy. Her highly acclaimed performance in Dominic Savage's award-winning film Out Of Control raised the stakes for Tamzin to be taken seriously as an actress of considerable talent.

She then filmed a two-part drama for BBC ONE called Final Demand. She also signed a lucrative contract to become the face of Avon cosmetics, recently renewed. She is about to shoot the next campaign.

Tamzin is also the spokesperson for the company's Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, which has raised £10 million since it began 11 years ago. "I also had a few months off, went to LA and found myself an agent and then continued to work over here, so I haven't had a chance to go back.

"I also had a great holiday in Australia, did a play at the Royal Court Theatre in London, called Flesh Wound, which had really good reviews. There is talk of it being taken into London's West End and also making a film of it, so I'm open to suggestions but still needing and wanting to rest for a while." In between her busy and sometimes relentless work schedule, Tamzin loves to travel, usually somewhere where she can relax and play sport and dive, one of her favourite activities.

"I'd love to go to Indonesia, Bali, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. "I've done a lot of the Indian Ocean, Madagascar and South Africa. Madagascar was an action girl holiday followed by relaxing. I've been to three different islands in the Maldives, and the Caribbean was relaxing, although my holidays are always peppered with some sport, sightseeing or diving."

She's not yet sure what she'll do after a brief appearance in the forthcoming BBC ONE drama series Hustle, from the makers of Spooks. "I don't want to take anything that's coming in for the sake of work. I want to choose carefully as I have done since leaving EastEnders. I've been reading stuff and I've been very disciplined about what has been right for me to do. "This is the first time that I've finished a job not knowing what my next one will be. Part of me feels very scared and part of me feels very excited about having some time to myself.

"I have my Avon contract and there might also be another series of Red Cap next year. It's all about timing and choosing the right projects." Despite a well-earned break, it's unlikely that this popular and talented actress will be off our TV screens for very long.

About The Author:

Jenny Post is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-cosmetics.com.  Tips on skin care, hair care and beauty products to bring out natural beauty.