Acting is not the most routine of jobs. Yet for actress Anne-Marie Duff, nothing is more important than her rituals.
In fact, the Shameless star is so superstitious she even changes her hygiene schedule depending on the character she is playing.
Speaking ahead of next Wednesday’s return of Channel 4 drama Suspect, the 53-year-old multi-award-winning actress says sticking to her method helps counterbalance the unknown quantities, especially on the stage.
She explains: “You don’t know if the show’s going to be good tonight, you don’t know if someone’s going to forget the lines, you don’t know...
“So you have all these things. I have my rituals. I’ll go, like, ‘I do this at this time’, and ‘I do that at this time’. You get little sort of obsessive-compulsive behaviours that are... they’re really rituals, superstitions, aren’t they?
“I know exactly the time I have to have a shower before a show, and it depends on the character.”
Joking that some observers might find it quite dark, Anne-Marie says she goes as far as to ensure she smells exactly how she would expect her character to, painstakingly matching the perfume to the role.
Even when playing the same character, such as when she was Lady Macbeth in both Broadway and the National Theatre in London, she had to have separate fragrances for the two separate productions. And the two did not interchange.
“I am superstitious. I’m really superstitious,” she admits. “But I think it’s like being a gambler, or a footballer.
“You wear your lucky pants, or you go, ‘Right, I always choose number 17’.”
With such a stellar cast, there was no luck involved with Suspect being one of Channel 4’s hits of 2022.
The second series will bring about a story shift from focusing on James Nesbitt’s original lead character to Anne-Marie’s Dr Susannah Newman, as she begins a desperate bid to track down a self-confessed serial killer.
Of course, Anne-Marie’s no stranger to being the leading lady. After shooting to fame as Fiona Gallagher in the cult series Shameless 20 years ago, she went on to star in acclaimed dramas including BBC’s The Virgin Queen.
Most recently she won the 2023 Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for her role as newly widowed Grace Garvey in the Apple TV+ comedy drama Bad Sisters.
Born in London to Irish parents, Anne-Marie was previously married to her Shameless co-star James McAvoy, 45, who she met on the show.
They share a 14-year-old son, Brendan, but split in 2016 after James followed the Hollywood route.
But don’t expect the teenager to be the next nepobaby wanting to follow in his parents’ footsteps.
“He is so adamantly against (acting),” reveals Anne-Marie. “He’s not even going to take drama at school! If he wants to do it, it’ll be his decision when he’s grown up.
“I think the issue, to be honest is that he’s a bit like, ‘I don’t want everyone comparing me to you two’.”
As well as being mum to Brendan, Anne- Marie is a devoted sister to older brother Eddie who was diagnosed with early onset dementia at 40. Speaking on the Dish From Waitrose podcast, Anne-Marie reveals: “He has been living with it for about fourteen years.
“He’s all right. It is what it is. We are so blessed though, with his mood. He has huge contentment.
“So we don’t have the anxiety and rage that a lot of people have to deal with. And so he’s very loving. His vocabulary is very limited so he’ll just go, ‘Duran Duran!’
“And it’s so gorgeous. And my boy is really good with him, and my dad is amazing with him.”
The star is an ambassador of The Alzheimer’s Society - she was introduced to the charity's work through her friend Carey Mulligan, who she met on 2015’s Suffragette. A hugely devoted campaigner, Anne-Marie’s acting schedule is as busy as ever. As well as another series of Suspect, which will feature Mamma Mia! star Dominic Cooper, she has just finished filming a second run of Bad Sisters with Sharon Horgan.
But Anne-Marie says she is still pinching herself about the black comedy’s global success and her own BAFTA win.
She recalls: “When they said my name, I thought they said somebody else’s. Because there was another nominee that started ‘A...’.
“And the camera was really far away from me. Usually there’s a camera right there ready to witness your disappointment! I have a cupboard where I put awards. Because I feel like, you don’t want to be putting them out showing off... But I can’t quite put my BAFTA in there!”
- This week’s Dish From Waitrose podcast with Nick Grimshaw and chef Angela Harnett is out today.