The 'Killing Eve' showrunner recalls the first rehearsal of 'Fleabag' and claims she was 'genuinely being quite shocked and a bit embarrassed' by the unapologetic jokes.
- Apr 26, 2020
AceShowbiz - Phoebe Waller-Bridge was taken aback when she revisited her original "Fleabag" scripts years later.
The award-winning writer/actress' one-woman show was the original inspiration for the acclaimed TV series, and a performance recorded at London's Wyndham Theatre last year 2019 was recently released for video-on-demand services as a charity fundraiser.
Speaking on Friday's April 24, 2020 instalment of "The Graham Norton Show", the star opened up on the show's journey to success, and admitted that, after originally penning scripts in her mid-20s, she was "shocked and embarrassed" by some of the lines.
"I was in my mid-20s when I did it originally and everyone involved was full of attitude, and totally unapologetic about what we wanted to say and do with the work," she said. "When I re-mounted it in New York in my early 30s I remember in the first rehearsal opening the script - which is quite a lot edgier than the TV show - and genuinely being quite shocked and a bit embarrassed."
"I really didn't think I could say some of the lines," she mused, adding, "But once I got back into the character it was a lot easier."
Self-isolating fans in the U.K. and Ireland can watch the show on the Soho Theatre's On Demand site while it debuted on Amazon Prime Video for users in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Downloads cost around $5, and benefit charities aiding those affected by the global pandemic, including The National Emergencies Trust, NHS Charities Together, Acting For Others, and the newly-established Fleabag Support Fund, aimed at providing grants of $3,000 to freelance workers in the U.K. theatre industry.
