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Wednesday 17 July 2013

Hayley's cancer storyline - Julie Hesmondhalgh reveals all

There's a good interview in this week's Inside Soap magazine with Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Coronation Street's Hayley Cropper.  Julie talks about Hayley's cancer storyline. I think we're all dreading this storyline and it would have been very hard to say goodbye to Hayley under any circumstances, but especially with a cancer storyline.

Julie says this about acting through Hayley's cancer plotline: "I remember one night at home walking up the stairs slightly stooped, and I had to remind myself that it wasn't me who was ill.  To play a part well sometimes you have to trick your body into thinking that's how you're feeling but then you have to remind your body that you're just acting.  You have to have a word with yourself because when you play a storyline like this, it can be quite hard to shake off."

Julie reveals that it's Carla who supports Hayley and that there's a lovely scene when they are in hospital and Carla holds Hayley's hand, with Hayley loooking really uncomfortable about it.

And then of course, there's Roy and how this will affect him. "He becomes an immediate nightmare," says Julie. "He starts researching her illness and makes her drink herbal tea and eat broccoli. She gets really fed up with him, but that's his way of coping."

But when Roy finds Hayley at Audrey's birthday party at the Bistro, he isn't best pleased as he thinks she should be at home looking after herself.  Julie says: "He manages to announce to everyone what's happened to Hayley. This isn't what she wanted, she didn't want to feel different or pitied."

After 15 years of playing Hayley Cropper, Julie says: "Hayley's issues of being transgendered offered a grat opportunity to bring an unusual issue into people's living rooms.  But this cancer storyline is something that affects pretty much evryone in one way or another - and I feel very honoured to be playing it."

For Corrie fans, it's not going to be an easy few months as we begin to say goodbye to Hayley.  Indeed, I think this could be one of the hardest storylines to watch in my 40 years of being a Coronation Street fan - and I still haven't got over Alma's death yet!

I wonder what'll happen to Hayley's iconic red anorak when Julie Hesmondhalgh leaves the show?

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7 comments:

Sammie said...

Thanks for posting :)

I am definitely dreading this storyline but I'm sure it will be told and acted beautifully.

I was reading Julie Hesmondalgh's interview on Digital Spy where she speaks more about the Carla and Hayley scenes. I was almost in tears reading it...

She said, "They have a really interesting, unusual and brilliant friendship. Carla is everything that Hayley isn't and everything Hayley would aspire to be. Carla insists on coming to the hospital with Hayley because she's been so upset at work, this is one situation where the viewer gets to see a different side of Carla.

"There are very few residents on the street that Carla lets her guard down with, but she really loves Hayley. They're both women that have been through a lot, both childless and both going out with men who are problematic in their own way. I think they have a lot in common, really get on and have a mutual respect for each other. In Roy and Hayley's relationship, Hayley is the more flamboyant, physical and demonstrative one. There's a lovely scene where Carla's holding Hayley's hand and Hayley's looking really uncomfortable. Carla seems to take on the role of Hayley and Hayley seems to take on the role of Roy." http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/scoop/a498507/coronation-streets-julie-hesmondhalgh-talks-hayley-cancer-diagnosis.html

Peter @peterprandradio on Twitter said...

Dreading this storyline because it will bring Hayley and Roy's dithering to the forefront again, just as we have had quite a lot of it recently with the Roy's-dad story.

I despair how soaps make people out to be weird.

Another thing I don't like about Hayley, or how she's portrayed. For the last month, we've had nothing but Roy's sleepwalking, but when he finally put on some soothing music, on Monday, Hayley woke up and was complaining about the noise! Why couldn't she wake up and think: "Oh, yes, that must be Roy's meditation music"?

No. Thanks for everything, Hayley, but time to go. I won't be sorry.

Sammie said...

Oops I meant *Julie Hesmondhalgh*

Stevie said...

It's a tribute to Julie that I'm in tears just reading about this. It's going to be hard to see this storyline progress...

Anonymous said...

This is going to be heartbreaking. I too filled up reading about it!

I've no doubt in my mind that all involved in this storyline will weave magic.

Shan said...

This is going to be so sad. When I first started watching Corrie, it was the storyline with Wayne and I've loved Roy and Hayley ever since.

This may actually be the storyline to make me like Carla!

Anonymous said...

Sylvia knows something's not right with Haley. I'm just wondering why they have Carla consoling Haley and not Sally who went through cancer treatment herself not that long ago..would've made more sense IMO.

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