Sam Callis and Melanie Gutteridge OK magazine April 22 2008
Will they or won't they? That's the question The Bill fans will be asking this week as the tension mounts between chalk-and-cheese coppers Sergeant Callum Stone and PC Emma Keane, who generally rub each other up in completely the wrong kind of way - yet there's a moment in one of their heated confrontations where it looks like they might be leaning in for a kiss!
So is an unlikely romance on the cards? Actors Sam Callis, 34 and Melanie Gutteridge, 35, who play the tortured twosome, aren't giving too many secrets away - so we decided to bring them in for questioning ourselves, alongside the promise of a slap-up lunch at Flame, the fabulous restaurant at the Empire Casino in London's Leicester Square, where we gambled for some gossip and won some rich pickings.....
What's it like playing TV cops?
Sam: What I love about playing Stone is that he's quite an ambiguous character. You can't tell if he's good or bad.Because he's willing to go to such extremes you might think, oh, he's a bad cop, but actually he's not doing it for his own ends. He genuinely wants a result, for the good of everyone.
Melanie: There's a lot more to Emma than being just a cop. There's a lot of emotional baggae going on. Her husband tried to strangle her, and she hit him over the head with a vodka bottle and he tried to accuse her of attempted murder. So maybe she's a bit wary of men at the moment.
What do friends and family this of you playing coppers?
Sam: I get stick from my mates; they call me a fascist pig, all the usual nonsense. But that doesn't bother me, because I really like playing him.It's a complex role with lots of layers, and that's a gift for any actor.
Melanie: They were all quite amused at first, but now they realise it's closer to my personality than they thought. My fiance Rufus likes the fact that I play a copper. At first it was all the jokes about handcuffs and the uniform, but these days the novelty's worn off, and it;'s more like, oh, you have to get up at 5am again, do you?
Do you like wearing the uniform?
Melanie: I love it, actually!I'm one of the few people who do. The boots are dead comfy. Footwear is one of the most important things to me in the world, and I don't like tottering around in high heels whenever I have to play a girlie tole. Wearing nice chunky boots is a perk of the job!
Sam, you've played a fireman in London's Burning, a soldier in Ultimate Force, a doctor in The Royal - and a copper in The Bill! Which do the girls like best?
I don't know. I think girls like anyone in uniform, don't they? It's true, I seem to have a thing about playing guys in uniform. My wife Osmin quite likes the uniform. I met her while I was in London's Burning and she quite liked all that too - though I preferred the old-style uniform myself.
Which show has brought most fan mail?
You'd think it would be The Royal, playing the ultimate nice doctor, but I think I've had more offers of dates from doing The Bill. I had one from The Bill saying: 'I think we should go out for dinner. I've seen you on the show and I think we'd really get on.' I thought, hang on, my character's a bit dark and a bit weird - so we probably wouldn't get on! It's always flattering when people send you nice letters, saying they love the character. But to ask me out for dinner? I'm married, sorry!
What kind of people are your characters in The Bill?
Sam: Stone is the alpha male, tough-guy copper, and as a consequence is emotionally shut down. He's quite taciturn. He's got a dry sense of humour too, but he's quite hard work to be. I said to my wife the other evening: 'God, it's so good to stop being him at the end of the day!' Especially if it's been quite an emotional day, where he's been sorting people out.
Melanie: Emma is quite independent and she knows exactly what she wants. She's an outspoken person. She's head-strong and she knows who she is. I'm like her in a lot of ways, though she's much more confidant than me. She's more sassy. I probably think a lot of the thing she thinks, but she says them - in which respect, it's given me an outlet to vent.
But now we gather these polar opposites are showing sparks of attraction...
Melanie: I think it's surprised them both, the attraction they're both starting to feel. To Emma, Stone initially seems to be a serious sergeant type, but the more she becomes really good friends with her colleague Sally Armstrong (played by Ali Bastian), she gets a bit more insight into him, and there's more contact. She does flirt, and prods in different directions, but she wouldn't want to embark on anything unless she knows he's a safe bet.
Sam: They're starting to have feelings for one another. Or maybe Stone has more feelings for Emma than she does for him. I think she prises him open through her inaccessibility. She's very feisty with him, she won't be told what to do, and I think he finds that quite attractive. The less he does what she's told, the more he finds it attractive.
So do you think we can look forward to a little kiss, maybe?
Sam: They almost do. She teases him, and gets right in his face to the point where she gets him to open up and make that step, and commit with a kiss. Then she goes: 'Gotcha,' and goes off. He's left angry, but at the same time completely enamored.
Have viewers of the show hand an inkling of their mutual attraction?
Sam: I think they'll have been noticing it over the past few episodes. It's very subtle! But there's been no fan mail saying: 'Come on, you two.' I think we'll start getting some soon, though! People would love it, wouldn't they? I would love to see him end up in a relationship, but I don't think he ever will. I think he likes the idea of marriage and kids, but knows deep down that he's never going to do it - because he's completely wedded to his work.
What about you, Sam - do you think you might have children?
The idea is gathering momentum. I'm getting on now! I'd love to have loads of kids - five or six! I'm not sure Osmin would agree with me on that one. It would be really expensive. But I think if you're going to have kids, you might as well get a brood. The thing is, she has a history of twins and triplets in her family - she has triplet brothers. So there's a distinct possibility that more than one baby might arrive at once! That would make life interesting. I see my mates all struggling with one baby, and they're absolutely exhausted.
Do you enjoy the action side of playing a copper?
Melanie: That's the thing I enjoy most - all the running and stunting. Although I always hurt myself, because I'm so accident-prone.
Are you naturally clumsy?
I think I am. In one of my first jobs, I fell down 18ft at the back of the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse. It was during dress rehearsal and I lost my balance and grabbed a hand-rail, which hadn't been sanded down, so I got splinters in my hand, then let go and just free-fell. I got one of my legs caught in one of the treads. An actor came around the corner at that moment and managed to catch me. I was falling head first, so it could have been much more serious. But I had to play the first three nights with a swollen leg!
What does your fiance Rufus do?
He's an actor. Rufus Wright, and he's done a lot of theater, but is now aiming a little more towards TV. He was in The Bill recently, but not in the same episode as me, sadly! I'd love to work with him on stage or screen.
Have the two of you got a date sorted for the wedding?
Yes, it'll be in August in Lincolnshire, where Rufus's family is from. I'm hoping some of my colleagues from The Bill will be there. Ali Bastian's definitely coming. She's going to help me buy the dress, because she's got a really good eye, and she's really enthusiastic about it all.
How did Rufus propose?
It was his birthday and we'd been to a restaurant. On the way back to the cab he suggested we grab a bottle of champagne and go sit by the river, because we lived in central London at the time. Suddenly he began foraging in his man-bag for something, and I thought, what is he doing? Then he started muttering: 'Melanie, I love you,' and all that stuff. Then he got down on one knee and opened a little box and there was this lovely ring - which belonged to his great, great-grandmother. I couldn't speak.
Have you become Bridezilla yet?
No, I'm hopeless, it's poor Rufus who's having to do most of the organising. For years and years, I didn't allow myself to go there. I have this thing about tempting fate. I always though, if I hope for things, it won;t happen. So now that my wedding's coming up, I;m still trying to formulate a vision of what I want my wedding to be - and all i can think of is that I want it to be good fun, and really happy. Which I'm sure it will be!
So is an unlikely romance on the cards? Actors Sam Callis, 34 and Melanie Gutteridge, 35, who play the tortured twosome, aren't giving too many secrets away - so we decided to bring them in for questioning ourselves, alongside the promise of a slap-up lunch at Flame, the fabulous restaurant at the Empire Casino in London's Leicester Square, where we gambled for some gossip and won some rich pickings.....
What's it like playing TV cops?
Sam: What I love about playing Stone is that he's quite an ambiguous character. You can't tell if he's good or bad.Because he's willing to go to such extremes you might think, oh, he's a bad cop, but actually he's not doing it for his own ends. He genuinely wants a result, for the good of everyone.
Melanie: There's a lot more to Emma than being just a cop. There's a lot of emotional baggae going on. Her husband tried to strangle her, and she hit him over the head with a vodka bottle and he tried to accuse her of attempted murder. So maybe she's a bit wary of men at the moment.
What do friends and family this of you playing coppers?
Sam: I get stick from my mates; they call me a fascist pig, all the usual nonsense. But that doesn't bother me, because I really like playing him.It's a complex role with lots of layers, and that's a gift for any actor.
Melanie: They were all quite amused at first, but now they realise it's closer to my personality than they thought. My fiance Rufus likes the fact that I play a copper. At first it was all the jokes about handcuffs and the uniform, but these days the novelty's worn off, and it;'s more like, oh, you have to get up at 5am again, do you?
Do you like wearing the uniform?
Melanie: I love it, actually!I'm one of the few people who do. The boots are dead comfy. Footwear is one of the most important things to me in the world, and I don't like tottering around in high heels whenever I have to play a girlie tole. Wearing nice chunky boots is a perk of the job!
Sam, you've played a fireman in London's Burning, a soldier in Ultimate Force, a doctor in The Royal - and a copper in The Bill! Which do the girls like best?
I don't know. I think girls like anyone in uniform, don't they? It's true, I seem to have a thing about playing guys in uniform. My wife Osmin quite likes the uniform. I met her while I was in London's Burning and she quite liked all that too - though I preferred the old-style uniform myself.
Which show has brought most fan mail?
You'd think it would be The Royal, playing the ultimate nice doctor, but I think I've had more offers of dates from doing The Bill. I had one from The Bill saying: 'I think we should go out for dinner. I've seen you on the show and I think we'd really get on.' I thought, hang on, my character's a bit dark and a bit weird - so we probably wouldn't get on! It's always flattering when people send you nice letters, saying they love the character. But to ask me out for dinner? I'm married, sorry!
What kind of people are your characters in The Bill?
Sam: Stone is the alpha male, tough-guy copper, and as a consequence is emotionally shut down. He's quite taciturn. He's got a dry sense of humour too, but he's quite hard work to be. I said to my wife the other evening: 'God, it's so good to stop being him at the end of the day!' Especially if it's been quite an emotional day, where he's been sorting people out.
Melanie: Emma is quite independent and she knows exactly what she wants. She's an outspoken person. She's head-strong and she knows who she is. I'm like her in a lot of ways, though she's much more confidant than me. She's more sassy. I probably think a lot of the thing she thinks, but she says them - in which respect, it's given me an outlet to vent.
But now we gather these polar opposites are showing sparks of attraction...
Melanie: I think it's surprised them both, the attraction they're both starting to feel. To Emma, Stone initially seems to be a serious sergeant type, but the more she becomes really good friends with her colleague Sally Armstrong (played by Ali Bastian), she gets a bit more insight into him, and there's more contact. She does flirt, and prods in different directions, but she wouldn't want to embark on anything unless she knows he's a safe bet.
Sam: They're starting to have feelings for one another. Or maybe Stone has more feelings for Emma than she does for him. I think she prises him open through her inaccessibility. She's very feisty with him, she won't be told what to do, and I think he finds that quite attractive. The less he does what she's told, the more he finds it attractive.
So do you think we can look forward to a little kiss, maybe?
Sam: They almost do. She teases him, and gets right in his face to the point where she gets him to open up and make that step, and commit with a kiss. Then she goes: 'Gotcha,' and goes off. He's left angry, but at the same time completely enamored.
Have viewers of the show hand an inkling of their mutual attraction?
Sam: I think they'll have been noticing it over the past few episodes. It's very subtle! But there's been no fan mail saying: 'Come on, you two.' I think we'll start getting some soon, though! People would love it, wouldn't they? I would love to see him end up in a relationship, but I don't think he ever will. I think he likes the idea of marriage and kids, but knows deep down that he's never going to do it - because he's completely wedded to his work.
What about you, Sam - do you think you might have children?
The idea is gathering momentum. I'm getting on now! I'd love to have loads of kids - five or six! I'm not sure Osmin would agree with me on that one. It would be really expensive. But I think if you're going to have kids, you might as well get a brood. The thing is, she has a history of twins and triplets in her family - she has triplet brothers. So there's a distinct possibility that more than one baby might arrive at once! That would make life interesting. I see my mates all struggling with one baby, and they're absolutely exhausted.
Do you enjoy the action side of playing a copper?
Melanie: That's the thing I enjoy most - all the running and stunting. Although I always hurt myself, because I'm so accident-prone.
Are you naturally clumsy?
I think I am. In one of my first jobs, I fell down 18ft at the back of the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse. It was during dress rehearsal and I lost my balance and grabbed a hand-rail, which hadn't been sanded down, so I got splinters in my hand, then let go and just free-fell. I got one of my legs caught in one of the treads. An actor came around the corner at that moment and managed to catch me. I was falling head first, so it could have been much more serious. But I had to play the first three nights with a swollen leg!
What does your fiance Rufus do?
He's an actor. Rufus Wright, and he's done a lot of theater, but is now aiming a little more towards TV. He was in The Bill recently, but not in the same episode as me, sadly! I'd love to work with him on stage or screen.
Have the two of you got a date sorted for the wedding?
Yes, it'll be in August in Lincolnshire, where Rufus's family is from. I'm hoping some of my colleagues from The Bill will be there. Ali Bastian's definitely coming. She's going to help me buy the dress, because she's got a really good eye, and she's really enthusiastic about it all.
How did Rufus propose?
It was his birthday and we'd been to a restaurant. On the way back to the cab he suggested we grab a bottle of champagne and go sit by the river, because we lived in central London at the time. Suddenly he began foraging in his man-bag for something, and I thought, what is he doing? Then he started muttering: 'Melanie, I love you,' and all that stuff. Then he got down on one knee and opened a little box and there was this lovely ring - which belonged to his great, great-grandmother. I couldn't speak.
Have you become Bridezilla yet?
No, I'm hopeless, it's poor Rufus who's having to do most of the organising. For years and years, I didn't allow myself to go there. I have this thing about tempting fate. I always though, if I hope for things, it won;t happen. So now that my wedding's coming up, I;m still trying to formulate a vision of what I want my wedding to be - and all i can think of is that I want it to be good fun, and really happy. Which I'm sure it will be!