The 5-Minute Interview: Marsha Thomason, Actress

'I'm a fan of Manchester City, Al Gore and karaoke sessions'

Marsha Thomason, 31, came to prominence through the BBC series 'Playing The Field'. The first two series are now available to buy on DVD. She also played Sara, Eddie Murphy's wife, in 'The Haunted Mansion' and appeared in the Hollywood movies 'My Baby's Daddy' and 'Black Knight'. She currently stars in the US show 'Las Vegas'.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Sleeping. It's 9am here, I'm a sleepyhead.

A phrase I use far too often...

"That's dope!" I've also taken to calling people "dude" which I'm a little mortified about. "Mortified." That's a word I use a lot, too.

I wish people would take more notice of...

The way we treat one another. I know it sounds clichéd, but if we just treated each other as we'd like to be treated ourselves, we'd all be doing a lot better.

The most surprising thing that happened to me...

Getting a dog. I didn't grow up with pets, but I live alone and figured a dog might be good for me. His name is Drexl and he's a shih-tzu. I rescued him about a year and a half ago. He's the most chill, hilarious dog. Even though he's only four, he's kind of like an old man.

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm a Manchester United fan. It drives me crazy. I'm a City fan. Another misperception is that I can actually play football, like my character, Shazza in Playing The Field. Truth is that my sister Kristy was my legs double; she has the footie skills.

I am not a politician but...

If I was I'd put the environment at the top of the agenda. I'd make Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth mandatory viewing for everyone.

I'm good at...

Dance. I've taken classes most of my life, and it's no secret among my friends I want to be in a movie about dance. Maybe Step Up 2, with the delightful Channing Tatum.

I'm very bad at...

Showing patience. I've gotten better with age, like a fine wine - but it really isn't a virtue of mine. Oh, that rhymed!

The ideal night out is...

Dinner with friends at Magnolia or Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, followed by karaoke downtown. Phil Collins' "Take A Look At Me Now" and Salt-n-Pepa's "Whatta Man" are part of my karaoke repertoire.

In moments of weakness I...

Eat copious amounts of sweets. Cola bottles, swizzles, drumsticks; you name it. Inevitably it's followed by a stomach ache.

The best age to be is...

The age you are. I never understand when people say school days are the best of your life. So it's all downhill from 16? How depressing.

In a nutshell my philosophy is this...

Embrace the chaos. An ex-boyfriend said that to me about 10 years ago and I actually have it tattooed on my wrist.

Sara Newman