Natasha's certainly no novice

I'd never heard of this Sartre play until I was sent the script last November. Usually I'd rather boil my head than take on a three-hour French play, but I discovered a thrilling story about a young man ordered to kill his boss (and hero) who also happens to be a political enemy. The play is about the lack of purity in politics. It's all about the compromises people make to gain power, which immediately made me think of New Labour. Obviously Sartre was writing about post-war France but the ideas are universal and the relationship between the characters is fascinating. They're all flawed but very human.

My character is Jessica, the middle-class wife of the protagonist who gets dumped in the male world of politics. She finds herself married to an idealist but he's just a boy struggling with ideology and pretending to be a revolutionary. I love my part. Jessica appears to be a luxury wife. She's very spoilt, naughty and silly because she comes from a privileged background, but she also grows up a lot throughout the play. Initially she spends a lot of time just larking about because she's so bored, but she shows a lot of courage and loyalty later on.

I wouldn't want you to think the play is exceptionally heavy or dry. The director Richard Eyre has cut a lot of the political manifestos and philosophy, but kept all the action. Because of the atmosphere and the plotline it has a feel of Forties film noir and there are so many layers of meaning that every day I discover something new. I haven't done theatre for a while so I was lucky to get this. It's a great story and a terrific thriller.