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Serena Scott Thomas has taken on the role of Xander’s unpredictable mother, Fiona Cook, with great gusto. The daytime newcomer, who portrayed Princess Diana in Diana: Her True Story and appeared in the films The World is Not Enough , Hostage , Brothel and Inherent Vice , has eagerly acclimated to the medium. Scott Thomas chatted with Digest about the fabulous Fiona, the character’s battle with alcoholism, and her wonderful Days of our Lives family.
Soap Opera Digest: It looks like you're having a grand time playing Fiona!
Serena Scott Thomas: Beyond [ laughs ]. It was like a duck to water. It's honestly probably the most fun role I've ever had. Fiona, in spite of all her failings, is in a strange sort of way — even though she lies and covers things up — authentically herself. There are flashes of authenticity, which I just thought was so great, because alcoholics, people with mental illness, and people with those kind of problems, are not all bad. They're ill. It's very easy to villainize somebody. People are very disparaging. “Oh, she's completely mental.” Or, “She's neurotic.” Or, “She's a bunny boiler.” People love to disparage and put down people who have problems. They love to say, “Oh, he's drinking again.” It's really important to understand that people who drink a lot have the disease of alcoholism. They are not bad people trying to get good. They're sick people trying to get better, and it's not a straight line. It's up and down. Very few people get sober. A lot of people relapse. It’s part of the process. I love the bits where they made Fiona very human and likable and funny, because everybody has some of everything in them.
Digest: Fiona is so much more than just a woman with an alcohol addiction.
Scott Thomas: Yes, although I would stick my neck out and say that most of us have addictions to various things, even if it's just your telephone. Guilty! I'm actually trying quite hard not to use my phone all the time, because it irritates me. People just can't understand the inability to stop [drinking] of your own free will or for your wife and children or so that you won't lose your job. Fiona genuinely loves Xander and desperately wants to recreate a relationship with him. She wants to make amends for what happened and how she abandoned him. That is a big driving force behind all of her shenanigans.
Digest: Was there any hesitation on your part about delving into daytime considering your success in other mediums?
Scott Thomas: No, not really. Things have changed so much for actors since I first started. You were either a television actor or a cinema actor or a theater actor or a commercial actor — people didn't really move across the different media. Nowadays, everybody does whatever they can get, basically. I really like that because it's a leveling, and it gives you the opportunity to try new things. I have to say that soap opera opera is a very specific skill. Very technical. Very precise. You've got to be very quick. You've got to be able to hit your mark, stand in the right light and say your lines, because you only get one chance. It is very different.
Digest: What were you told about Fiona before you began playing her?
Scott Thomas: I was told that she had had – I'm not sure if they used this word, maybe it’s me putting it on there – a lurid past in Europe and actually lived in some very questionable circumstances. She ended up in treatment or in rehab or in a psychiatric facility, and obviously had become an alcoholic. There were various men [in her past]. Not to give too much away, but let's say there are parallels in my own experience. So for me, it was very cathartic. One of the things I love about acting is that you get to use the darker aspects of your life and maybe the sadder aspects of your life and turn them into something that entertains people or educates people or maybe helps people. That is such a blessing. It's such a gift to be given the opportunity to do that. And I think sometimes it helps exorcise demons. So that's one of the things that I love about acting. Sometimes it's not like that; sometimes it's more surface, and it's fun and it's different. But this particular role, I just felt it was something I needed to do.
Digest: What were your initial days on the show like?
Scott Thomas: When I first went on the set, it was like, “Oh my God. What's happening?” I remember I had a scene with Suzanne [Rogers, Maggie]. I walked up to her, and I must have been blocking her light or her camera or something. She put her hands on my hips out of the shot and sort of nudged me to my right while we were saying our lines. The other actors really looked after me, but it certainly was a very steep learning curve. I have the utmost respect for soap opera actors, because, technically, it's quite difficult.
Digest: How have you enjoyed working with the immediate members of your DAYS family, so to speak; the actors you’ve worked with most closely, namely, Paul Telfer (Xander; read what he says about Scott Thomas here ), Eric Martsolf (Brady), Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) and Suzanne?
Scott Thomas: I just love them all. We have so much fun. And my goodness, they were so good to me as a newbie on the set. Paul and I would run lines together, and he’d say, ‘Now, when they say this, it means that. When they say the line is good, this is what it means. And when you go into a flashback, you have to do this.’ Because there are all these special things [specific to soaps], and I didn't know any of it. It was all new to me, like a whole different language, and I kept messing up the first few days. But everyone was generous with me and so much fun. We laughed and laughed. And Paul, the first time I saw him was in the corridor, he held out his arms and said, “Mum!” We rushed into a big hug. I'd never met the man! He said, “I'm so excited to have a mom.” Linsey is just a delight. Oh my God. She's brilliant. That girl is absolutely brilliant and so beautiful. And Eric, he is such a hoot. He was very, very kind. It had been a long time since I've done any kind of love scene. I really feel as though I'm way past my sell-by date in that department. And I was kind of, you know, embarrassed and skeptical and worried. And he was very funny about it and really made me feel comfortable. Then, of course, Suzanne. I told her, ‘You are just like a queen out there.’ She has this incredible sort of regal presence. The professionalism of all of them is staggering, and their generosity of spirit was just amazing. Everybody from makeup and hair and wardrobe to the producers, the ADs — I mean everybody there is just amazing. Amazing.
Digest: There have been a few British words and expressions tossed into some of your dialogue, like "knickers" and "skivvies." Were they actually in the script or did you add them?
Scott Thomas : Most of them were [in the script]. There was the occasional thing where I said, “Is it okay if I pop this in here?” Or, “In England that means something else, and we probably shouldn't say that.” So there were a few of those, but the writers did a really good job of finding the sort of quirky things that we Brits say.
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