Interview: Rachael Stirling – happy with her lot

It’s noisy here in the bar at the Old Vic; the air is teeming with thespy gossip and laughter and clinking glasses.

It’s noisy here in the bar at the Old Vic; the air is teeming with thespy gossip and laughter and clinking glasses. I’m sitting in a corner with the actress Rachael Stirling, who is drinking white wine and talking about her new play, An Ideal Husband. Luckily, Rachael has that actress’s knack for projecting her voice without shouting. I can hear her clearly above the din. She has a very fine voice, in fact, smooth and husky at the same time. She sounds like a public schoolgirl who has smoked too many cigarettes.

Rachael is excited after a long day of rehearsals. Taking a script from her handbag, she thumbs through it impatiently. ‘I think this must be Oscar Wilde’s fullest work,’ she says. ‘It’s just so bloody good — so rich and so human.