Queen Of Cornwall

Eleanor Tomlinson found fame as Demelza in Poldark.She tells us how she got the role and the downsides of being recognised.

- Gerry Gilbert

Poldark actress Eleanor Tomlinson is wearing a green felt trilby when we meet at a London hotel. The hat is partly a disguise, she admits.

‘I bought it the other day because I liked it,’ she says, whipping it off to reveal the copper-coloured locks hidden beneath. ‘But, to be honest, I normally wear some sort of headgear just because the red hair is quite a statement.’

Her red is not natural.Eleanor dyes it for the role of Demelza, Ross Poldark’s spirited wife in the BBC One costume drama that’s returning this summer for a third series. ‘I think I’m going to keep it because I like it,’ she says, explaining how hard she argued with the producers for Demelza to be a redhead.

‘In the books, she’s described as olive-skinned and very dark – and that’s not really me,’ says Eleanor, who’s pale and fair-haired. ‘I just thought the character would suit red hair – it reflects the fiery streak in her.’

The impressively level-headed 25 year old can be very persuasive it seems. She was originally asked to audition for the role of Elizabeth – Demelza’s haughty, aristocratic love rival, eventually played by Icelandic actress Heida Reed.

‘I read the scripts and thought there’s one female role I really want and that’s Demelza – she’s the heart of it,’ says Eleanor. ‘So I called up the casting director and said, ‘Please, can I audition for this role?’ She didn’t think I was right for it at all but agreed to let me try. I went in with no make-up on, scruffy hair and wearing my brother’s coat and here we are now.’