Sharon Rooney interview
Sharon Rooney is Sophie in Two Doors Down.
Tell us all about Two Doors Down...
It's one of those shows you watch and you'll say, "oh I know someone like that" or "I had a neighbour like that" or "that's what it's like in my house" - everyone can relate to it.
I'm not a laugh-out-loud person, I tend to laugh quietly inside, but this had me laughing - I've watched the episodes and was in hysterics.
Describe your character, Sophie?
She's like an overgrown baby. Sophie is kind of trapped in between ages - she's not a kid anymore but she's not allowed to be an adult either. Where she goes, what clothes she wears, everything is dictated to her by her mother, Christine.
It's all done out of love, but Sophie is so trapped in this little world of her mum and her neighbours.
What is her family situation like?
Sophie lives with her mum, Christine, and she does everything for her even though she doesn't really need to. There's really nothing wrong with her mum, but she has a long list of ailments which she brings up whenever she feels like it. She'll say "oh it's Wednesday, I think I'll put my neck collar on today" or "it's Thursday, I'm going to have a limp today". But, despite all this, Sophie adores her mum. She just needs a break from her.
How does she feel about her neighbours?
Sophie and Eric really get each other. She really likes Mr Baird because they nod and smile and don't say anything. That's the only way to cope. Like Eric, Sophie sees right through all the others.
She likes Eric - he's like a father figure to her and she gets on well with Beth because she's a nice calm mum, unlike Christine. She would probably go to Beth before she'd go to Christine with a problem.
If she had an option though, she'd probably choose to see less of her neighbours. She likes them in small doses.
How does she feel about her mum?
She loves her mum, but she's very frustrated by her - living with Christine is pretty stressful. Ideally, she'd like to do less for her mum and spread her wings more. Her mum is so proud of her and just adores her but she's not a baby anymore, she is an adult.
Have you ever lived in a street like Latimer Crescent?
When I was younger, I'd stay with my gran during the summer holidays - her street was a little like that. Neighbours would pop over and my gran would go to the shops and come back two hours later because she'd stop and talk to everyone on the way down there. No one was as wild as Cathy and Colin, they were more like Eric and Beth!
Have you ever had neighbours like those featured in the show?
No, thankfully. Although when I was younger my friends and I would pop round to visit the older people who lived on our street. We thought they were lonely, so we'd pop in for a chat but there's every possibility they just enjoyed watching daytime telly and didn't really want a group of kids in their living room.
I certainly never had any wild, crazy or hot-tub neighbours, which is probably a bit of a shame - everyone surely wants a neighbour with a hot tub?
Any memorable moments from filming?
Working with Elaine [C Smith] was a dream come true for me. I grew up watching people like Elaine, Johnnie and Alex on TV - you'd see them on the telly all the time - so to be in a room with them and hear all their stories was just brilliant. Every day I'd look forward to a new anecdote.
Elaine and I laughed a lot - probably too much. There was a day when Elaine was singing after a funeral and her singing was so funny. We got to the point we laughed more than we did any work that day.
Another time, I choked drinking some orange juice in a scene and Elaine laughed for 10 minutes before she was able to say, "are you ok?"
Every day was a memorable moment on Two Doors Down.
Finally, do you think it's true that everybody needs good neighbours?
I think nowadays you don't really see much of your neighbours apart from the odd "hello", which is a shame. In the past you'd think nothing of knocking on their door and saying "do you fancy a cup of tea?" but then again would you really want to live next door to Cathy and Colin?