It feels appropriate to step aboard a barge called Daisy in north
London to interview Jessica Hynes, the writer and actor who starred
as the ditzy character of the same name in cult sitcom Spaced
(based in Tufnell Park).
But it takes two seconds to realise Hynes - who changed her name from Stevenson when she married last year - is as similar to the klutz of the series as Johnny Depp is to a barber.
"I used to be afraid of - making people feel uncomfortable," she says, "but now I don't really feel that bad. If they deserve to be made uncomfortable, then I'll make them feel uncomfortable."
Occasionally, she'll break out into excitable laughter, such as when she's talking about her love for Jack Black ("rocking; much better looking than Owen Wilson"), but mostly Hynes is serious, articulate and intense.
Like Black, she's known for playing clownish characters - after Spaced she had comedy parts in Black Books, Bridget Jones and The Royle Family - but in new Brit flick Son of Rambow, she's the straight woman.
"Mary's a recent widow, looking after her ageing mother and two children," Hynes explains. "She's a religious woman who feels she has to keep a tight control of things, and she's exhausted."
Hynes plays the part with subtlety and conviction, while other characters get to dress up in Rambo - outfits, make silly movies, and pretend to be French rock stars.
It's been nearly ten years since Spaced, co-written with pal Simon Pegg, became a fixture in every student's DVD collection. Now the - series is in development for a US remake - something Pegg has spoken out furiously about, as neither is likely to see a penny of the profits. Hynes is amazed the whole thing got this far.
"I started writing it on an electric typewriter when I was 25," she says. "I didn't have a flat, I was on the floor of my sister's, tapping away. To think it's now grown into something being bought by America, it's incredible. You'd think they'd acknowledge us or pay some sort of respect, but it just feels surreal."
After Spaced finished, Hynes admits to feeling lost. "It's taken a while to find my feet again," she says. "Now, I just feel lucky." She's worked steadily in a slew of TV comedies, with cameos in Doctor Who, but writing is just as important to her.
One-off TV drama Learners, which she penned and starred in, was a funny, heartfelt story of a working-class woman struggless, and since contributing to the BBC Three series Phoo - Action, she's been working on two top-secret screenplays.
"I find the parts I want to play don't really exist," she says. "People don't really write for female physical comedians. You read things and think: 'I could do much better than this!' That's what - inspires you."
With a husband and three kids in London, she's happy working in Britain, but won't say "never" to Hollywood.
"There's some - interesting voices there," she says, "and with the massive success of Juno, the tide is changing. People are getting sick of the same old stuff. They want original stories. And I feel that's something I could do. Whether I do it here or there I don't know, but I would like to try to keep - doing it."
Taken From: thelondonpaper.com
But it takes two seconds to realise Hynes - who changed her name from Stevenson when she married last year - is as similar to the klutz of the series as Johnny Depp is to a barber.
"I used to be afraid of - making people feel uncomfortable," she says, "but now I don't really feel that bad. If they deserve to be made uncomfortable, then I'll make them feel uncomfortable."
Occasionally, she'll break out into excitable laughter, such as when she's talking about her love for Jack Black ("rocking; much better looking than Owen Wilson"), but mostly Hynes is serious, articulate and intense.
Like Black, she's known for playing clownish characters - after Spaced she had comedy parts in Black Books, Bridget Jones and The Royle Family - but in new Brit flick Son of Rambow, she's the straight woman.
"Mary's a recent widow, looking after her ageing mother and two children," Hynes explains. "She's a religious woman who feels she has to keep a tight control of things, and she's exhausted."
Hynes plays the part with subtlety and conviction, while other characters get to dress up in Rambo - outfits, make silly movies, and pretend to be French rock stars.
It's been nearly ten years since Spaced, co-written with pal Simon Pegg, became a fixture in every student's DVD collection. Now the - series is in development for a US remake - something Pegg has spoken out furiously about, as neither is likely to see a penny of the profits. Hynes is amazed the whole thing got this far.
"I started writing it on an electric typewriter when I was 25," she says. "I didn't have a flat, I was on the floor of my sister's, tapping away. To think it's now grown into something being bought by America, it's incredible. You'd think they'd acknowledge us or pay some sort of respect, but it just feels surreal."
After Spaced finished, Hynes admits to feeling lost. "It's taken a while to find my feet again," she says. "Now, I just feel lucky." She's worked steadily in a slew of TV comedies, with cameos in Doctor Who, but writing is just as important to her.
One-off TV drama Learners, which she penned and starred in, was a funny, heartfelt story of a working-class woman struggless, and since contributing to the BBC Three series Phoo - Action, she's been working on two top-secret screenplays.
"I find the parts I want to play don't really exist," she says. "People don't really write for female physical comedians. You read things and think: 'I could do much better than this!' That's what - inspires you."
With a husband and three kids in London, she's happy working in Britain, but won't say "never" to Hollywood.
"There's some - interesting voices there," she says, "and with the massive success of Juno, the tide is changing. People are getting sick of the same old stuff. They want original stories. And I feel that's something I could do. Whether I do it here or there I don't know, but I would like to try to keep - doing it."
Taken From: thelondonpaper.com