- Interviewed by John A. Anderson
Inspired by a quote from the great painter Vincent Van Gogh, "It is no longer enough to be the painter, I want to be the paint, " Roma Downey determined to pursue a life in the arts and drama. With her warmth and charisma, Roma's work has colored the lives of millions of fans throughout the world. During the course of our conversation it was easy to see why - Roma opens her heart and soul and applies it fully in everything that she does.
Smoothie Machines
Through your work, you have been able to pursue and associate yourself with very uplifting and positive ventures - from your highly successful Touched by an Angel television series to your work with Phil Coulter on the serene Healing Angel CD, and even your recent children's book "Love is a Family." Your work promotes hope and peace. I'd like to begin by asking you about the events of September 11. Those events have had such an enormous impact on the world. How have these events affected you personally and what are you doing to remain positive?
I have been able to draw from my experience of being raised in Northern Ireland, where terrorism and war in the streets were a way of life for us, particularly in the 1970's and 1980's when those troubles were at their heights. I have some experience living with this kind of fear and the idea that something can happen from unexpected places and that things can blow up, though the terror was never quite as dramatic or as profound as what happened in New York City and Washington.
I do know that even in the darkest of nights for us as children there was great relief, literally, when the sun would rise - breakfast had to be made and the kids had to be fed, and we would have to get off to school. Somehow the days would move forward, and we moved forward with it because we had to. Somehow we dragged one foot in front of the other and we kept going. To some extent I have been able to apply that experience to our present situation. With the horror from which we are all still recovering, we ask ourselves if we will ever get the images out of our minds; probably not.
Do you still think about those experiences you had as a child in Ireland? How have those images remained with you?
Yes, that's my point. I think having come through the violence of Ireland has allowed me to know and communicate that we can and will keep moving forward. For the first few days after the tragedy we were all in a state of paralysis and absolute shock that this could happen on the American mainland, and the fact that it essentially dropped from the sky created a nightmare beyond anyone's imagination or fears. Like probably everybody else, I couldn't sleep for days afterwards. I'd wake up in anxiety, replaying in my mind these events. The first time I got on a plane after the tragedy I was very nervous. I actually flew into JFK Airport 10 days after those events, and found myself for the first time in my life really quite afraid to fly. I have flow a lot all over the world for many years and never thought twice about it. I am as human as the next person.
On the other hand, I think that if we look at the way this tragedy has united the country - indeed, united the world - in the face of all of this fear and terror, we have tremendous movement forward and progress together towards peace. In Ireland, as a direct response to what has happened in the United States, the I.R.A. has laid down their arms knowing that nowhere in the world will anybody tolerate the idea of terrorism again. I think they realize that theirs is a lost cause. Now Ireland is moving towards a lasting peace, maybe as a direct result of this recent tragedy. Nobody wished that the events of September 11 had happened; yet with the way that everyone has joined together, you can still visibly see the signs of God and goodness in the aftermath of these awful things.
Thank you for your thoughts and willingness to discuss this topic. Incidents of depression have escalated due to these recent events and I believe your experience and perspective will benefit many. I appreciate your work on the Healing Angel CD - it is quite timely and it's message of calm and peace has never been more needed.
Healing Angel was a work of poems, prayers and prose set to lovely Celtic music, geared towards positive thinking and reflection. For me, it was my sleep - my unconscious or subconscious - that was more deeply impacted by these events than anything else. We are so inundated with information; the final phone calls from the towers and final phone calls from the plane. Those last moments and images of the planes hitting the buildings have completely penetrated our psyche.
Collectively as a nation we will continue to have sleepless nights. But there comes a point where we get sensory overload. Obviously I was aware of what's going on, but at a certain point I had to stop reading and stop looking at it. It wasn't that I didn't care any longer; I just needed to redirect and recharge myself. Before I go to bed, I like to listen to soothing sounds and music that lends itself to meditation. I pray before I go to sleep and then I just let the day go. I find that very helpful.
Can you describe your upbringing and how that has had an effect on your healthy perspective today? I read that your mother passed away when you were 10 years old.
What I remember of my early childhood is that I was very loved and supported and encouraged in all ways. So when my mother died it was like the lights were turned out in my life. It was truly devastating. That loss created a void in me, and I know the woman that I became grew up around that emptiness as opposed to facing it and getting over it. I can honestly say that it wasn't until the birth of my daughter, Reilly, five years ago, that I felt the void filled for the first time. My father did the best he could under the circumstances, and I certainly felt no lack of love, but a girl needs a mother.
Is it true that both your father and mother died of heart attacks?
They did. My father died in 1985 when I had just entered college, and I found myself orphaned by the time I hit my second decade. So, yes, both of my parents died of heart attacks. At that time in most of Europe, and especially in Northern Ireland, we weren't educated in the ways of healthy eating. Our diets were very fatty - a lot of fried foods, butter and dairy products - and I think that obviously contributed to their death. Also, neither of them were great exercisers. Couple those with added stress of troubled times in which we were living and you have little hope for positive health.
Are you concerned about genetics?
Absolutely. When I deal with a medical issue, first and foremost is my medical history. If there is a genetic weakness, I have to be extra careful. I am also in the business of 'show' where, unfortunately, there is too much emphasis on image. In this industry there is a superficial balance between wanting to be healthy and needing to look good.
Do you have a fitness routine that you follow?
I enjoy fitness, but it is often a time of regularity. If I had planned to work out today like I planned to meet with you, it wouldn't have happened. I am at the mercy of schedule here. I do have an elliptical crosstrainer machine in my home where I try to work in my cardiovascular workout. That is first and foremost to keep my heart healthy and to increase my metabolism to help burn fat. I am also a member of the Excel Gym, and they have a series of body attack and body pump classes. The body pump classes work every main muscle group with weights. I try to attend at least 2-3 times per week.
If time weren't a factor, what fitness routine would you pursue?
I would try to do something every day, alternating between cardiovascular emphasis one day and a weight workout the next, with a little yoga thrown in to relieve stress. I like to work out - I like how it makes me look and feel. I like how I feel after a workout. I often forget, particularly when I'm tired, that workouts actually give me more energy.
What are some 'traditional' exercises that you do NOT enjoy doing?
I don't enjoy saying no to Häagen-Dazs! But I would rather sacrifice a dessert rather than have to do an extra set of pushups. Really, I enjoy the weight workouts more than the cardiovascular workout. I find that running on a treadmill leaves me a little bored, frankly. Every minute seems like an hour. So that's really hard for me to stay on there to get my 20 minutes done.
I do find that I do much better working out in a group. I find it very hard to motivate myself. I don't have a great deal of discipline when it comes to working out. If I am laying on my own to do fifty sit-ups, that fifty very easily becomes twenty, and I tell myself that I will do more later. But when I'm in a group situation I am way too competitive, and if it kills me, I will do the fifty. I find that I work out better when I go to the club as opposed to doing it on my own. When I make myself get down to the gym and get into the class, then I do great. And of course there are usually loads of girls who are half my age and I tell myself - I am sure they are not going to finish if I am not!
How would you describe your nutritional perspective and habits?
Because I do some weight work - and this is small weights, I'm not suggesting I'm Arnold the bodybuilder here - I am aware that my body needs protein. I try to have a high protein, low-fat diet. I love fish. I don't eat too much dairy and I try to make sure that, particularly in the winter months, that I supplement everything with lots of vitamins. I begin every day with a health smoothie that is protein based with a banana and all the vitamin supplements that I take.
Because of the hours that I am working, my biggest mistake is that I forget to eat. I'm not suggesting that this is the way you should do it. But I just get caught up in the work. I don't have an enormous appetite, and I sometimes need to be reminded to eat. I know that it's better for the body to eat every 2-3 hours to achieve the metabolic at an optimal level. So I will snack on the set - usually eating a mix of cottage cheese and fruit.
Do you have any nutritional 'guilty pleasures?'
My favorite Häagen-Dazs is called Dulce de Leche. It's a caramel swirl in rich ice cream - it's sinfully sweet, but it's a spoonful of heaven! My experience is that if you take a spoonful at the freezer, standing up, then that doesn't count! It's only when you are sitting down with a bowl and a spoon that there are calories. Calories somehow don't count when you stand at the fridge.
For an Angel, it's amazing how down to earth you are.
The hardest thing with trying to get fit or lose weight or trying to stay healthy is simply getting started. Sometimes it's easy to let our time commitments or work schedules get in the way of our fitness goals. I find that if I let my workouts go for a week or two weeks, then it's hard to get back into doing it. But that's the time that you've really got to make yourself go. When you get out of a routine it's too easy to say yes to an extra portion of French fries and tell yourself that you will go tomorrow, or next week, or I'll go in the new year. Don't get into that trap - go now! Do it.
What is your relationship with the Safe Kid's Coalition and how did this come about?
I am their national spokesperson. They approached me and asked if I would do it. I have found that if I had taken on everything that came my way I would have no time to do my day job. I decided early on that I would select things that only had to do with children or Ireland. I have also done a lot of work with Make a Wish, and Project Children. I do a lot of work with Primary Children's Hospital which I find time for on any occasion I can get.
Out of all the things that come your way, why did you choose Safe Kid's Coalition?
Because I think it is so worthy. We've got to take care of our kids, and if my celebrity can be used to draw attention to any of these issues, then in my opinion it is celebrity well used.
I understand that art has been a longtime passion of yours. Is that something you still pursue?
I did have aspirations of being a painter. It is a great love of mine, but at the moment I just have no time to pursue it, but I hope eventually it is something that I can return to. But I am juggling here as a single parent mother with a full time job - that's a lot to handle.
Can you comment on being a single parent?
Reilly is my first and foremost. I do have a great nanny. When I'm not working I'm with my daughter. During the day she comes here to the trailer and spends the afternoon with me. So even though I put in long days on the set, I get to see her. Though my work hours are long, I am not working every minute of the day because there is lighting and rearranging, so I have quite a bit of downtime during my day, which allows me to be with my little girl. But on the topic of single parenting, I just wrote a children's book called Love is a Family. It embraces the non-traditional family and reminds children that family is not simply 'mom-dad-brother-sister,' but a family is love, and if you have been raised in love, then that is every bit a family as the next one.
The book fills a void out there. Today there is a growing percentage of families that are headed by only one parent. That is a huge amount of people. I think that for a child like my own to be able to read a little book where the heroine was being raised by a single parent, she can identify with that. But I also hope for kids who being raised by mom and dad, that this book will help them remain open-minded. As we know, kids can be so cruel, and perhaps this book may help them be more understanding of that child in their class who has only one parent.
Do you have any other plans to write another children's book?
Yes, I'd like to. I have a good relationship with Reagan Books, the publicist. It's something I am able to do here on my laptop during my workday. So, maybe down the road I'll have another go at it.
Finally, what are your holiday plans?
Togetherness with my family and friends. Every December in my daughter's name I throw a lovely children's party for the children of the Touched by an Angel crew. It's hundreds of kids. We have all kinds of fun characters that come and a magician. That will be really fun.