Get ready to learn more about the Gentleman Jack and Vigil star
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY BBC/WORLD PRODUCTION LTD/MARK MAINZ
Suranne Jones is a woman who likely doesn’t need much introduction to many a DIVA reader. We’ve featured many interviews with the phenomenal actor over the years – most recently our December/January issue. She’s a certified favourite among many of our readers.
But for the uninitiated, Suranne is a talented British actor whose career really kicked off when she played Karen McDonald on Coronation Street. Since then she’s gone on to take on some impressive roles.
LGBTQIA fans particularly fell in love with the actor when she stepped into the shoes of real-life lesbian historical figure, Anne Lister, in the BBC drama Gentleman Jack. We also love getting to see more of her in the gripping police procedural Vigil where she portrays another sapphic character.
Do you consider yourself to be the ultimate Suranne superfan? Let’s see if you know all of these facts about the actor…
Her name isn’t actually Suranne
The actor’s career has made her a household name. While Suranne is her professional name, her actual name is Sarah Anne. She chose the name upon entering the entertainment industry at a time when new actors were encouraged to register their names with Equity. Many performers would discover that their names had already been taken.
So why did Suranne choose her professional name? She told OK! magazine that her great grandmother had been named Suranne. Her father had wanted to call her Suranne but the priest had told him that that wasn’t a proper name. “So I was christened Sarah-Anne. When I got the chance to pick a stage name, my dad asked if I would consider Suranne.”
LGBTQIA allyship is important to her
Throughout her career she’s been very vocal about her support for the LGBTQIA community. And the community has loved her right back. She’s previously been awarded Ally Of The Year at the DIVA Awards. And in her most recent cover interview with our magazine she shared that she feels “very connected to the queer community”.
She does a lot of charity work
Suranne doesn’t just advocate for LGBTQIA people, she spends a lot of her time raising awareness and funds for various charities from Alzheimer’s Society to Children in Need.
Good news Virgos, you share a sun sign with the star
Suranne was born in Greater Manchester on 27 August 1978. This makes her a Virgo. She also has a Gemini moon.
She would love to get to do more stunts
In a hilarious moment from a Graham Norton interview, Suranne shared that she was gutted that she wasn’t allowed to actually get dropped from a helicopter into the middle of the North Sea. Maybe one day Suranne, maybe one day!
She has been a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK
We loved seeing Suranne dazzle as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five. Now what do we have to do to get her to cameo in more of our favourite queer reality TV shows?
Her drag name would be Miss Sassy Assworth
We, of course, had to ask all about what her drag name would be in our most recent cover interview with the queer icon. And we totally approve of the one she chose.
She had a riot of a time on the set of Gentleman Jack if the blooper reels are anything to go by
You didn’t think we’d make it to the end of this article without finding a way of featuring some Gentleman Jack content, did you?
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