Dolly-Rose Campbell interview: Gemma goes into labour in a cable car

How is Gemma feeling? Is she feeling insecure does she believe any of the lies Bernie has been peddling to the press about Chesney?

No, she does believe Chesney that he was just giving Emma a hug, she is also friends with Emma so she trusts them both. The added strain of having Bernie there with her dodgy dealings is really adding pressure to Gemma and it is a lot to cope with. She is glad to have her mum there but she brings a lot of extra trouble to the door. She means well, her heart is in the right place and she wants to make up for not being around in the past but she just ends up causing Gemma more problems.

How have they been getting on as a couple since getting back together?  

They have got real feelings for each other but they are a bit overwhelmed by the situation and bit hesitant to really go for it based on how they feel because neither of them is sure if the other feels the same. They each don’t want the other one to think it is just because of the babies and not genuine love and affection.

What is behind the day out to Llandudno?

She thinks it is a lovely idea to have a day out before the babies come and get away from all the hassle. But bearing in mind the last day out they went on she got stuck in a turnstile she should probably be staying a bit closer to home. And they are going all the way out to the seaside, Gemma has this romantic idea of a day at the coast! She feels like it is their last chance before they are up to their eyes in babies.

Does she have any idea that Chesney is planning to propose? 

No she is completely out of the loop. They go up in the cable car and Gemma thinks it is great but Chesney is a bit afraid of heights which is ironic as, in real life, I am the one that is scared of heights. Whilst they are in the cable car he decides this is the perfect moment to propose and she is so excited she knocks the ring over the side of the cable car. What should have been a lovely romantic moment becomes a comedy of errors.

What happens next?

They are trying to look for the ring down on the ground as the cable car is descending and that is when Gemma’s waters break and Chesney panics and hits the emergency break on the cable car. It is the worst thing he could have done as now they can’t get down to the bottom. And this is the real deal, she has had scares before but this time she is in labour.

What was it like filming in a cable car? How was it done?

Sam and I were in one cable car and all the cameras were attached to the cable car. We were up in the air and completely isolated from everyone, it was just the two of us. The crew were also in cable cars. We had rehearsed in a cable car that they brought to the studios but that was on the floor in the car park, it gave us an idea of how the scene would work but nothing can prepare you for doing those scenes so high up in such a tiny cable car. By the time we were in there with me wearing the big prosthetic belly there was very little room. The cable car also had a weight limit so everything had to be weighed.

How did you communicate with the director?

We were on talkback but we did have some technical issues so we were left to our own devices to go through the scenes we had rehearsed. There is no one I would rather have been in this situation with than Sam. He is very calm and he has been doing the job a long time, he is very experienced and has such a calm nature about him. We work well together we trust each other so it worked. I was a bit frightened at times but it was such a new experience and we ran off pure adrenalin. It was like being in a play, there was no crew around us it was just the two of us but that was good because Chesney and Gemma would feel isolated in that way.

How long did it take to film the scenes?

We were out there for three days. The ride could only work in certain weather conditions, on the first day we couldn’t shoot in the cable car as it was too windy but the second and third day we could.

How did you feel about the labour scenes and how to make it look real, especially up in a cable car, what research did you do?

This is a unique situation, I obviously don’t know anyone who has given birth in a cable car but I went round asking everyone I knew who had given birth what their experience was. Quote frankly I can’t understand why anyone would have more than one child as they all sounded horrific!

You must be glad that Gemma is not pregnant any more. What has it been like wearing the pregnancy bump?

The bump weighs three and a half kilos and then it had fake boobs too. It was very heavy, it made me walk differently, I couldn’t get it on and off by myself at the end because it was that big! Someone from costume had to come to the toilet with me! I also got bruises from it, it was like doing a workout, we filmed through the summer so it was very hot. I would always take it off at lunchtime to have a break.

How is Gemma going to cope with being a mum?

Well it isn’t a great start as she and the babies are miles away from home in a strange hospital and it is very stressful for Gemma and Chesney. Gemma is really worried that they are not all going to make it. She feels an overwhelming responsibility of suddenly being a mum.

Do you think Gemma has been going along with the idea of it and it hasn’t sunk in what having four babies is going to mean?

Absolutely, he has no idea what it is like on a day to day basis having one baby never mind four! She has no family experience of babies.

Have you worked with any babies yet?

We are only just starting to. We have been using ‘jelly babies’ that look very realistic and even breathe! You feel in the scenes that you are working with real babies. Like Gemma I had not really thought through the reality of working with all those babies. I just thought it was a funny storyline but then I realised I was going to have to work with real babies, and I was terrified but so far it has been ok! And unlike Gemma I get to give them back to their parents at the end of the day. We are using triplets and twins so those mums have more to deal with than I do!

What sort of mum do you think Gemma is going to be?

I think she is going to be like any mum, trying the best that she can. She will definitely be overwhelmed about the situation and the reality of looking after them and the desire to protect them. She does have a very strong maternal instinct. She does rise to the challenge. Part of her wants for her children what she didn;t have and she wants to learn from her mum’s mistakes and her upbringing but she has a lot more to deal with, Bernie only had two to think about and she didn’t do a great job, Gemma has four plus Joseph.

Can we look forward to some comedy?

Definitely, this is Gemma with quads after all but we will also be looking at some of the reality and the more serious issues that multiple births can bring up such as health scares and money worries.

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Glenda Young

Author of historical novels with Headline

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