Born in London, Jane Asher, 77, had her first role at five, in the 1952 film Mandy. She went on to appear in Alfie in 1966 and Deep End in 1970, and her extensive stage credits include The Importance of Being Earnest at the Rose in Kingston and An American in Paris at London’s Dominion theatre. She stars in Somerset Maugham’s The Circle at Richmond’s Orange Tree theatre until 17 June. She has three children with the illustrator Gerald Scarfe and lives in West Sussex.
When were you happiest?
The early family skiing holidays – before I’d broken an ankle and Gerald had torn a ligament – were just wonderful.
What is your greatest fear?
I’ve always been frightened of the dark. I sometimes wonder whether it stems from being away filming from the age of five. I can remember being devastatingly homesick and having a little nightlight I used to look at to reassure myself things were all right.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Minding not being liked.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Mental cruelty.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
When I was a teenager, I laughed at a joke I didn’t understand. Whoever told the joke turned to me and said, “What are you laughing at?” Of course I didn’t know and he obviously knew I didn’t know. It was excruciating.
What is your most treasured possession?
A model of a lion that my elder son, Alexander, who is now in his 40s and an artist, made for me at school.
What was the best kiss of your life?
When I was on location in France, making a film called The Greengage Summer when I was 13, I was kissed by a local boy called Jean Jacques and I can still remember the thrill.
Which phrases do you most overuse?
“It’s a nightmare.”
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
The amazing women standing up against the Taliban.
Who is your celebrity crush?
Harrison Ford at the time of The Fugitive. He was perfection.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
There are a million things but, when you’ve got two arms and two legs and you can see and hear, I think you should be happy with what you’ve got.
What scares you about getting older?
Becoming irritating to other people. I don’t want to be a know-all granny or down with the kids.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
A La Recherche du Temps Perdu by Marcel Proust – you feel you should give it a go, but I haven’t.
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What was the last lie you told?
“That was absolutely delicious,” when I went for a meal with friends.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Eating condensed milk out of the tin.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Doing an episode of Doctors was a bit of a nadir.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Fine dining when it goes wrong.
How would you like to be remembered?
If my children remember me as fondly as I remember my mum, that would be a treat.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Not to take anything for granted.
What happens when we die?
I don’t know about my soul, but my brain will be on a shelf in the Parkinson’s UK Brain Bank.
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