Watch out Mr Selfridge! Princess Marie's 'a force to be reckoned with,' says Zoë in new interview

23 January 2015 01:26

Zoë has spoken in fascinating detail, in production notes released by the ITV Press Centre, about filming the eagerly anticipated third series of drama Mr Selfridge, which begins on 25 January in the UK. She sheds light on her approach to playing a headstrong Russian aristocrat, Princess Marie Wiasemsky, whose son, aviation enthusiast Serge de Bolotoff, marries Rosalie, eldest daughter of entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, during the aftermath of the First World War.

Zoë's childhood memories of Selfridges department store

'When I was a kid, my mum used to go to Selfridges all the time and I used to go with her,' says Zoë. 'I remember it really well. My mum is American so going into department stores was the norm. Selfridges was fairly close to where we lived so it was a place to go.

'Selfridges was a real experience for me. It was massive! It's changed so much now but it was a very glamorous place, and still is. The architecture is so beautiful. I love the clock and the doors and it still had the wooden floors. It is a beautiful shop.'

Immersing herself in early twentieth-century history

Many of the characters – including Zoe's – are based on real people.

'I didn't know anything about Harry Selfridge, but for me that was the fun of doing this job. I enjoy the research. Reading about Harry is quite a revelation. He was a genius. The whole idea of placing items on shop counters was his idea – but then he was surprised when people nicked things!

'I took a lot of the background research about my character from Lindy Woodhead, who wrote the book Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge. IÂ’ve also been reading a lot about Russian history, particularly during that period in which my character lived.'

Princess Marie's flight from Russia after the Bolshevik revolution

'The fact the aristocracy had to get out of Russia very quickly and take as much wealth as they could carry without being searched was very important to me. You can see the desperation of having to survive and get by in a foreign land.

'To have to run must have been terrifying. Imagine horses chasing you across snow and ice and trying to get on a train and out of there. Apparently the mentality of the aristocracy was extraordinary. In Moscow, before they had to get out, the manicurists were run off their feet because the women had to have their nails done!'

Princess Marie makes a big impression on the Selfridges

'The first time you see her is at the wedding of her son Serge who has married into the Selfridge family. His bride is the beautiful Rosalie Selfridge.

'At the reception afterwards she seems to know everybody! She's quite a character. In history she's described as a bombshell.'

Serge's marriage to Harry Selfridge's daughter has plenty of benefits

'One thing that stands out is that she adores her son. She thinks he's the best thing since the invention of the telephone. She loves that he's married into money. That makes her very happy. And the excitement of marrying a Selfridge is great.

'Harry Selfridge moves in the same society which she moves in. Princess Marie goes higher because she knows lots of royalty and lots of rich and powerful people in England. She is a great society mover.

'Although Harry Selfridge is American, it's clear he's done well for himself. He's powerful, rich and charismatic and interesting. That suits her fine. For her son that is fantastic. Also, as family there's a possibility Harry might invest in Serge's aeroplane if Serge plays his cards right.

'I think the match has mutual benefits as the marriage elevates the Selfridge family too. It must have been a huge thing for his daughter to marry Prince Bolotoff.'

Deciding on the right look for glamorous Princess Marie

'At the wedding the hat Princess Marie wears is fantastic. We decided it had to look like a crown. We went on the premise that the hat would be completely eccentric and the look regal and powerful to accentuate her character, particularly as it's the first time we meet her.

'She had been in Paris before arriving in London so she would have spent a lot of money on clothes of the couture at the time. She would have had the very best clothes and it was very important she looked moneyed.

'The detail is wonderful. The costume designer [James Keast] has been great and very supportive. We talked a lot about what she would wear, the colours, jewellery and make-up. We looked at a lot of pictures and talked about different styles, and that she always had to look up to date.

'The era wasn't one I was unused to. When I was doing The Cherry Orchard at The National Theatre, the set designer, Bunny Christie found a fantastic book on Coco Chanel. It was a wonderful pictorial book on what Coco was wearing at this period and we based a lot of those costumes on them. Corsets had just started to go, so the shape was different. I now love the style, as I think James and the team on Mr Selfridge have done the most beautiful job.'

Imperious Princess Marie is accustomed to a life of luxury

'She's a force to be reckoned with,' laughs Zoë. 'I love her one-liners. She's arrogantly funny. But she's got to be witty and sharp – to go through all she has and keep your sense of humour, you have to be funny.

'Princess Marie is a complete aristocrat. It's not unusual for her to be waited on hand and foot. She never closes doors because someone else is meant to do that. She never picks things up and she expects someone else to clear up. ItÂ’s always been that way.

'There is one scene when she gives Serge and Rosalie a samovar as a wedding present. Samovars were considered the most beautiful, expensive piece. In the old days, to give something like that was a big thing as they cost a fortune. When she's asked how to use it sheÂ’s got no idea at all, but that is because it's always been done by someone else!'

Princess Marie loves to spend, spend, spend!

'When it comes to money she doesn't think anything of charging everything to Harry Selfridge's account. As far as she's concerned it's totally normal. She's the mother of his son-in-law and that's just how things are.

'She was known as a serial spend thrift and that's how she lived all her life.'

Learning to speak in a convincing Russian accent

'[Voice coach] Liam [Robinson] was a godsend. He did a lot of research for me. He has a Russian model as a friend who speaks English in a certain kind of way. He recorded her voice and I spent time listening to her. I didnÂ’t want to make the accent too ''meerkat'' because that's going slightly too far. Instead I wanted to give her an aristocratic tone so it wasn't incomprehensible or laughable.

'During the filming of the wedding reception there were a couple of Russian speakers. I started speaking to them and asked them if my accent was OK. It was good housekeeping, and I got a seal of approval so that was good!'

Comments from other Mr Selfridge cast members

Also in Mr Selfridge's production notes, Leon Ockenden (Serge), speaks very highly of his co-star. He says, 'Zoë's character does have an accent in the show so we often practiced Russian dialect work together. We also use some words when our characters are together, exchanged between mother and son. The way we use Russian is at moments of heightened emotion. There's a really good word in Russian that basically means ''little brat''. In one scene Serge is being disrespectful to Harry and she uses it to call him into line.'

'I'd happily work with Zoe every day for the rest of my life until I die. She's amazing, wonderfully detailed and very precise. She's also really fun, and always has such a naughty gleam in her eye!'

Ockenden has also spoken to STV, which broadcasts Mr Selfridge in Scotland, about how much he admires her. In the video interview he emphasises that acting alongside Zoe is very enjoyable and praises her as 'an incredibly detailed, specific actress'.

In another video interview from STV Kara Tointon (Rosalie) makes clear that she too is delighted to be working with Zoe. 'She's wonderful, and I'm such a massive fan'. Tointon adds that Zoe is 'great fun to be around, and what she's doing with this character is fantastic!'

You can watch Zoë and her co-stars in the new, ten-part series of Mr Selfridge on Sundays, from 25 January, at 9pm on ITV1/STV.

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