Janie Dee

Janie Dee currently plays 'Ruth Condomine' in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre.

Place of birth?
Old Windsor

Did you go to training school, if so which one?
Arts Educational Schools

Briefly tell us how you became involved with Blithe Spirit?
I was offered the role of Ruth last year....before they had secured the Theatre but Angela Lansbury was already attached to the production.

Briefly tell us about the character of 'Ruth Condomine' you play in Blith Spirit.
Ruth is second wife to Charles Condomine. She too has been married before to a man 'much older' than herself.  One gets the feeling that she has never really let her hair down.  She is totally supportive and efficient as Charles's second wife but insecure, it seems, about Charles.  He is caught up in his writing and Ruth doesn't have her own career, apart from running the house.  So she overthinks things and misjudges Charles. Her biggest problem is she always thinks she is right!

What was your first stage performance?
My first ever stage performance was as a flower in the 'Dance of the Flowers' from the Nutcracker.

What roles would you most like to play?
I would love to do more 'new' work. In other words, parts that have never been played before!

What's the best advice you've ever received?
The Desiderata.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?
Falling off the piano at The Royal Albert Hall.

What is the most annoying part about your job?
It's all good.

If you had not become a performer, what might you have done instead?
Become a Nurse.

What are your favourite after-show haunts?
Zedel Brasserie in Piccadilly. The hospital club. Home.

Who are your favourite actors/actresses/singers/groups?
Everyone in Blithe Spirit!!! and Michael Sheen, Gemma Arterton, Sandra Marvin, Gemma Sutton.

If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and what would you say to them?
Fred Astaire.......Thank you.

What was the last book you read, and name some of your favourite authors?
This is how it Ends....by Kathleen MacMahon. Favourite authors: Khaled Hosseini, Lisa Appignanesi, Siegfried Sassoon, Michael Simkins.

What was the last film you saw, and name some of your favourite movies?
Iron Man 3!!! I only see movies with my little boy these days! I love all the Iron Man films with Robert Downey Jnr, I think he is fantastic! I could do a show about Superheroes!!!

Favourite TV programs?
The Simpsons, How I met your Mother, Question Time.

Favourite holiday destinations?
The Rhone Valley in France, Sardinia, Rome.

Do you have any hobbies?
Reflexology

Do you have any superstitions?
I try not to say Macbeth in a Theatre. And if someone does say it I ask them to go outside my dressing room and turn around 3 times and swear before they come back in again. If I see a magpie I usually try and find at least one more! Silly.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you take with you?
A mat, a hammock and a garden fork.

What are your future plans?
It's all on my website www.janiedee.com