Lucy Punch has made a name for herself as the delusional, social climbing, appearance-obsessed Amanda in the brilliant Motherland spin-off, Amandaland.
In the run up to Amandaland returning for a second series on May 6, Lucy has shared that viewers often believe the actress will be just like her on-screen counterpart - but that couldn't be further from the truth.
While the character of Amanda will do anything she believes will make her appearance aesthetically pleasing, and go to great lengths to keep her face youthful and wrinkle free, Lucy has some unfiltered words about the real life impact of the beauty industry on women.
The star believes "The way someone looks is the least interesting thing about anyone," and finds the idea of tweakments "ghastly."
In conversation with the Daily Mail, Lucy shares that she's previously been asked if she's had work done to her face, and her response has been, "Tweakments! How ghastly of you even to say that!"
She does have a caveat though, adding, "I think anyone can do whatever the hell they like. But personally – no," when it comes to having invasive procedures carried out on her face.
Her beauty routine is very straightforward: "I take off my make-up. I wash my face. I put some cream on my face and I rub it in. Big hat and hope for the best," she explains.
In fact, Lucy believes the beauty industry is designed to keep women feeling insecure, and a confident woman poses a big threat - it's an industry that needs to keep women dissatisfied with their appearance to survive, whatever mental fallout this has.
"‘You get to the point where, as a woman especially, you realise it’s in nobody else’s interest for you to feel good the way you are," she says.
The actress continues, "If you think, 'I look great as I am,' That’s great for you. It’s not great for anyone else. "You are fine and beautiful as you are - it doesn’t matter," Lucy says honestly, adding, "The way someone looks is the least interesting thing about anyone."
With more open insight, she says, "Just never forget, it’s only in your interest to feel good about yourself. You’re not going to feel better because of a mascara or a treatment or whatever."
Despite her feelings towards female beauty standards, the actress still has her own insecurities about her appearance, as a lot of the most confident women probably do also.
"I’m not confident," she reveals, concluding, "It’s just realising that it’s actually rather 'dangerous' to go, 'Oh! I think I look fine, actually.'"
Amandaland series 2 airs on BBC One and iPlayer from May 6.
