October 12, 2007

As television's Maid Marian, Lucy Griffiths is no stranger to deadly medieval weaponry, fist fights and horseback battles – despite being aged just 20.

Plucked from relative obscurity for the role – she previously had minor parts in the BBC series Sea Of Souls and Channel 4's Sugar Rush – she's now taking aim at Hollywood stardom.

Enjoying a comfortable middle-class upbringing in Brighton, Griffiths took dance lessons as a child and performed in local theatre groups before being spotted by an agent aged 16.

Leaving nothing to chance, she persuaded her parents to enrol her in top private school Roedean to give herself a better chance in the business.

Now a fully fledged wing-chun kung fu expert and horse rider – not to mention the veteran of many clinches with Jonas Armstrong (Robin Hood) – she has her sights set on the US.

'I'd be mad not to give it everything I could,' she says with single-minded determination.

I'm usually covered in sweat and mud when I'm filming. It's definitely not a glamorous show. Temperatures have got up to 49°C on location in Budapest, Hungary, and I'm either sprawled face down in the mud or locked in a passionate embrace with Jonas, which I have to hold for about 15 minutes while ten people start moving our hands around each other's bodies, playing with our hair or screaming at us to look a certain way.

When Keith Allen is around, it's suddenly 2am and you're still in the bar. Keith isn't with us all the time, but when he arrives in town he makes sure everyone knows about it. He is totally wicked, though he's not the bad boy he makes out. We're out there for seven months of the year filming non-stop, so we're a pretty tight set.

I lied to get this job. I said I was a good horse rider during auditions. In fact, I'd only had one lesson, but I knew it was essential to getting the part, so I just kept on saying I was completely fine on horseback. When I got to the set it was a real shock. The horses are trained to start running as soon as they hear the word 'action'. I wasn't quite prepared, and all of a sudden my horse just bolted. It was terrifying. Part of me was just trying to hang on, part of me was really scared and part of me was enjoying the thrill of being so scared. Fortunately, I managed to stay on the horse and I went off and made sure I got proper lessons. I am pretty good now.

Riding is tricky, but I know what I'm doing with a bow. I've had enough practice to know my way around one of these things. My biggest fear is looking weak, girly and pathetic. The thing about being this young is you feel invincible and you just have to give things a go.

I was sent to boot camp. We had to go to Budapest early to learn about archery, sword fighting, punching and falling. I'm pretty sporty, so I love the fact that Marian's a real action girl. She's got a great sense of humour, too; she's one of the boys.

I fight like Bruce Lee. I train in his style of kung fu, wing chun. It's all about fighting with controlled power, so you learn to punch correctly. It was actually developed by a woman, which was what attracted me. It's definitely made me a lot stronger. I've done a few killer punches this series that have caused a bit of damage. I can see the difference. I'm definitely harder.

I try to keep my corsets as loose as possible. But the clothes are still so tight that when you throw a swing, the dress starts to rip apart, particularly under the arms. I get through more costumes than anyone else on set. The directors are forever begging me not to swing my sword so hard, but you just can't help it.

My favourite sex scene is in Atonement. It's between Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. You see nothing but her naked back, yet it's incredibly erotic. I've been on at the Robin Hood producers for ages about the costumes needing to be more feminine, and they finally paid attention. Maid Marian's a lot sexier in this new series.

I'm as single as a 20-year-old can be. I'm away for several months of the year, which makes having relationships a lot more complicated. I think Scarlett Johansson is incredibly sexy. But you never see her naked in sex scenes or stripping off for photo shoots. I've had offers from lads' mags, but that's not what I'm about. I'm not a prude, but I have very strong opinions about what is and isn't sexy.

I talked my parents into sending me to Roedean at 16. I had this idea that if I could get into Cambridge then I could join Footlights. My problem was that I went to a comprehensive in Brighton. I thought I'd have to start from a good school, and the best I could think of was Roedean. I spoke to my parents and they were willing to let me go if I passed the entrance exam, which I did. I started there, but after a week I missed my friends from my old school so much that I just couldn't stand it any more. I quit and hoped that my agent would come good for me.

Catherine Zeta-Jones started out like me. Her big break in Hollywood was in Zorro. She did the whole action-girl thing, and I'm a lot younger, so maybe people are looking for someone new. Robin Hood is screened in the US. There's no harm in going out there and seeing what's around. I'll give it my best shot.