Nadia Forde: "Biggest disappointment? Realising how short life is..."

Who would be the last person you would invite to your birthday party?
Putin.

Who would be the first person you would invite to your birthday party?
Stanley Tucci. He can charm anyone and make a great cocktail.

Favourite saying?
“You know what I mean?” or “It’s grand.”

Favourite record?
A vinyl record from the showband era that has my grandad singing on it. We still have some of his stage costumes in the attic. Bell bottom, ruffle shirt heaven.

Favourite book?
Can I pick two?! The Choice by Edith Edger, and The Evolution Of A Girl, a collection of poetry I’m always dipping into.

Favourite film?
I recently saw The Quiet Girl directed by Colm Bairéad, which stayed swimming around in my mind for days.

Favourite writer?
Lucy Prebble

Favourite actor / actress?
Diane Keaton and Penelope Cruz.

Favourite musician?
John Spillane. ‘Cherry Trees’ makes me smile.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
Falling flat on my face on stage in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin.

Favourite food/drink/stimulant?
Coconut milk coffee drunk first thing in the morning before everyone wakes up.

TV programme?
The Sopranos.

Favourite TV personality?
Graham Norton.

Favourite item of clothing?
Jeans and a white shirt.

Most desirable date?
Anywhere with my daughter and husband.

Favourite method of relaxation?
Hot yoga.

If you weren’t pursuing your present career, what other career might you have chosen?
Private investigator.

Biggest thrill?
Completing something after I initially thought, “I’ll never be able to do that.”

Biggest disappointment?
Realising how short life is.

Your concept of heaven?
Surrounded by my loved ones laughing under the sunshine in a hot country, with no shoes on.

Your concept of hell?
Limbo. In this world or the next.

What would be your dying words?
I’ll be watching...

Greatest ambition?
To be involved creatively with something that people connect with.

Period of history you’d most like to have lived in and why?
Renaissance Italy, specifically the city of Florence.

If you weren’t a human being, which animal would you have chosen to be?
A robin, they bring a lot of joy when they appear.

If you were told that the world was ending tomorrow morning, how would you react/what would you do?
Run to my family and hold them tight.

Your nominee for the world’s best-dressed person?
Jane Birkin.

Favourite term of abuse?
Gobshite, which is subtle enough for people to think I’m joking when I’m actually deadly serious.

Biggest fear?
Losing the people I love.

Humanity’s most useful invention?
Central heating. If you think you’re noticing a pattern of heat-related answers, it’s because you are. I hate the cold.

Humanity’s most useless invention?
Plastic bottles.

• Actress and model Nadia Forde is developing The Lido, a series based in an Italian-run fish and chip shop, with RTÉ and NI Screen.