While I agree that it isn't something that passing all the phases is contingent on, would you not consider it almost "necessary" to at least have had a single trial lesson before embarking down a career that requires you to take substantial financial risk and investment of time? I wanted to be a lawyer for quite some time, and as far as I knew I absolutely wanted to do it... a month or two of work experience in various firms showed me that I absolutely did not.
Anyway, just to give this post a bit more value, would it not be safe to say that if it is at all within your means a minimum of a single trial lesson would be recommended? I personally believe that beyond giving you a tiny taste of flying it also lends everything you say in the interview about why you want to fly that little bit more authority. Rather than saying "I think" you can say "I know"....
But hey, that's just one guy's view. Feel free to take or leave my advice!
As an aside regarding the weather comment, my first flight was in some seriously turbulent weather (for a light aircraft) and I stepped out of the aircraft grinning from ear to ear, it was great fun getting chucked all over the place - like alton towers but better
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