If you aren’t familiar with Phoebe Waller-Bridge a) what planet have you been living on? And b) no seriously, where have you been living and what have you been doing with your time?
Phoebe is a hero among (wo)men, a rose among thorns, nay a talented writer who’s work – against staggering odds – has made it into the measly 14% of prime-time TV actually written by women.
We have her to thank for quite possibly the funniest, most shocking and relatable TV moments in recent years (series one Barack Obama bed scene, anyone?) and she has paved the way for showcasing developed, interesting and largely flawed female characters to millions of people.
In May, we asked Waller-Bridge to interview our issue cover star Jodi Comer (they worked together on her latest show Killing Eve) and it’s not just us that recognises her genius.
She was recently hired to help rescue the new James Bond script (reportedly requested by Daniel Craig himself) and this week, her breakout show Fleabag cleaned up at the Emmy Awards in September.
Basically, Waller-Bridge is our woman crush of the century. So, here is everything you need to know about the star of the moment:
Who is Phoebe Waller-Bridge?
Born and raised in West London, Waller-Bridge is the 33-year-old actor, playwright and director best known for her role in BBC’s Fleabag. The RADA alumni made her acting debut in 2009 on Soho Theatre’s stage in Roaring Trade (playing a bond trader exploiting her sex appeal), but since then has focused on TV work, including the now iconic Killing Eve.
How is Phoebe Waller-Bridge coping with lockdown during Covid-19?
While you’ve been filling your house with plants and finally finding time to put up framed photos, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is settling into lockdown during the coronavirus with a wall of penises.
During a recent virtual interview on The Graham Norton Show, the show’s host asked the Fleabag star about her unusual home interiors.
‘You can't even escape Fleabag in the house you're in, can you?’ Norton asked. ‘Because from season 1, the wall of penises, that's in your house.’
‘That is in my house, yes,’ the actress responded. ‘They're all here, keeping me company.’
‘Are they close at hand?’ Norton asked. ‘Can we have a look?’
Waller-Bridge proceeded to show off her penis wall, admitting that she plans to place it in her office when lockdown is over.
‘I'm hoping it will eventually become a hat stand or something adorable like that,’ she joked.
‘This is what who welcomes people when they come through the door,’ she continued.
‘A couple of months ago... my sister and I live here and when we put it there at first, we were like, it would be temporary.
‘And then you know when you just put something down at your house? You don't think about it for ages and then it just becomes invisible to you and then you forget that you have 12 massive penises at front door.’
Waller-Bridge added that a deliveryman came to her door a few months ago and she had ‘completely forgotten’ about her penis wall.
‘He kind of had to bring something in and he was kind of knocking against the c*cks as he was coming in,’ she recalled. ‘I suddenly saw them again for the first time in ages and I just went, “Oh god, I'm so sorry.” And he just looked me dead int he day and was like, “It's art. Never apologise for art.” That was such a cool move from him.’
What has Phoebe Waller-Bridge been up to since Fleabag Season 2 aired?
Well, after the 33-year-old won three Emmy awards: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Series and Best Comedy Writing (all for Fleabag by the way - more on that below) and celebrated with an iconic picture of her with a cigarette in one hand and margarita in the other that soon went viral, she hosted Saturday Night Live!
In the same week, it was also announced that the in-demand writer has signed an overall deal - rumoured to be worth $20 million (£16m) - with Amazon Prime, who currently air Fleabag.
The streaming service said the star will create and produce new TV content for Amazon to premiere exclusively on the platform.
'I'm insanely excited to be continuing my relationship with Amazon,' Waller-Bridge said in a statement. 'Working with the team on Fleabag was the creative partnership dreams are made of. It really feels like home. I can't wait to get going!'
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag
Not only did Waller-Bridge star as the Fleabag’s main character, she also wrote the entire script. It started out as a low-budget, one-woman play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013 and although it wasn’t as well received as the current hysteria might suggest (The Guardian rated it three stars out of five and The Times found it ‘a tad contrived’!), it eventually won the Fringe First Award. The show's popularity lead to it being turned into a TV show for BBC Three.
The success of the series meant it was bumped up to BBC Two, while Amazon Video raced to get their hands on it, streaming it to the US where it quickly became a transatlantic cult classic.
Speaking about how the Emmy-award winning show came to fruition, Waller-Bridge explained that the concept for her character came from 'a place of rage' to an audience at The Town Hall in New York City on Sunday night (24th November).
'I feel a sort of burn when I’m writing something that feels truthful and a bit dangerous and writing the play was just a big ole burn,' she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
'And it was driven by that sense of rage. What if I just said onstage what I say to my friend? Or if I just express some of the rage that I have but turn it up?… The only way I could really describe the character to someone once when they asked me was: When I was feeling at my most down and angry and rageful standing at the precipice of whatever that is in your mind and I looked at the bottom of the chasm and the very bottom was Fleabag. So I was like "I'm going to write her to stop me becoming her."'
At the 2019 Emmy Awards, Waller-Bridge, after picking up her third win, told the ceremony's audience 'this is just getting ridiculous' before adding that the journey from 2014 Edinburgh one-woman show to BBC series has been ‘absolutely mental’.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge tops RadioTimes.com’s annual power list, TV 100
The 34-year-old has risen to the top of the Radio Times' annual power list, beating the likes of journalist Emily Maitlis and broadcaster Stacey Dooley.
BBC’s Director of Content, Charlotte Moore, described Waller-Bridge as 'a phenomenal force of nature'.
'She has taken the world by storm with her breathtakingly original creations [Fleabag and Killing Eve] and is an utterly unique writer and performer,' she added.
'[Her] emotional honesty and mischievous wit constantly surprises and captures the zeitgeist, and leaves the audience only craving more.
'I can't wait to see what she’s done to 007!'
Is Fleabag based on Phoebe Waller-Bridge's real life?
As revealed in an episode in popular podcast How to Fail with Elizabeth Day, one of Waller-Bridge's biggest regrets post-fame is not shielding her family from speculation that Fleabag is entirely autobiographical.
'Women can make things up too! It’s not all our diaries!' she says, explaining that her inspiration actually came from tapping her deepest worries.
'I write about losing my best friend or losing my mum, or not communicating with my dad, or not getting on with his new partner, and all those things are my worst fears: whereas actually my mum’s alive and well, my best friend is alive and well and we have an unbelievable relationship, my relationship with both my siblings is incredible, I get on really well with my stepmother and my dad; but it’s the ‘what if?’.'
Will there be a Fleabag series three?
Tissues at the ready: it’s looking unlikely.
Phoebe told the BBC earlier in 2019 that the series two finale would be 'the final curtain', adding, 'I have thought about it and there isn't going to be one.' Gutted.
The 65-minute long show returned for a limited run in London’s West End from 20th August to 14th September. Of course, tickets sold out almost immediately, but the show was broadcast live in cinemas.
Will Fleabag ever come back?
Never say never. At least, that's what Waller-Bridge is hinting at.
On 2nd October, the writer revealed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, that there might be more in store for Fleabag in the future.
‘I quite like the idea of coming back to her, well, me, when I'm 50,’ she told the show’s host.
‘‘Cause I feel like she would've had more life then, and God knows what she would have got up to.
‘And actually, seeing a character like that in her later stage of life, I think, is exciting. But I think for now, she's been through enough. We got to let her go.’
Phoebe Waller-Bridge explains why viewers fell in love with the 'Hot Priest'
'Fleabag came from a very personal place for me,' Waller-Bridge joked during her Saturday Night Live (SNL) monologue on 5th November.
'It began as a way to get Andrew Scott to dress up as a priest and tell me that he loves me. It took me six years and two seasons to achieve it, but I did it.'
The writer also attempted to explain why the priest, renamed 'Hot Priest' by viewers, captured our hearts (loins).
'Obviously, Andrew is hot, but this priest character caused such a horn-storm,' she said. 'Andrew and I were trying to figure out what it was about him that was driving women so mental.'
Turns out the answer is pretty simple. 'We boiled it down and realised he was doing this one thing: listening. Really, really listening. Try it, guys,' Waller-Bridge advised with smile.
What else has Phoebe Waller-Bridge written or starred in?
You might recognise her from the second series of ITV’s crown jewel drama Broadchurch, where she played barrister Abby Thompson. Before that, however, she wrote and starred in Channel 4’s Crashing, the millennial flat-share comedy series that follows six people living in a disused hospital – a must watch, and thankfully still available on-demand.
She’s had minor roles in films The Iron Lady (2011) about Margaret Thatcher and Simon Pegg’s Man Up (2015), but you probably didn’t even spot her starring role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. She played droid L3-37 and along with providing the voice, Phoebe also acted out the robot’s movements using motion capture. She will host the US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live on 5 October 2019.
Is Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Killing Eve?
No (not yet...). She was the head writer for season one, passing the pen to Emerald Fennell and switching to executive producer for the second.
However, she has recently revealed she’s set on writing herself into the upcoming third series as a victim of assassin Villanelle, played by Jodi Comer, teasing to The Mirror:
'I was like, I am going to write myself a part so that I can be murdered by Jodie.'
We, for one, can't wait.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge looked unrecognisable in debut SNL appearance
Caked in fake tan with lip fillers, Waller-Bridge was looking for love in a mock Love Island villa for her SNL hosting debut.
Her type on paper? Somebody 'proper fit', with 'tattoos' and 'really great banter'.
'But at the same time I'd go with anyone' she added, in an Essex accent.
The star ended up hitting it off with a character named Finlay, who was 'just looking for the right woman to cheat on for the rest of his life', but was soon dumped which left her feeling 'absolutely gutted'.
Shortly afterwards, Waller-Bridge's character realised that the show has helped her gain 1.2 million Instagram followers and is over the moon. 'Well, I don't have to be a stupid paediatric nurse anymore, do I?! Kerching!' she said.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is saving the new Bond film
It was reportedly Daniel Craig who personally requested that Phoebe Waller-Bridge be brought on board to help liven up the script for the new Bond film, currently known only as Bond 25.
But now we've learnt from Naomie Harris, who will reprise her role as Moneypenny in the new film, and who insists on being known as a Bond Woman rather than a Bond Girl, that Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a real presence - and a bit of a lifesaver - even when she's not on set.
The Oscar-nominated actor told The Guardian: 'If there was a problem with the script, then [director] Cary Fukunaga would always be like: "OK, well, I’ll just make a call to Phoebe."'
With rumours buzzing that the next Bond could be a woman, is Phoebe Waller-Bridge the key to making this happen?
