Wicklow-born (well Kilcoole, so us Dubs call her one of us) Elaine has been working her lámha to the bone over the past few years, making a real impact on the film industry here, in the UK and, now, in the States.

She started back in 94 but really made waves in 1999 when she starred as Felicia in Felicia’s Journey. This complex drama about abuse, disappointment and survival demanded a lot from the 19 year-old. Her Felicia is the typical innocent Irish girl, but she was acting with Bob Hoskins in, arguably, the role of his career. A lesser actor would have faded into the woodwork but not Elaine, she held her own and made quite a few fans along the way.

Another high-profile film she starred in was The Others, with Nicole Kidman. She was one of the servants haunted in the house of doom.

For us lezzers, it’s Maud Lilly we love. As if you didn’t know, Maud is one of the two heroines of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith, haunted by her mother’s neuroses and living in a home so oppressive it makes Sharia law look lax; Maud finds love in the oddest of places. Cassidy told The Rainbow Network at the time:

I would not want to hang around with Maud – she’s an evil, twisted little…I couldn’t wait to get rid of her. I love her but I can’t – bloody – stand – her!

I’ve never played a character like her so it was interesting to go to the places that she is in her head.  I wanted her to be the colder the better and I loved that about her, that’s what attracted me to her – her meanness, her coldness.

Snogging Sally Hawkins was obviously just a bonus.
In person Elaine Cassidy couldn’t be any more different than Fingersmith’s Maud; she’s bubbly, funny and is charming them there over in the States with her Irish accent as she plays Abby in CBS’s new drama, Harper’s Island. It’s also on RTE 2 at 10.20pm every Monday.

Abby comes to the island for the wedding of her best friend, the groom. She hasn’t been home in many years and is haunted (do we see a theme here) by the murder of her mother. The event shattered Abby’s relationship with her dad.

The Yanks may love the ould brogue but for us it’s her intensity that is so damn sexy. No one does breathless anticipation like Elaine. No one can look at you and ‘see’ you like she can.

Here she is being interviewed about Harper’s Island

Here’s a reminder of Fingersmith

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