A quick word with Jaime Passier-Armstrong

Jaime Passier-Armstrong

Jaime Passier-Armstrong plays Jay Copeland, Shortland Street's least loyal lesbian

What were you doing?

Cleaning the house. Sorry, I didn't hear the phone ring because I was vacuuming.

Shouldn't you be having a rest? You're in nearly every scene on Shorty this week.

I know. I was working 55-60 hours a week. I didn't have a life, didn't see my family for three months. I'd work about 10-12 hours, Monday to Friday. Then I'd have to come straight home and learn my lines for the next day. I was working on about four or five hours sleep a night. Then in the weekends I'd have to take my scripts home, break them all down, get an idea of the storyline and start learning the lines again.

You're a straight woman playing a gay woman who is having an affair with a straight man. How does that work?

It's easy. Regardless of whether Jay was attracted to a male or a female didn't really matter. In any given situation it would be difficult to fight feelings for someone else when you're already in a committed relationship.

So is she letting the side down or what?

I would say that she'd be bisexual if she continually had relationships with males and females. But she's been gay her entire life and has had this situation with this one man so I would still deem her to be gay. It's a very grey area for her.

Bitch. How could you do this to Maia?

I was heartbroken when I read the storyline. But it's a drama. Anna [Julienne, who plays Maia] and I always knew that there would come a time where one of our characters would end up having an affair. When I started on the show I was told I was going to be a very staunch gay character so I played that. Then I received scripts with this new storyline and I was like, what? There were a lot of times that they'd call cut and I'd say to Anna, 'I'm so sorry! It's not my fault!'.

Six months is a bit of a Hollywood marriage.

Totally. Six months on Shortland Street is probably the same as 10 years of normal life.

You cry a lot this week. How did you bring on the tears?

I've always been able to do that. You can have a tear-stick but I've always had this principle that if you can't cry in a scene then don't fake it. Even though the tears will come there's no feeling behind it. I'm extremely sensitive which is obviously an advantage in my job.

When is that a disadvantage?

I wish I was as strong as Jay. I wish I had more of her ability to cut through crap and be blunt about things but I'm not. I cry during sad movies. I cry when I watch Animal Practice.

What do you lie about?

When I was younger it was, 'See ya mum, I'm going to school'. But I'm the world's worst liar so I don't even bother. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I end up laughing.

Cheating?

I cheat at card games. I learnt that from a very early age. Whenever we play Monopoly, I'm never put as banker. I find it fun. It ups the stakes in the game.

So you can't lie but you're a damn good cheat.

I think it's because I laugh all the time. No one knows if I'm laughing because I've cheated or I'm laughing because I'm lying.

What would you do if you weren't on Shorty?

I would really love to play an assassin. Like Angelina Jolie in Mr & Mrs Smith.

She had marital problems too. And assassins have to lie. You'd probably laugh too much.

That's true. In that case, I'd be cleaning the house. Guess I'd better get back to it.