Actress Eve Myles looks back: ‘Early on, I was told I wasn’t the typical leading lady. Now I realize that my idiosyncrasies are what make me authentic | Family

Born in 1978 in Ystradginlis, Wales, actress Eve Miles trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama before landing her first major role as Ciri Lewis in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, which ran from 2000 to 2009. She became a mainstream name playing Gwen Cooper in Torchwood, the BBC’s Doctor Who spin-off, From 2006 to 2011, she later received acclaim for her leading performance in the role of Faith. Howells in the thriller Keeping the Faith/Un por mercher. She lives in Cardiff with her husband, actor Bradley Freegard, and their three daughters. She stars in ITV drama series The Hack this autumn.

This photo was taken on my third birthday Ceremony reveals that I grew up on foods containing pork. On this special occasion, it was sausage rolls and chipolata chips on sticks – very luxurious, the sign of any good celebration. Apparently my mother had gone to town to hide the horror of the sponge cake buried underneath. I was going up like a kite after I took one bite.

At this age I was an extrovert, a storyteller, and a thief. My parents had to hire a lot of babysitters because every time one of them came, something would disappear from her bag and she wouldn’t want to come back. It’s always been the same thing: lipstick. I was obsessed with it, even though I couldn’t even pronounce the word. I would say “triple click” instead.

My mother would always find it hidden under my bed or stuffed inside a pillowcase. I was pretending that I had no idea what it was, even though I had gone downstairs, having also stolen my mother’s eye shadow and blush, and nonchalantly appeared in front of my family fully groomed, looking like a clown. My mother would say subtly: “Did you wear a little makeup, Eve?” And I answer: “No, no, nothing at all.”

This went on for a while. Mum would often get a phone call from the teachers at school saying: ‘Eve went to use the toilet and came back looking like she was ready for a night out in Swansea.’ Everyone allowed it, so I must have eventually gotten bored and the attachment faded. For a long time, I couldn’t resist the kind of transformation and creativity that makeup gave me. Maybe I was partly inspired by my mother, she was a magical woman, and I wanted to be like her. Basically, I loved wearing the mask, which is what I now do for a living. It must have been my fate screaming.

My parents separated about six months ago After this was taken, I was mostly raised by my mother. I grew up in a miners’ village, in a community where the door was always open. The whole city took care of each other. It was a great place to live – not in a rich or extravagant way, but full of respectful and kind people. There was nothing, just a beautiful river, so I found escapism in the culture. I remember going to see the Starlight Express in London when I was a kid – that was my first experience in theater and I felt as if someone had flipped a switch and lit me on fire. There was this heat from the inside out. Mike’s video store also started the fire. My mom would put out a video every Friday, and she and I would watch it twice the first night and twice on Saturday. I’ll watch it twice again on my own on Sunday. I was fascinated by the arts, and always felt this longing to see the world beyond my village.

I had a wonderful teacher at school, an actress called Hazel Williams. One day she said: “Would you like a great audition for Welsh Youth Theatre?” I thought it was in a bar, but after some research I realized the extent of what was on offer. Acting was not high on the agenda because it seemed out of reach. I dabbled in wanting to be a speech therapist for a long time, or go into policing or midwifery. But after a while, the enormity of the dream became intimidating, and the fear of failure was too great to admit. Fortunately, as with Hazel, Dave Bond from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama reassured me that I belonged no matter where I came from. They both left a message in my mind: “This industry is for anyone. If you work hard, you can stay in it, but you have to respect it.” This is what I did, because acting was my first love.

I’ve never been a fan of testing practical. If they rephrased it as “workshop” it might sound less intimidating. But fortunately, I was able to overcome my nerves and started working as an actor in my second year. It was a blessing in a way, because my mother and I had already talked about our financial situation and realized that we couldn’t afford to keep me living student life for all three years at university. Having an income was great, as it meant I couldn’t have an overdraft, I didn’t constantly owe rent, and I could buy books. I had the opportunity to work for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and then everything changed when I met Russell T Davies. He gave me the role of Gwyneth in Doctor Who, and then wrote me the role of Gwen Cooper in Torchwood. It was as if my whole world had opened up.

I had a good start to my career, but I wish I had known that whatever my flaws were, I should celebrate them instead of trying to change them. I wasn’t the leading lady on TV and I was told that early in my career after auditions. But now I realize that all my peculiarities are exactly what makes me different and original. I worry that there is a struggle in this industry for perfection. Throughout my twenties, I was afraid of getting things wrong, and I had a lot of comments from people in the industry that would affect me, a lot of which was focused on appearance.

I’m still not your typical leading lady, but I can play some good roles. People are difficult. I’m not a fan of confrontation and I’m much kinder than the characters I tend to play. They often take a while to shed, like Fran [BBC drama] guest. It’s seven different people in one scene – powerful, scary, interrupting, childish, teenage, vulnerable, and then back to killers. At the end of a shooting day, I would come to the kitchen island and stare into space until Brad would put a large glass of red wine in front of me and tell me to cut it and take a shower.

Run Helps me decompress From the intensity of personality; Plus, there’s nothing better than having a 15-year-old, 11-year-old, and a 3-year-old at home to bring you back to the present. On the outside, I often try to appear in control, but beneath the surface I’m kicking like hell.

Despite juggling family and work, I will never be thrilled with what I have. That’s because my three-year-old was always patting me on the shoulder and saying, “Isn’t that great? Aren’t you lucky? Don’t take it for granted and try to enjoy every second of it.” I work with people who inspire me, and I will never be more grateful that I wear a mask every day. Fortunately, it is now considered a profession and not a crime.