Actress Gina McKee, 53, has appeared in numerous TV dramas (‘Our Friends In The North’, ‘The Forsyte Saga’ and ‘The Borgias’, to name but a few), as well as films including ‘Notting Hill’. She was born in Peterlee, County Durham, but now lives in East Sussex with her husband of 28 years, Kez Cary.
What is your earliest memory?
Losing control of my tricycle near my grandparents’ house in Co Durham. I was three. I cut my head and it left a funny scar.
Gina McKee was born in Peterlee, County Durham, but now lives in East Sussex with her husband of 28 years, Kez Cary
What sort of child were you?
A loner. I had an imaginary friend and I was always making up stories. I’d write letters and push them through neighbours’ doors.
Who would be your dream dinner date?
The writer Maya Angelou. I would just want to listen to her talk – about her work, all that she’s achieved, and get her take on the current global political situation.
Who would play you in a film of your life?
I’d die happy if Aardman Animations, who are behind Wallace And Gromit, would portray my life story in clay.
What has been your most embarrassing moment?
In Harold Pinter’s The Lover, I was playing a woman being very seductive, crawling towards the man on my hands and knees, trying to be sexy. Until I realised I had an enormous nosebleed.
Tell us a secret about yourself
I’m clumsy. I trip over on a daily basis. If there’s a bit of a paving slab that is slightly raised, I will sniff it out like a truffle hound and stumble.
What is your guilty pleasure?
A daily dose of dark chocolate. At the moment I’m addicted to the Waitrose 90 per cent cocoa range. They ran out the other day and I stood there for two minutes thinking: ‘What am I going to do?’
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
Right now I’d say ancient Britain, because I’m about to play Boudica at Shakespeare’s Globe, and the only reference materials we’ve got are contradictory accounts from two Roman historians. So I’d like to go back, preferably with some penicillin, and do my own research.
Have you ever cheated death?
I got blown up by a gas cooker when I was eight. I was trying to heat up a pie but I forgot to press the pilot light button. Twenty minutes later, I realised the pie was cold, so I pressed it and the oven exploded. I was lifted up into the air and thrown to the other side of the room. I had to get a very good haircut because my hair was badly singed.
What skill should everybody have?
The ability to listen.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Once, when a religious person came to the door to sell a magazine, my grandfather told them: ‘I believe you make your own heaven on Earth.’ That stayed with me.
What was the best night of your life?
On New Year’s Eve in 1999 my husband and I were on a boat leaving a small island in the Mediterranean, watching the sun come up on the new millennium in the middle of the ocean. It was great timing – we hadn’t pre-planned it at all.
What law would you change if you could?
I’d like to have London’s Oxford Street turned into a three-lane pavement. There’d be a fast lane, one for medium-paced walkers and another for people who are window shopping or just need to take their time. It’s annoying when people are dawdling and you’re trying to work your way past.
What song do you want at your funeral?
Sailing By, the song that plays every night on Radio 4 before the late shipping forecast. It’s very lilting and nostalgic.
Gina McKee plays the title role in ‘Boudica’ at Shakespeare’s Globe until October 1. Tickets from £5, shakespearesglobe.com