- The Gavin & Stacey star, 42, says she was forced to cover up her body art
- She plays a woman who survives a plane crash in The Castaways on Paramount+
They may have seemed a good idea at the time, but clearly visible tattoos can end up being an unnecessary distraction once you get back to work.
And Sheridan Smith has admitted to experiencing that exact problem as she prepared for her latest role.
The Gavin & Stacey star, 42, says she was forced to cover up her body art as she played a missing person in forthcoming Paramount+ drama The Castaways.
Ms Smith, plays a woman who survives a plane crash on a desert island – with scenes featuring her on the beach and in the jungle with her bare arms and legs showing.
Producers weren’t keen on her tattoos so the make-up department put in long sessions to cover them up. ‘I had a call three hours before anyone else,’ she told Radio Times. ‘I couldn’t use my usual stuff to cover them up, it had to be waterproof!
‘So three people were dabbing away every day to cover it all.
‘I never regretted my tats so much – I’ll never have another one.’ On the plus side, Ms Smith said this role was her ‘most physical’ yet and helped her lose weight.
For some years, Sheridan Smith struggled with both alcohol and panic attacks.
But she was all smiles as she prepared to launch her latest project, showing off her new trim figure in a pink velvet suit paired with silver platform sandals.
Ms Smith revealed she lost ‘so much weight’ filming The Castaways, a new drama for Paramount+ based on Lucy Clarke’s bestselling novel, in Greece.
The actress put the weight loss down to the active role in which she plays missing person Lori Holme.
Speaking to Radio Times magazine, Ms Smith said: ‘I had a challenge this year, the most physical part I’ve ever done.
‘Running up and down a beach, climbing trees to pick fruit, jumping off cliffs, going through jungle, falling over, cutting my legs, then they say, ‘Go again,’ a few times more. I lost so much weight!’
Ms Smith, who has portrayed the wife of train robber Ronnie Biggs and Cilla Black, said she enjoyed playing a character who isn’t wearing thick make up or stylish clothes.
The star once said merrily that she was generally cast as ‘old scrubs, chavs and slappers’.
She said of playing a rough castaway: ‘It’s so much fun! Hair wet, dirty, scratched, shorts or bits of clothing from the luggage in the plane, getting more and more wild as Lori goes from wallflower to beach-warrior-queen! That transition was such fun.
‘I was covered in freckles, and it’s quite nice having no face make-up, just yourself.’
Playing a character who spends so much time on the beach did have its down sides though – covering up her numerous tattoos.
‘I had a call three hours before anyone else,’ she said.
‘I couldn’t use my usual stuff to cover them up, it had to be waterproof! So three people were dabbing away every day to cover it all. I never regretted my tats so much – I’ll never have another one.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
