Photography: Katherine Needles.
There’s nothing like filming a threesome with a gorgeous actress who’s 10 years younger to put your confidence and body image to the test. But for The Couple Next Door star Annabel Scholey, tackling the raunchy scene with co-stars Aggy K Adams and Sam Palladio proved empowering.
“Aggy’s in her absolute prime and stunningly beautiful, so I had to dig deep,” admits the 41-year-old British actress.
“I told myself, ‘Maybe you’re not in your prime any more, but you’ve got 10 years on her and you’re bringing a different energy’. Once I got past that, I found it deeply satisfying because I did feel sexy – and when I watched the scenes back, I wasn’t horrified.”
It’s hard to fathom Annabel’s insecurities, given that she’s frequently compared to the Princess of Wales.
“I’m delighted because I love Kate!” she enthuses.
“If I’m doing a part with long hair, I’ll get comments online or from friends. My husband can’t see it, but my mum can.”
It was Annabel’s mother Helen who kickstarted her life in showbiz, enrolling her “hyperactive” three-year-old in dance classes to expend her excess energy.
“My daughter’s now the same – very hyperactive,” Annabel says about six-year- old Marnie, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Irish actor Ciarán McMenamin.
Finding her feet on the stage
Dancing and singing in pantomimes and theatre shows in her native West Yorkshire, Annabel discovered William Shakespeare at 12. After studying drama, she appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and played Kevin Spacey’s wife in Richard III.
“The allegations against him are horrendous, so it’s hard to look back without it feeling tainted,” she says.
“But I was 27, so to tour the world with him was exciting and unpredictable. It challenged me because when you’re acting opposite somebody like that, you have to really bring it.”
Learning a new language
Transitioning into TV with Being Human and Doctor Who, Annabel felt like an “impostor” until Kiwi director Jessica Hobbs (The Crown) guided her through British drama The Split.
“I got on so well with her and loved how straight-talking she was,” Annabel recalls.
“She said, ‘Your face is very expressive. Bring it down’. I learnt less is more and now I’ve fallen in love with screen acting.”
A new chapter
Cue TVNZ’s sexy thriller The Couple Next Door, in which Annabel plays heart surgeon Charlotte.
“If you’re going into perimenopause, you have a rebirth and that’s what attracted me to her,” Annabel says.
“I’m in the same stage of life – women are struggling to find their identity at this age.”
Comfortable in her skin
She’s proud she hasn’t yet used Botox and can confidently get through the steamiest scenes in The Couple Next Door. It’s her husband Jim Trayhurn who struggles more.
“He put his head under a pillow for the sex scene in the toilet,” she laughs.
“And he couldn’t watch the threesome. Maybe it was too realistic!”
While she’s currently filming season two of Disney+ series Rivals, in which she plays a “horrendous journalist” in the ’80s, she’d love to play Princess Kate on screen some day.
“I had The Crown on my radar,” admits Annabel.
“I told my agent, ‘Keep an eye out for this because I keep getting told I look like her’. But they stopped when she was 18 and there was no way I was getting away with playing an 18-year-old!”
Why Kate inspires her
Annabel deeply admires Kate and Prince William.
“She shows passion in the areas she’s interested in and puts on a good neutral face in the areas that she’s not. They’re a good example for the younger generation who aren’t as into the royal family.”
She also respects how Kate juggles parenting with royal duties, given she suffers constant “mummy guilt”.
“I always put Marnie first,” Annabel insists.
“If my private life isn’t being taken care of on a job, I’ll speak out to protect my time with her because I’ve always got her disappointed little face in my head if I miss bedtime. “I include her more now.
She was in the makeup chair on The Couple Next Door and taking photos. If you make them feel like they’re a part of it, that’s helpful.”
Grounded by family
Marnie has also enriched Annabel’s work.
“Your nerve endings are sharper,” she tells.
“If I need to be emotional for a role, I feel everything so much more deeply since I had her.”
Meanwhile, helicopter pilot Jim, 41, whom Annabel wed in 2023, is her “reality check”.
She explains, “He was in the army, so he’s really been through it. He always brings me back down to earth.”
Dreaming beyond the screen
The couple loves movie nights, hiking and travelling – and Aotearoa’s top of their bucket list.
“We were just listing places and Jim said, ‘I really want to go to New Zealand.’ Maybe when Marnie’s older for that long flight!”
The Split and The Couple Next Door are streaming now on TVNZ+.
