Hustle
- Stacie
Monroe (Jaime Murray)
"Word
is she and Mickey had a thing once . . . she's not just a pretty
face, she's sharp . . . maybe even in Mickey's league."
 Starting
a new job is always a nerve-wracking situation to be in but couple
that with the fact that you are working with some of the best and
most respected workers in your field and it can be an absolutely
terrifying prospect - a prospect that befell newcomer, Jaime Murray,
on her first day in her role as Stacie Monroe in Hustle.
"I was terrified before I started," laughs the beautiful
actress. "In fact, when we were filming the first couple of
episodes I was absolutely petrified and was convinced that it would
be really obvious on screen. So when I watched some of it on tape
I was totally amazed that you couldn't see how frightened I really
was.
"I
kept thinking, 'Oh my God! I'm working with Adrian Lester and Robert
Vaughn. Any time now someone is going to tap me on the shoulder
and ask me to get my coat!'"
Murray,
whose father Billy is known to millions of TV viewers as DS Beech
in The Bill, almost never made it to the small screen because her
parents were dead set against the idea of her following in her father's
footsteps.
"I
always wanted to be an actress but I didn't think my parents would
take it very well," laughs Murray. "They wanted me to
have an academic career and because I did well at school, the natural
progression for me was to go to university.
"I
went to study philosophy and psychology but by doing so I had to
leave home and quickly realised that the course really wasn't something
I wanted to do.
"I
thought this is a really serious degree at a really serious university
and I'm going to have to get a really serious job at a desk or in
a white coat - I just couldn't cope with that so I left my course
and went to drama school.
"My
parents weren't exactly over the moon about my decision but I think
they were just worried for me more than anything. I think my dad's
main concern was to protect me.
"I
think we have worked out our relationship now. It consists of him
knowing that he can't say anything that I'm going to take any notice
of - it's your archetypal father/daughter relationship!
"He
is good at standing back and not interfering too much, just being
there as a shoulder to cry on if I need it."
Murray was diagnosed
as being dyslexic just before her A-levels but she certainly hasn't
let that hold her back. In fact she believes that it may have been
to her advantage.
"I
was having a lot of problems with my school work, problems with
stuff that I should have found quite easy, so I had some tests and
found out I was dyslexic which explained a lot.
"Robert
Vaughn is pretty quiet most of the time but then suddenly comes
out with a pearl of wisdom now and again.
"He
once said to me, 'Somebody once told me: beware of people with weaknesses
because for every weakness there is a strength to compensate'.
"I
thought that was really interesting because I'm sure that, like
me, a lot of dyslexics have problems with academic work but excel
at anything creative."
Murray
plays Stacie Monroe a beautiful, self-assured, confident and very
smart lady. Stacie is not a woman who loses her cool easily and
she is not afraid to use her femininity to ensure the success of
a con.
Murray
herself is described by several of the Hustle production team as
that rare specimen - a stunningly beautiful actress who can actually
act. But is she as street-wise and confident as her on screen persona?
"Stacie
is sassy and confident. She is very stable and has her head screwed
on, she knows how to cope with any situation. In fact, she is just
the type of person I've always wanted to be! Very cool, calm and
collected - nothing really flusters her.
"There
is a definite closeness in the team. She's got a father/ daughter
relationship with Albert and a competitive rivalry with Danny -
she finds him so annoying most of the time but he is an irresistible
character so she can't help being a bit flirty, despite herself."
Stacie
is a vital member to the gang, using her feminine wiles to ensnare
unsuspecting marks. As part of their research, all five members
of the team were coached in pickpocketing and sleight of hand. In
fact the card tricks became something of an obsession on set.
"There
was an amazing guy who came in to show us some pickpocketing and
card tricks. He taught us a couple of card shuffles and some tricks
and for the first few months of the shoot the boys and I were practising
all the time.
"But
we got so obsessive, it got to the point when Adrian would show
me yet another trick and I'd be like, 'Oh for God's sake, not another
one!'
"I
had to learn how to pick pockets and I realised that most cons are
all about diversion - while you're trying to con somebody you're
doing something to distract them in the opposite direction so they
don't notice and that's exactly how pickpockets work.
"After
that I went through a stage of intense paranoia! I had lost my purse
and I had to cancel all my cards, I was in a frenzy. I was looking
around at everyone thinking they were all thieves but it turned
out I had just left it in my seat at the theatre!"
If Murray had
decided to pursue a career as a long con artist rather than an actor,
would she be able to make any money?
"I
find it difficult to lie and that sort of thing makes me very anxious.
I'm not very good at deceiving people but I have a very creative
mind. I could probably think up the scams and be the person behind
the scenes - I would be Mr Big!"
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