Emmy Rossum has revealed that playing Fiona Gallagher in the US adaptation of Shameless made her dating life difficult. The actress, who starred in the hit Channel 4 drama for nine series, regularly had to strip off for the role, and people conflated her character with the real person playing her.
Dating struggles and preconceived notions
Speaking to Maria Sharapova on the Sept. 16 episode of Pretty Tough, Rossum said: 'It got quite tricky because of the nudity on the show. All of the guys that I would go out with had preconceived notions of who I was or how I was sexually.'
She said it became so 'bizarre' that she went on one date with a man with political aspirations who was worried how her Shameless role would look for him.
'He was like, "I really want to be president someday,"' she said. 'And I was like, "Wow, that's like a great goal." He's like, "But I feel like running for office dating someone who's been like exposed in the way that you have, do you think that would be tricky for me?" And I was like, "This is an insane conversation to have."'
A healthier romantic life now
Rossum's romantic life is now healthier. She has been married to Mr Robot creator Sam Esmail since 2017, and they share two children.
'We so like-minded,' she continued. 'We're so family first. We're so work second. But also when one person has to work, the other person takes over the family. When I'm working or on tour or making a movie, he's there for drop-off and pickup.'
Current career high
Rossum is at an exciting point in her career, starring in the Disney Plus thriller Furious, which has been hailed as the 'most outstanding show of the year'. She plays Alice Black, an FBI agent hunting down a female serial killer who has also suffered violence in her past.
Speaking to Metro recently about the role, she said: 'I was looking for a character that was as rich and dynamic as the one that I played on Shameless for so long.'
Furious is available to stream on Disney Plus in the UK.
