Just stumbled upon this brand new interview with Mandana

http://www.afterellen.com/People/2006/10/mandana.html

awesome interview! can you imagine and Helen and Nikki series....OMG.....can someone mail this to Simone please!

Thanks for that bit of info orlando. Finally some news from Mandana! I hope she returns to acting soon. :)

Excellent interview! We get so little NEW information about Simone or Mandana, especially Mandanna. It was nice to see.

How exciting that Mandanna would be open to reprising Nikki under the right circumstances. And how funny the statement that Mandanna thinks there is something curious about her and Simone having babies within a month of each other. Haven't we all been theorizing about that for awhile?

Yes, my heart skipped a beat or two when I caught sight of a certain red shirt on the AfterEllen frontpage!! :D

I just find it incredibly frustrating that a gorgeous, talented, and profound (not to mention brave--I mean drugfree childbirth!!) woman such as Mandana should have difficulty in getting decent acting jobs.

And the thought that there's an even remote possibility of the two them reappraising their BG roles....

Wonderful Interview!
It's nice to know we aren't the only ones who miss Nikki, Mandana does too.
The comment about the movie premiere and being asked to wear a suit, I had not heard before. It's good to see MJ stuck to her guns, and showed up as Mandana and not her character. Kudos to her for that.
**Not that I don't mind seeing Mandana Jones in Armani ** :wink :devil

For the first three seasons of British television series Bad Girls, Mandana Jones played Nikki Wade, a lesbian who was put behind bars after killing a police officer who had assaulted her girlfriend. On the series, Jones fell in love with prison governor Helen Stewart (Simone Lahbib) in a lengthy, complex story line that developed over several seasons and made both actresses lesbian icons, despite the fact that they are both straight.

The DVD of the first season of Bad Girls has been available in the United States since 2005, and plans are in the works to release a DVD of the second season. In addition, the FX network is currently developing an American version of the show, which is expected to contain most of the same characters and storylines as the original — including the developing relationship between Nikki and Helen.

Jones, now a 39-year-old mother, discusses in her first interview for an American publication the role that made her famous, her chemistry with co-star Lahbib, and the responsibility she has felt to the lesbian community.

AfterEllen.com: Bad Girls is one of very few TV shows to feature a lesbian relationship and attract a large and diverse audience. Why do you think the show succeeded where others have struggled?
Mandana Jones: I suppose, first off, because they treated the love story with the same degree of detail they would a heterosexual relationship. In Britain here, since it’s a politically correct society, you always have to have the Asian family and the black family and the gay couple. It’s often a bit of tokenism. I think Bad Girls was the first time I can certainly remember that [a lesbian relationship] got that much detail, that much observation.

AE: Tell me a bit about the character you played, Nikki Wade.
MJ: She was that sort of archetypal character, tough on the outside, but really soft as shit inside. In the whole Bad Girls scheme, there were a lot of these sort of cranky nutters, but somehow Nikki was — despite the fact that she had a lot of her own foibles and problems — she was in a sense a kind of moral pivot. She was a loner. She could go in and out of the crowd, but she had her own identity and she didn’t need to hang out in a group.

AE: It may seem an odd question, but do you ever miss the character?
MJ: Do I miss her? She was — she is — a fantastic character, and yes, I do miss her. Short of having a long-term TV contract in which you have a very well-drawn character, you don’t get to do that. You don’t get to play a role that is as fleshed out as Nikki was. So yes, I do, I do miss that.

AE: For your career arc, do you have any regrets about having taken the role?
MJ: No, not at all. Actually, it was very educational for me.

AE: In what way?
MJ: We did some prison visits, and I’d never been inside or around prisons before then. Prior to that, I hadn’t really been forced to look left or right, but just at what was straight ahead of me. I found prison is all about what doesn’t work in our society, and so actually what they show us is what is wrong with our society.

AE: Do certain lines or scenes from the show stay with you?
MJ: One that stays with me always is in the first series, a scene with the character of Monica. Nikki rounds on Monica for having been selfish by trying to commit suicide just before she’s released, in effect throwing away an opportunity so many people would be begging for.

I think that glimpse of Nikki is probably what I loved about her the most, that strength and compassion, but also the limitations of her humanity, that she could still be annoyed and angry and compassionate and understanding at the same time. That was a nice mixture, and I like that kind of thing. I think what makes incredibly moving situations and stories is when you see a conflict of emotions, and I just think life’s a lot like that, really.

AE: You’ve said you were drawn to the show in part because of the quality of the writing.
MJ: I think that communication, 80 percent of it is actually nonverbal, and I think Bad Girls gave the framework for you to play a lot of stuff that wasn’t actually in the text. Very often the construction of a script is all so snapshot and quick-quick-quick to keep the viewers’ attention. In Bad Girls, there’s a lot of subtext that comes through, not just in the Nikki-and-Helen relationship but in all of the relationships. You’ve got the line coming out, but why the viewer gets interested is that there’s subtext; there’s all the unspoken which speaks reams.

AE: Can you explain what made the chemistry between you and Simone Lahbib, who played Nikki’s love interest, Helen Stewart, work so well?
MJ: It’s a very strange thing. I think it was just to do actually with the fact we’d go on set and we would just, as best as we possibly could, suspend disbelief. We were very comfortable in each other’s company, and we could kind of go for it with each other because there wasn’t any embarrassment on a personal level. I think in a way that was quite freeing and amazing.

AE: At a movie premiere, you and Simone held hands and kissed in public. Were you just two friends having fun, or were you making a political statement?
MJ: In all honesty, I think it was a bit of working the crowd, I have to say. [Laughs.] I remember at the time being told to wear a suit to the premiere and I drew the line at that. I thought, well why? We’re not Nikki and Helen, we’re actually Simone and Mandana going out. I said, ‘I’m not wearing a suit; I’m wearing a dress, that’s it. Not unless you want to go and get me a fabulous suit.’ [Laughs.] It was a little bit … when you get told to wear a suit, you know what you’re expected to be doing on that public outing, so I think it was a little bit of a tip and a nod in that direction.


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part 2 of Mandana Jones interview on afterellen.com
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AE: There is still an outcry for you and Simone to reappraise your roles in a TV movie or similar format. Is it ever going to happen?
MJ: I haven’t been approached in any shape or form. I think there’d be a lot of interest for it. I think it’d be terribly interesting. And what I also think is interesting is that I think Simone had her child a month before me. I’ve often thought the fact we both have babies born less than four weeks apart is curious, and we must have continued to go down a similar arc as it were, in terms of life.

AE: So you’re not opposed to reappraising the role, if the script is right.
MJ: No, I’m not. I think the integrity of the story would be important to me. I wouldn’t really be interested just in a reappraisal because you could make a lot of dough out of it and sell it globally. Having said that … [laughs], I might slightly eat my words, given that there’s now a baby in the frame. I would like it if there were any talk of it. I would really like it that they’ve come up with something interesting and a real development, that they’ve got something to say.

AE: Your son is now 11 months old. How has raising him affected you?
MJ: As much as I adore my boy — and he is a joy — it is like a prison sentence. [Laughs.] It really is, and nobody tells you that. Nobody can prepare you for how life-changing it is and how relentless it is, and you just think, well, this is how it’s going to be. I don’t know when I’ll sleep again. [Laughs.]

I had a natural birth at home with no drugs. I feel like I really went into it. It’s like anything in life. You can go to India and come back a changed person, or you can go to India and go, “Wasn’t that a lovely holiday?” Being such an ancient mother, I really wanted to get what was going on, and not skim around the edges and have a superficial experience of it. … Now I’ve changed my mind. [Laughs.] Now I want a superficial experience, and the drugs.

AE: Time for the epidural?
MJ: I’m a little late for the epidural, but there’s always vodka. [Laughs.]

AE: Many actresses in their 30s struggle to find quality roles. Do you fear experiencing that struggle as you return to work now, after taking time off for your son?
MJ: I’m 39 now, and I’ve experienced it already. You go up for jobs selling tea bags or whatever it is — it’s not that interesting, really. I think you kind of know it’s coming, and you’re prepared for it, really. It’s not some sudden realization. It seems you have to wait until you’re old enough to play Gertrude in “Hamlet.”

AE: Has motherhood changed how you view the work you want to do?
MJ: I feel I’d be jolly lucky to get anything. I’m not being overly humble. There are a lot of incredibly talented people out there, and I was very lucky to get the part of Nikki Wade because it’s rare that you get to play a character who can have an impact around the world. You just don’t get many roles that really affect and change people’s lives.

I still am amazed that something you shot, say, seven, eight years ago is impacting someone in Lithuania who’s sending you letters saying, “I am 57 years old. Your program has given me confidence to come out. Now I’m about to go upstairs and wake up my invalid, bed-ridden, 85-year-old mother and tell her that I’m a lesbian.” And you think, “No! Don’t do it, for God’s sake!” [Laughs.]

AE: Do you feel a particular responsibility to fans in the gay community?
MJ: Yes, I do. But then I also think I’ve really succeeded if someone asks, “What part did you play?” and I can say, “Nikki Wade,” and I don’t have to back it up with, “the gay one.” The fact is, sadly, nine times out of 10, that’s what I have to say is, it was the lesbian character. Maybe that’s because you can’t shift in one performance generations of regard. “Which one is that one? The lesbian?” I always felt that was a shame. I failed in that case, but there it is.

AE: It seems a good time to work in two words that seem to come up in every interview with you and Simone: lesbian icons.
MJ: Can we work in one more? International. [Laughs.]

AE: The pressure on two straight women to represent a community — that must have been incredibly intense.
MJ: Yeah, I think it was. Definitely so. You’re just an imposter to some extent, trying to play it as real as possible, but never sure if you’re pulling the rabbit out of the hat or not. So, yes, there is always that feeling of, you know, we’re two straight actresses and are we getting this right? Is this ringing any bells for you?

I did feel a sense of “I’ve got to get this right, and if I don’t then all I’ll do is reinforce all the same prejudices.” I felt very keenly that sense. So, for me, I always returned to just playing a love story. It just doesn’t matter. The gender is irrelevant. If you get caught up in the fact that it’s gay, you’re putting it in a ghetto.

I find it offensive — you don’t talk about the straight couple. You don’t talk about the white family. You don’t talk about that. You don’t use that prefix. So let’s just try and get rid of it, let’s just drop it. She’s militant, she’s gay, she’s out — I couldn’t come to it that way. I could only come to it from my truth, which is: It’s love, it’s universal.


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i thought this was a really nice interview, mandana seems to realy care about her roles, and her fans

Yeah that was an awsome interview imagen that going in to labour at home and haveing a baby with no drugs for the pain man i'd have died but if thats what Mandana wanted then that was her prefrance but me nah couldn't do it i'm sceard of pain.

But good on Mandana anyway.

God, what a great treat to wake up and find this waiting in my mailbox, the woman does give wonderfully substantive interviews, how nice to have some new material to read for a change. Now if only they'd had an up-to-date photo it'd be just about perfect. :)

ETA: I might be in a minority but the idea of Mandana reprising the role by playing opposite anyone but SL strikes me as next to heresy. And in reality, the chance seems remote at best; if they redo the show, they'll recast. Sadly enough. (& I agree with others who have observed it seems extremely unlikely S would be interested in any futher involvement w/the role.)

i think Mandana is great! Her interviews are always both thoughtful and humerous. I love the fact that she is happy being an international lesbian icon and would love to bring nikki and helen back to life. Shed should certainly think about it....would do wonders for their ratings and what has now unfortunately become a mediocre tv series :(

and dare i say it? i always think Mandana comes across as much more inteligent than simone in her interviews....

Great Interview from a wonderful woman :D My Nikki :D

HandN4ever i agree she alway comes across as being a very thoughtful and caring
woman does our Mandana.A very open minded person well rounded.
It also came across in her iterviews on the DVDs.

She said that she would not mind reprising the role of Nikki which dosent surprise me.

But I doubt if Simone would say the same.

Thats the difference i see between them :D

i dont thin simone was as keen on the lesbian icon issue and i reckon she may be a bit more insecure....and i agree, Mandana comes across as more intelligent. pity about the lack of roles she is being offered.

Intelligent, articulate, beautiful. I adore this woman. :)


Someone give her a job! :D

There's a new interview ... actually a Q&A ... at this site: www.afterellen.com. It's fairly long and has lots of new insights into her current life, as well as some thoughts on "Bad Girls."

I couldn't believe it when I saw this interview with Mandana. She has an absolute sure footedness in getting to the heart of any question and, in particular, it was a joy to see what she describes as 'the 80 per cent non verbal subtext' of what BG was. What was delightful was her open pleasure in BG as a whole, her positive attitude towards her role as Nikki wade, that it represented freedom and such a good vehicle for her acting and playing opposite Simone.

Wow, this is a fucking fantastic interview, and just confirms AGAIN how much I would enjoy having lunch with Mandana. As much as I like Simone as an actress, and love her interpretation of Helen Stewart, I can't say the same about her. I picked out a few of my favorite bits:

It's comments like these that show what a wise woman Mandana is. And someone who can actually truly see outside her own experience to understand society at large. Rare in an actor, I've noticed.

It's a very rare straight person that really understands this. I just love the way she talks about gay issues. With far more comfort and enlightenment than any straight actor I've ever come across. Even more than most gay actors, actually, now that I think about it, because she doesn't have the baggage of having actually gone through coming out, experiencing homophobia etc. The proverbial lesbian chip on the shoulder.

And agreed with all the folks who were glad that she talked about how cosmically in-tune it was that she and Simone had kids less than two weeks apart. And her interest in playing Nikki again (although I doubt she'd do it without Simone, and since Simone would probably never do it, I'm not holding my breath).

Fabulous.

I liked this:

<G>

Isn't there something in quantum physics, Bell's Theorem or one of those, that states that particles when they collide almost mystically rub off on each other? Leave a little bit of 'charm' behind as they carom off wildy into disparate directions? <G>

And this:

Lord yes.

In the interview Mandana says, "In Britain here..." - does this mean she's back home in England, from Spain? I hope there's more info on this! :huh:
Also, I aways thought it was amazing & funny how SL & MJ had babies around the same time. :o

What a refreshing, insightful interview. Honestly. I'm totally delighted with this woman. Shed could not have picked a better person to play Nikki Wade.

MJ says: "In Bad Girls, there’s a lot of subtext that comes through, not just in the Nikki-and-Helen relationship but in all of the relationships. You’ve got the line coming out, but why the viewer gets interested is that there’s subtext; there’s all the unspoken which speaks reams."

Amen.

*dies*

So articulate, so sincere, and you can tell she takes great thought in every answer. And how wonderful to find that she still carries such an obvious love for the character, even after all these years. When she first played the role and talked about it, you could see she took her responsibility as a representative for the gay community as a serious one, but she also wanted to make us, the viewer, see Nikki without the prefix, as she puts it. "The gay one." And there's no doubt in my mind that she still feels the very same way. There is such a depth to both the actress and her interviews, and it's so nice to see something new from her.


-coolbyrne

Mmm. Would LOVE to see her on SPOOKS, as another MI5 agent. Especially as they're down an agent. That would be so cool. Her and Hermione Norris. Sparks maybe?

MMMMMMMM
Great interview

FX would have a lot to live up to if their going to remake the show. Dont know if I could handle watching two other actresses playing the roles of nikki and helen. :eek

Let alone all the other caracters.

Who would you cast to play shell? or Fenner?

Be nice to see what they did with nikki and helens characters after season 3 though.

Great Interview~ I wonder if AfterEllen know how lucky thay are to have snagged her ...!!! I wonder how they approached her and tempted her to talk.

I've said before that I could see Mandana playing a Spooks type charcater ..something dark ..or Silent Witness-ish.
Well we can hope...lol

COOL B)

The part of the interview where she talks about Simone having her child
within weeks of her own made me a little sad. It sounds as if they no longer
have a relationship with each other.

Great interview! Great to see a Mandana interview around here.

I loved the interview. It was great to hear from Mandana after all this time. I'm not sure if Mandana really is smarter than Simone. Seems to me that Mandana was just asked questions that we can relate more to. Both Simone and Mandana always seemed very respectful of their gay fans and they both don't mind being labled lesbian icons. (or according to Mandana international lesbian icons :D ) Although i do agree that Mandana seems more relaxed about that part, but that could just be my interpretation.

I wrote Sarah from afterellen.com to thank her for posting the interview and asked if there was a possibility to get un up-to-date picture of Mandana. Her reply was that they used a prominent picture that was on one of Mandana's fansite and that unfortunantly it was difficult to find a more recent photo that met their requirements. I had though as much, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask. Also when you reply to a topic they know that there is interest in the subject, so maybe everybody should write afterellen.com. Who know, maybe they'll interview Simone as well! (Just a thougth; maybe we should get some questions going that we could send to afterellen.com. If they ever interview Simone.... :D Hey, we can finally ask what she ment by 'We'll take things slow'! )

Just one question... I didn't understand this part: "I think it was just to do actually with the fact we’d go on set and we would just, as best as we possibly could, suspend disbelief." Any ideas on what Mandana could have ment by this?

Great idea ... I agree we should write to AfterEllen.com and tell them we appreciated the interview and would like them to contact Simone as well.

You know, I love that site because it gives a forum for in-depth interviews like the one with Mandana. Is there any other place -- online or in print, in the U.S. or Britain -- that would print that interview or ones like that? I can't think of any.

What a bore it must for Mandana and Simone to answer the "What was it like to kiss a girl?" question over and over. I wish more interviewers asked in-depth questions ... and I wish there were more publications that would publish such things.

I think I should have said that Mandana is more serious than Simone, not that she's smarter. And it comes through in interviews. It's not that she's asked more provacative interesting questions, but that she chooses to respond to them in a thoughtful, considered, serious way, rather than to make a quip or a joke, the way Simone sometimes (not always!) does.

I thought she meant that when they were filming scenes, they really got into their characters, so they could truly feel they were Nikki Wade and Helen Stewart, lesbian lovers in prison, rather than Mandana and Simone pretending to be lesbian lovers, working on a television production set. Letting go of their real selves and truly becoming the characters.

"Suspending disbelief" is what we all do when we watch a TV show or a movie. We know Harrison Ford isn't Indiana Jones, but for those 2 hours, we allow ourselves to believe it in order to enjoy the movie. So I think Mandana is saying, "We had to suspend our disbelief -forget for those moments that we're both straight women- and allow ourselves to believe we were Helen and Nikki in order to do our job as honestly as we could." (That, of course, is my opinion; MJ might have an entirely different meaning!)

No, I don't think it's about intelligence, either. I think they're both very intelligent women and are both wonderfully articulate in expressing their thoughts. The difference I do see is their approach to their roles. Whether or not Mandana felt a higher responsibility because she was playing "the token gay", I've always felt that she saw Nikki Wade as an opportunity, whereas I've always felt Simone saw it as just another job. Don't get me wrong, that's not a slam against Simone- for many actors, the nature of show business is seen strictly from a professional point of view. I see it in her (Simone's) interviews (particularly the DVD ones) and I don't see that connection with Helen that I see with Mandana and Nikki. There was one telling moment in the DVD interview where I thought, "Ah, right there, she's genuinely considering the question," and that was when she was asked if it was different kissing a woman than it was kissing a man. There was just that slight pause and she looks away from the camera, and the flippancy is gone, the tongue-behind-the-teeth grin slips just a bit, and you can tell it was one question she hadn't really considered herself.

On the other hand, I've always thought that Mandana considered every question, and probably did so well before she took the role. I suspect she took into account what taking the role would mean, not only for her, but for the representation of gay characters on television. I don't think she took the role on a whim, and I never felt she ever took the role lightly. I don't think the gay community hoisted responsibility on her shoulders to portray the character honestly- I think she put that responsibility on herself. She never forgot the opportunity she had to represent lesbians, but she also never forgot the opportunity she had to change perceptions of the straight community, either. You can tell in the current interview that she still hasn't forgotten. I'm not sure many actors would haven taken on both those tasks with such conviction.


-coolbyrne

The interview was great for a start as the questions asked were really good ones and Mandana expanded so marvellously in a way that was totally unafraid and with such thoughtfullness. It's as if Mandana saw no barriers, any ways that she was supposed to think or speak and sailed right through them. It is highly interesting that she does not think too much of the notion of 'political correctness' and has said this before in the Series 1 cast interview. She is right to do so because she is able to transcend it.

Done!

I agree with the view that Mandana is not necessarily more intelligent than Simone, whose portrayal of Helen was after all both spot-on and seemed very loyal to the character Shed had created, but that Mandana seems to be more reflective, articulate and, yes, more profound than Simone.

I guess it shows who I'd rather have lunch with...

As for the possibility of some sort of Nikki and Helen spin off, I'm not holding my breath either, mainly because I agree that I don't think Simone would be open to the idea, but a girl can dream, right?

Very nice interview, very candid and so Mandana. Quite unsurprising really.
Hope she also impresses the casting directors and lands a plum role, as Mandana puts it, with a long term TV contract.

Exactly.

They were the very definition of being "in the moment" when they played those scenes. They became Helen & Nikki and suspended their own disbelief right along with ours. That's one reason the portrayals continue to resonate with us.

I've been finding that I've needed to reread the interview as ideas pop into my mind as there are certain things that stick out to my mind.
'She was - she is- a fantastic character, and yes, I do miss her."

It is highly indicative that Mandana shifts from the past to the present tense which shows how much the role means to her. The sheer depth of the character is one obvious reason but I have felt that another reason is that there are aspects of Nikki's personality that Mandana identifies with.

"I think that communication, 80 percent of it is actually nonverbal, and I think Bad Girls gave the framework for you to play a lot of stuff that wasn’t actually in the text. Very often the construction of a script is all so snapshot and quick-quick-quick to keep the viewers’ attention. In Bad Girls, there’s a lot of subtext that comes through, not just in the Nikki-and-Helen relationship but in all of the relationships. You’ve got the line coming out, but why the viewer gets interested is that there’s subtext; there’s all the unspoken which speaks reams."

This paragraph went buzzing around in my mind seeking to make connections and, in particular, recent discussions of Series 1 in particular. Mandana has spelt out very simply just why we have all gone through discussions, just what has grabbed us in the first place for all sorts of reasons. The words come to mind that this sort of validates us.

abzug and coolbyrne, thanks for exampling suspending disbelief. Now i understand better what Mandana was saying! I agree with you coolbyrne that Mandana does sound more serious and that Simone will joke around if she can. I loved that Mandana didn't mind talking about a character she played years ago. I would expect that talking about it got old after a while, but they are both very respectful of the character after all this time!

@orlando. If afterellen.com does interview Simone, maybe they can ask her. I mean if she says yes....

I received a nice reply back from Sarah at AfterEllen (editor@afterellen.com). It seems they really do appreciate feedback on the interview.

I'm still curious though ... There's that awful, homophobic interview with Simone (or supposedly with Simone) that's out in a tabloid right now. Are there publications out there that would have an honest chat with Simone, if she were willing? And surely AfterEllen isn't the only place Mandana can say her bit.

suchfun, I didn't know anything about that homofobic article. It doesn't seem like anything Simone would do. In all the interview on camera she was gay friendly. (The only comment of hers i didn't like was when she told her grandmother that she had to kiss a woman for her job and that her grandmother said it was okay as long as she doesn't like it.)

Do you have a link for the articel? And yes i'm sure Mandana could say her bit anywhere, but what other place would interview her if she doesn't have a new gig? Don't get me wrong, if Mandana was willing it would be great if we could ask the questions.

Diva magazine is probably Britain's most well known lesbian magazine. And yes they would ask decent questions. Naturally at the time Nikki and Helen featured a few times in this magazine!


as for the simone/mandana intelegence article.... i can see intelegence may be the wrong word. so i will go with academic. i think Mandana is more academic than Simone. the way she analizes her questions and her answers go deeper than just the surface would make me think that she has a university degree or a few a levels under her belt!