Tuppence Middleton stars in ITV’s new thriller Our House alongside Martin Compston – and it’s one of her first leading roles.
While we’re all pretty familiar with Line of Duty actor Martin Compston, this is the series that is tipped to turn Ms Middleton into a household name.
The four-part series is based on the best-selling 2018 novel of the same name by Louise Candlish.
Tuppence and Martin play married couple Fi and Bram Lawson.
Here’s everything you need to know about actress Tuppence Middleton and her role in Our House on ITV.
Read more: Rupert Penry-Jones: Who is Our House actor’s very famous wife and do they have kids?
Tuppence Middleton plays Fiona Lawson in Our House
Tuppence portrays Fi Lawson in ITV thriller Our House.
Her horror is palpable when she returns to her beloved house one day to find complete strangers are moving in.
All of Fi’s furniture and possessions have gone, and she’s plunged into a strange, desperate situation.
The couple seem to have all the paperwork to confirm the house sale… But Fi knew nothing about it.
All eyes are on her estranged husband Bram (Martin Compston), who seems to have disappeared.
Is Tuppence her real name?
Unbelievably, yes. And she loves it!
She has said: ‘Tuppence was what my grandmother nicknamed my mother, so she gave it to me.”
However, she says she has been made aware that the word Tuppence is also slang for a woman’s private parts.
She admitted: “I became aware of [its other meaning] when I went to drama school.
“A guy I lived with from up North told me.
“When I told my mum, she said, ‘Oh, sorry, darling. I had no idea!’ I still love it as a name.
“It’s always an advantage to have a memorable one.
“I haven’t met anyone else with my name. I think they are out there, but I’ve yet to meet one.”
Tuppence is not the only member of her family with a strange name.
Actress Tuppence says: “My sister is called Angel, and my brother was going to be called Bubba or Sonny, until they let me and my sister name him Josh.”
Read more: Our House on ITV: When does it start, how many episodes is it and who’s in the cast?
Are Tuppence Middleton and Kate Middleton related?
Tuppence shares the same surname as the Duchess of Cambridge – and, you have to admit, they look pretty similar too!
But, in reality, Tuppence is not related in any way to the future queen or her sister Pippa.
That hasn’t stopped people asking her about it, though.
She’s said: “Since Kate Middleton came around, some people think I’m related to her, but unfortunately, there’s no connection.”
However, with their striking similarity, who knows, we may yet see Tuppence play Kate in a movie or TV series about her life.
How old is Our House star Tuppence Middleton and where does she come from?
Tuppence was born on 21 February 1987 in Bristol.
She is currently 35 years of age.
She was raised in Clevedon in Somerset, with younger brother Josh, and older sister Angel.
From an early age Tuppence showed an interest in acting and threw herself into school plays in Clevedon, including Guys and Dolls in which she played the lead role.
The talented lass also appeared in local drama productions, including a pantomime at Clevedon’s Princes Hall with her sister.
After attending Bristol Grammar School, Tuppence studied acting at the Arts Educational School in Chiswick, London, from which she received an honours degree in acting.
What movies and TV shows has Tuppence Middleton starred in?
She may not yet be a household name, but Tuppence has been working for years in some very high profile shows and films.
Tuppence starred as a randy Russian aristocrat in the BBC’s adaptation of War & Peace and also appeared as Amelia Havisham in Dickensian.
She played Riley Blue in the groundbreaking Netflix Original Series Sense8, directed by The Matrix’s Wachowskis and also appeared in an episode of Charlie Brooker’s popular dark comedy, Black Mirror.
Film-wise, she’s had small roles in Spooks: The Greater Good alongside Kit Harington, the Oscar-nominated The Imitation Game, the heartwarming comedy Fisherman’s Friends and Jupiter Ascending with Magic Mike’s Channing Tatum.
She also appeared in the Gary Oldman film Mank, a role she sought out herself.
Tuppence said: “When I heard Fincher was doing a new film, I sent off a self-tape for it, but actually didn’t hear anything for months.”
She told Wonderland: “But then my agent called and wanted me to read for a different role, because I originally read for Lily’s [Collins] part.
“Two days later I did a Zoom call with Fincher, and we just went over the audition scene.”
She subsequently played Sara Mankiewicz in the award-winning film.
Tuppence also starred as Lucy Smith in Downton Abbey the movie, and will reprise the role in the upcoming sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era.
Is Our House star Tuppence Middleton in Downton Abbey 2?
Tuppence Middleton played maid Lucy Smith in the first Downton Abbey movie.
In it, it emerged that she was Lady Bagshaw’s illegitimate daughter.
Tuppence recently confirmed that she’s joining Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West in the sequel.
Preview pictures of the upcoming sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era appear to show Lucy and Tom Branson getting married.
Who is Tuppence Middleton’s boyfriend?
Tuppence was dating artist Robert Fry for three years until 2019.
Reports that year said they had split up.
A friend is quoted as saying: “It’s very sad, but their careers pulled them in opposite directions.
“They tried to make it work, but in the end they decided to split. It was very amicable.”
So it’s unclear if they are still together.
However, reports earlier this year claimed that they pair were shopping for engagement rings.
The couple were said to seen closely eyeing some pricey bling in a couple of major jewellery stores.
Tuppence Middleton in Our House – why did she choose role?
Tuppence said that she was drawn to the role of Fi in Our House because she was excited about telling a story told within two timelines that would have people on the edge of their seats.
“You have this present-day thriller, which just kind of unravels and becomes more and more incredible as it goes along,” she said at the launch of the show.
“And then you have this tragic love story, and you’re sort of charting the breakdown of this relationship.
“And really, for me, it was about making the differences between those [timelines] clear and also charting the journey in a way that felt like you were keeping the momentum going without giving the game away too soon.”
Why was Tuppence called “the naughtiest woman on TV”?
Not only does Tuppence get up close and personal with Rupert Penry-Jones in Our House, she has previously appeared in the raunchy adaptation of War & Peace as a frisky Russian aristocrat.
In that big budget BBC series, her character Helene Bezukhova had an incestuous affair with her brother and had a romp on a dining table.
She also starred in Netflix series Sense8, which was notorious for its sex scenes and nudity.
However, Tuppence isn’t an actress who is afraid of stripping off for a role.
She has said: “I don’t have a problem with doing intimate or nude scenes.
“It’s part of our everyday life, so it seems weird not to show it.
“But it’s really up to the individuals how they want to do that.
“Weirdly, in your twenties, you have the body that you never appreciate, but I feel so much more comfortable and confident in my body now.
“Maybe I’m not the most toned person, or I don’t go to the gym or whatever, but I feel much more willing to show my body.
“I’m more comfortable with people seeing my body as I am now, because I think that, as an actor, it’s really important to represent lots of different types of people – and real people.”
Has Our House actress Tuppence Middleton had cosmetic surgery?
Highly unlikely, as she has said that she is all for growing old naturally.
“It’s sad that so many people feel they need to alter their image,” she said in an interview.
“There is something really beautiful about ageing naturally.
“That way, you’re representative of whatever age you are at the time and you have that voice as an actor.
“That’s something as a woman you’re much more aware of — maybe you get a few more wrinkles, maybe your body changes, maybe you have kids, and that’s something that people are really scrutinised for.
“It’s a choice if people want to have surgery, but I would feel really uncomfortable not being able to use my face and make expressions.”
Our House’s Tuppence Middleton – has she suffered from OCD?
Tuppence has revealed that she had OCD in the past.
She had said: “I struggled with various things when I was younger.
“The first thing that I noticed was issues with OCD.
“It started, as it typically does, with cleanliness and hand washing and very strict routines – obsessing about turning off the light switch, turning off the oven, making sure the gas is not on and all that kind of stuff.
“Then, as I got older, it developed into a more generalised anxiety and I didn’t feel like I had much of a voice when I was younger.
“I didn’t know that it was unusual; I didn’t know it was something I was struggling with, because I think a lot of people don’t know the signs or who to talk to.
“They don’t know what to do about it.”
Our House starts on Monday March 07 at 9pm on ITV and is stripped across the week, concluding on Thursday March 10.
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