INTERVIEW: Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding talks about her latest acting role in the St Trinian's sequel (From News Shopper)

INTERVIEW: Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding talks about her latest acting role in the St Trinian's sequel

1:01pm Wednesday 9th December 2009

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Being part of the hottest girl band in the world seems to be not enough for Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, who has now taken the acting world by storm. She speaks about her latest role in St Trinians: The Legend of Fritton's Gold.

GIRLS Aloud singer Sarah Harding has let her inner naughty schoolgirl out for a role in the comedy sequel St Trinian’s: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold.

The foxy 28-year-old plays the rebellious Roxy and joins Rupert Everett as Miss Fritton, Colin Firth as Geoffrey Thwaites and Dr Who star David Tennant as Lord Pomfrey in the sequel to St Trinian’s, which was a box office hit two years ago.

The film also stars Gemma Arterton who grew up and went to school in Gravesend.

The Legend of Fritton’s Gold is Harding’s third feature film, following a brief appearance in the first, modern day St Trinian’s in 2007 and the thriller Bad Day.

Earlier this year she also appeared in the BBC drama Freefall with Dominic Cooper and Aiden Gillen.

With the comedy caper out on December 18, Harding answers questions about her acting role and being part of the hottest girl band in the world.

Question: Have you recorded a song for the film soundtrack?

Answer: I certainly have, in fact I’ve done three.

Q: What are they?

A: I’m not sure that I’m allowed to tell you (laughs) just yet but there is one cover track but I can’t tell you about it, I’m sorry. It went very well and I just finished in the studio last night so I’ve been quite busy for the last couple of weeks.

Q: Yes you had the Coldplay gig at Wembley recently. What was that like?

A: We did that and it was good fun. It was very daunting the day before. I really over did it in rehearsals. I was getting really paranoid, the more I keep thinking I’m losing my voice the more it can actually happen.

I was singing my heart out when we went back into rehearsals and then I got paranoid I was losing my voice. So I was a bit husky on the second night because I gave it everything on the first night. But my God, it was amazing. I can’t even describe to you how it felt - it was surreal.

Q: What was it like being back with the girls?

A: It was good fun. There was loads to catch up on but we stay in touch anyway. I saw Nicola recently on her birthday and I went to support Cheryl on the release of her solo single so we do see each other quite a lot but not as often as we would when we are working together. It’s quite nice because we have more to catch up on and talk about when we do.

Q: Will Girls Aloud be back together again next year?

A: Yes, I’m not sure what we’ll be doing, I’m not sure if we’ll tour but we’ll get together in 2010 for something.

Q: What about future acting plans?

A: Well I’ve got a script that I’m reading at the moment and I’ve had a couple of others and you know what, I think when a part is right I’ll know and then I’ll go for it and I’ll screen test and I’m not going to rush into it, that’s the main thing. I’d rather wait and get it right.

Q: There was speculation in the papers that you might be taking a part in The Brazilian Job, a follow up to The Italian Job?

A: Well that’s a good example of how much crap is out there because I’ve never even heard of that. I don’t know what they are talking about. I don’t read too much anymore, I just look at the pictures and go ‘is that a good picture?’ OK, that’s fine…(laughs). I’d rather not get too wrapped up in all that stuff. You just have to laugh it off…

Q: Will you release one of the St Trinian’s tracks as a single?

A: It hasn’t been spoken about as yet and I’m not really looking. I think what we’ve done for the album, the soundtrack, is kind of half way from what I would want to be doing as a solo artist but a little bit different from what I would do as a band. Does that make sense?

It suits the film but it wouldn’t necessarily be the sort of material I would do on a personal level for my own album.

But obviously I like what I’ve done otherwise I wouldn’t have done it, if you know you what I mean.

It’s right for the film and I had a little involvement with the writing and the melodies and that sort of thing.

Q: Do you write with your boyfriend (DJ Tom Crane)?

A: He’s making his own tunes, yeah. But at the moment we are not sure if he is going to set up his own studio at the house in the country or when he will do it when he gets another pad in London

Q: So all is good with you and Tommy?

A: Oh it’s great, thanks. He’s my fella and all is very good on that score.

Q: Any plans to start a family?

A: One day, I definitely want babies, but not yet. I’m looking forward to the next phase – the babies and the chickens and a nice barn conversion somewhere.

But I’m not looking to settling down and starting a family until I’m financially secure and I’ve paid my mortgage off and everything. I’ve got a good business head in that sense.

Q: Will you do a solo album next year?

A: Hopefully, yes.

Q: You said before that you were still learning as an actress. Did you learn more on St Trinian’s?

A: Yes, I hope so. But it’s a work in progress. I was trained to act in the past but no one really knew that so it’s a case of getting that out there.

I just want to build it up gradually because there’s always a lot of speculation when you do that transition from singing to acting over here for some reason. You almost feel like you have more to prove. So I’m going to do it properly.

I have an acting coach I work with and if I’m luckily enough to get another part then I will take that script with me to her and I will start working and researching the character. I’m not taking it lightly.

Q: Your character in St Trinian’s is Roxy. What’s she like?

A: She is probably a more laid back version of myself. She’s too cool for school and she’s not a team player to start with – she doesn’t feel like she needs anyone and doesn’t really feel like she is going to be hanging around for long.

But then she gets involved with some the things that are going on and starts getting more excitable and losing her cool slightly towards the end and starts to get really close to the girls – whereas in the beginning she didn’t really want to know them.

So it’s a nice journey and relationship you see develop between her and the girls.

Q: Did you have many scenes with David Tennant?

A: Well he plays the baddie so he’s my enemy! He’s in a few scenes with us, yes and he’s great. I didn’t actually realise he is Scottish. When I first met him I was like ‘bloody hell! You’re a Scot!’

I’d always assumed that he was English because of his well-spoken accent on Dr Who. I’d never spoken to him before. But he’s a lovely fella. Colin Firth is a sweetheart; Rupert is very, very funny – very dry. Tallulah is lovely too and a very intelligent girl. It was great.

Q: You’re opening a nightclub in London called Kanaloa. Have you had input on the way it looks?

A: Yes, they’ve asked my opinion on certain things but obviously there isn’t really that much difference from the styling of Mahiki. I find it really cool because there isn’t really anything like that in East London.

It’s a sister club to Mahiki and it’s a going to be more of a Monday to Friday kind of place and we want to get some fun into what is usually a very business orientated area.

Q: What makes a good club?

A: Good music, good people, some nice food – snacks and things like that always help – friendly faces, good service, good décor, things like that. It’s a combination of things.

Tom plays a lot at clubs and because he’s my boyfriend I’ve been to a lot of those with him and it’s like when you eat out at restaurants, you get an idea of what you like and what works.

And I have a really good eye for things like interior design. I’ve done my own house and things like that. And like I said it’s going to be on par with the Mahiki style, French Polynesian. It’s going to be wicked.

Q: Will you need to go there regularly?

A: Oh yeah, it’s going to be like my baby, I’m going to want to do certain nights there and things like that.

But there’s no limit to what I have to do. It’s a business venture for Tommy and I, we’ve invested in it and hopefully we’re investing with the idea that we are going to have further clubs opening over the next three years.

St Trinian's: The Legend of Fritton’s (PG) Gold is out in cinemas on December 18.

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