Oktober 2000
By Kristin Veitch
| Sarah-Jane Potts: Faith, Luck and Felicity
For Potts, life is like a souped-up fairy tale. "It's basically the story of the princess and the pea," she says, "except I also got a TV show." In January, after working six years in British television and film, Potts moved from London to Los Angeles to be with her hunky prince, Erik Palladino, aka Dr. Dave Mallucci on ER. Since then, the two have bought and remodeled a house together, and Potts has scored a regular role on the WB's Felicity, now in its third season. She plays Molly, a free-spirited Brit who shacks up with Felicity now that Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) has hit the high road. Although her good fortune may sound sickening, Potts' genuine humility and down-to-earth manner make her pretty hard to resent. Which got us wondering ... Has the Felicity cast accepted her? "I have to tell you, these people are so sweet. I mean, you have a lot of pretty boys and girls on this show, all in the same area, working with one another every day. You'd think that would cause problems, but there's no bitchiness, no animosity and no jealousy. Keri sees me and says, 'Oh, you look so pretty today.' She's very genuine." Is she wild and free like Molly? "More now. I've grown that way. I was never very open, because I grew up in a small town [Liverpool], where you have small-minded people. I was never allowed to be as free-minded or imaginative as I wanted. It was like, 'No, you're going to be a travel agent.' Or, 'No, you're going to work in a bank.' But my parents were like, 'You reach for the stars. You reach for whatever you want, and if you don't get it, you have fun trying, and that's that.' " Does she miss home? "I miss my family and friends tremendously. I miss the seasons. My dream is to be able to have a place in New York and England - and maybe L.A., too." So, she likes L.A. "I love it. I've got my car here, and I love being the ruler of my own world, not sitting next to some sweaty person on the subway. I live with Erik; we're very settled, and our life is private. It's really nice." Sounds like they're pretty serious. "Yes. For a good six months, we were in denial that we were so involved. I just felt like, Oh, I've found my soul mate. And he felt that, too. It was scary - I was only 22. It hit me over the head like a log, but it was the best surprise in the world." How did they meet? "It's an amazing story. We met two years ago - in Sweden, for one night - and I knew I had fallen in love with him. It was insane. He went to Rome to film U-571, and I went back to England. Then he said, 'We're moving from Rome to Malta, so just come to Malta for the weekend when you can.' I went for a week. He took me to Sicily, and we fell in love. I then went back to England, decided I couldn't live without him and went right back to Malta for a month. When he finished in Malta, he came to England, and we just carried on. I would go to L.A., he'd come to England and so on." How was the long-distance thing? "We did it for a year, and it sucked. I missed him. So, I was like, 'I'm going to be with you, because I love you.' And that was it. It was very simple. It's been phenomenal here. I never expected it to be like this in a million years." Sounds like she's living every girl's dream. "Yeah, I know. [Laughs.] I have silly little depressed moments when I'm at home with my boyfriend, and he's like 'Look at you! Like you don't have anything in the world. You're living a dream! It's like a princess' life, and you're being a diva.' He keeps me under control." |