Born in Yorkshire, Froggatt, 38, joined Coronation Street at the age of 16. She won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Anna Bates in the television series Downton Abbey and will appear in the Downton movie. Her other TV work includes Dark Angel and Liar, which returns for a second series later this year. From next week until the end of March, she stars in Alys, Always at The Bridge theatre, London. She is married and lives in Buckinghamshire.
When were you happiest?
On my wedding day in Oxfordshire, six years ago.
What is your earliest memory?
When I was little, my parents owned a grocery shop. We lived above it and I remember supermarket-sweeping as much stuff as possible into a basket, to play with.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Caring too much about what other people think.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty.
What would your super power be?
Time travel.
What makes you unhappy?
Lukewarm coffee.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My feet – they are a weird shape.
What is your most unappealing habit?
Leaving half-drunk cups of green tea around the house.
What is your favourite word?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
An actor – that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I went to stage school when I was 13.
What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?
People always think they are giving me a compliment, which is: “You look much thinner, prettier and younger in real life.”
What do you owe your parents?
Everything. None of my family was in entertainment but my parents were amazingly supportive. My dad has a saying, “You must chuck a brick and run after it,” which is a northern way of saying, you’ve got to have a go at things.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“I’m freezing” – I’m always cold.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Scraping plates in a fish and chip cafe in Whitby.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I’d change my mindset and not be so hard on myself, and impart the knowledge that other people’s intentions aren’t always as well-meaning as my own.
What is the closest you’ve come to death?
I was in a car crash when I was 16, and I have a little scar on my face from smashing the passenger window with my head. If the car had rolled, I would have been dead.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being a decent person.
What has been your closest brush with the law?
I was in a mini supermarket last week and this woman rushed up behind me and said, “Excuse me, excuse me.” So I held the door open for her and then realised that she had just swiped a load of stuff into a bag and legged it.
How would you like to be remembered?
Kind, fun and that I cared.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
That it’s not supposed to be easy.
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