[Jazzy music]
- Hey, Caroline, what are you reading?
- Oh, 'Rogue'.
- What is it?
- Oh, it's a fashion magazine.
You know, lifestyle, jewellery, make-up,
that sort of thing.
- Do you mind if we ask you twenty questions,
or, dare I say, 'Quenty' questions?
- Well, that's okay, but you'll have to do it
as I head down to the rehearsal rooms,
if that's alright?
- Yeah, sure. No worries.
- Great, let's do it!
- Why is your Instagram called @quentyquestions?
- My Instagram is called @quentyquestions, because
my name is Caroline Quentin,
people call me 'Quenty',
and sometimes people do like to ask me
a lot of questions about what I do for a living,
what I do for hobbies, my family life.
So I just thought it would open up a forum, really.
- When's your birthday?
- July the 11th.
So I've got a birthday just before opening night.
- What are you rehearsing today?
- I'm rehearsing 'Jack Absolute Flies Again'
at the Olivier Theatre, and it's a
a sort of reworking of a restoration comedy.
I'm playing Mrs Malaprop,
and Oli Chris and Richard Bean,
who have done this reworking,
have set it in 1940, on an air base in the countryside.
- Describe the plot in three words.
- Well, it's sort of impossible to describe
the whole plot in three words,
but I can tell you the vibe of the show.
It's fast, furious and funny.
What's your favourite Malaprop-ism?
Erm, it is probably a new one,
because Oli and Richard have written some new ones
and I think it's rather rude,
so I might not say it on here,
but suffice it to say it involves a body part.
- Ever forgotten your lines on the stage?
- I'm an actor, of course I've forgotten
my lines on stage, of course I have.
- Ever corpsed?
- Likewise, I honestly, truthfully think
if you're really alive on stage and in the moment,
you're bound to laugh sometimes.
- How are you feeling about opening night?
- I'm feeling rather nervous, because it's a big play
and I'm just looking to see
if there are any loos around,
because I like to know where they are at all times,
particularly when opening night is approaching.
- What's your secret to great comic timing?
- Erm, great comic timing
is different for different people,
but I think probably it's being real,
staying in the moment and listening
very, very carefully to how your feed is delivered.
- How do you relax after a long day of rehearsals?
- I like to walk, swim, garden, bath, drink cider.
- What's the biggest difference between
acting in theatre and film?
- The working day is entirely different.
When you're filming, you get up at
4 o'clock in the morning
and you end your day at 6 or 7.
and when you're in theatre,
you tend not to leave the theatre ‘til about,
I don't know, say, 11 o'clock at night.
- What's your favourite play?
- My favourite play of all time is probably
'The Seagull' by Anton Chekhov.
- Who is the funniest cast member?
- Difficult to say. Very difficult to say.
I've got to be careful, going to rehearsals now.
Don't want to offend anybody.
When I'm on stage with Tim Steed,
I find it very hard not to laugh.
James is hilarious.
Peter is very, very, very funny.
Is that a call?
Oh, don't worry. They're not calling me.
That's for another play.
I don't have to panic.
Did you see I slightly panicked then?
I thought I was getting a call. Going to be in trouble.
This happens at the National Theatre.
You get tunnoy calls to tell you where you should be.
And I should be in the rehearsal room.
- What's your favourite spot at the National Theatre?
- I like to be outside by the river,
looking at the river from one of the balconies.
- Favourite part of gardening?
- Oh, gardening.
That's my other hobby,
but '@cqgardens' is not '@quentyquestions'.
That's a different account.
It is probably the actual planting of seeds
and then the expectation and hope of them growing.
- Best way to end an email.
- 'Lots of love, Quenty.'
- What's your guilty pleasure?
- I'm not really guilty about much.
I have lots of pleasures.
I like laughing, eating, drinking, cooking, gardening.
Going to the theatre,
painting, drawing.
I don't feel madly guilty about any of them, actually.
- Favourite meal on a Sunday morning.
- Oh, scrambled egg with something from the garden,
either asparagus or some home-grown tomatoes,
something like that.
- What's something that made you smile today?
- I have to say, it's the play I'm in.
It's hilarious.
- Okay. Caroline, tell us a secret.
- Now listen, If I tell you a secret,
it won't be a secret, will it?
Do you see the dichotomy?
It's very difficult.
All I will say is, erm, there's something
really exciting that happens in this play.
I'm not going to tell you what it is,
but it's a big moment.
A big theatrical reveal.
I think, I've been counting
and I think you've had your twenty, 'Quenty' questions,
and I must leave you and go to rehearsals.
This is the rehearsal room where I am now,
yeah, a bit late for my rehearsal.
Do come in.
(whispers) Come in!
There's a rehearsal going on in here.
Do come in.
Going to, erm, I'll join them.
Sorry I'm late, sorry.
Sorry I'm late, sorry everybody, sorry.
Erm, where are we?
- You're not in this one.
- Okay, thanks.
Embarrassing.
I'm in most of it.
Bye! It's been fun, thank you.
[Jazzy music]