Anna Friel has admitted that she is concerned over the public’s current obsession with body image.
The actress expressed her disappointment at the way women with curves are currently treated in the media, TV and film industries.
Friel, who found fame on Channel 4’s Brookside, once vented her anger at a movie producer who advised her to eat less.
“I told him he could have me or a model without a brain,” Anna explained in an interview with Hot TV magazine. “The obsession with weight today is just incredible. Curves have gone out of the window and I don’t understand it.”
Friel’s new US show Pushing Daisies starts on ITV1 at 9pm tonight. Her role as Charlotte “Chuck” Charles on the programme is a departure from some of her previous risqué roles.
“It’s so clean compared to, say, a play like Closer. Being bubbly, happy and positive five days a week is more challenging than I expected,” she said. “I think risky material helps you grow as an actress, which you need if you want longevity. If you’re just the pretty girl, you’re going to have a really short career.”
