Soap
superbitch Sable was always dripping jewels and draped in designer
gowns in The Colbys.
But
Stephanie Beacham, who played her, is happier to pull on a faded
pair of denims and walk barefoot on the beach with her dog.
Now
she is to star as a woman who shares her natural look in TV film
The Lilac Bus, taken from Maeve Binchey's best-selling
novel.
Stephanie
has never gone for a Joan Collins image, and shudders at the
idea of getting dolled up every time she leaves her house at
Malibu beach.
"Joan
is wonderful," says Stephanie. "She's Britain's answer
to Zsa Zsa Gabor. But I couldn't be like her in a million years.
"Imagine
taking an hour-and-a-half to get ready every day. It would be
too time-consuming. There are newspapers and books to read, new
people to meet and conversations to have."
Stephanie
appears with hardly a dab of make-up as health-shop boss Judy in
The Lilac Bus.
Judy,
who wears floppy hats and floaty skirts, is a sad woman with a
dark past. The 90-minute film also stars A Time to Dance
actress Dervla Kirwan and Sylvia Syms' daughter Beatie Edney.
It's
a tale of five very different people who share the same bus
every day from a sleepy village to Dublin.
Stephanie,
45, has rarely been out of work since she finished with Dynasty
spin-off The Colbys.
In
sitcom Sister Kate she played a nun, then she camped it
up as Mrs. Peacock in whodunit game-show Cluedo.
She's
currently filming the short series Riders, playing a
smart country wife who is seduced by a caddish younger man.
And
she recently finished the film Foreign Affairs - as an
actress made to look foolish by her toyboy.
Hard-working
Stephanie is proud she has been able to bring up her two teenage
daughters without a contribution from her ex-husband - actor
John McEnery.
And
she admits she got fed up with paying the lion's share of
household expenses when she was living with cameraman Steve
Silver.
Steve
sold the story of their four years together after they split.
His "betrayal" almost gave her a nervous breakdown,
she says.
Nowadays
there's nobody to join her walks along the beach - other than
her pet spaniel. And Stephanie says her next love is most
unlikely to be a toyboy.
"I'm
a grown-up woman and I want a grown-up man to enjoy life with. I
want a man who has an inner confidence. I want to laugh with
someone my own age.
"And
yes, I wouldn't mind having a man who would take care of me
financially."
If
he's like Marlon Brando, so much the better.
He
and Stephanie have stayed friends since they made sexy movie
The Nightcomers more than 20 years ago.
She
says: "Brando has to be one of the most magnetic creatures
anyone could have the good fortune to be locked in a cage with.
He's a wild animal.
"With
him you feel you are in the presence of someone who is capable
of anything."
Another
of Stephanie's favourite men is Charlton Heston, who was Sable's
husband in The Colbys.
"He's
my favourite acting partner because he's so reliable and
flexible. He's impeccable."
While
Stephanie may have given up getting involved with toyboys she
still appreciates their charms, particularly those of Luke
Perry, 27-year-old star of Beverly Hills 90210.
"The
other day I was sitting at dinner with Charlton and Luke and I
thought these are my favourite leading men this year and there's
50 years difference between them."
Some
might have plunged into depression to have been cast as Luke's
MUM in Beverly Hills 90210 - but not Stephanie.
"My
daughters thought it was the coolest thing to be in their
favourite show. It's one of the rare times when I impressed
them.
"I
didn't mind playing a mum. It's a role I enjoy in life so why
not do it on screen?
"Having
a family has helped keep my feet on the ground.
"You
can't get carried away with yourself when you've spent the day
picking up your daughters' dirty washing off the bathroom floor,
can, you?"
