What does Shona remember of Clayton?
Shona remembers him being a young teenager so initially she doesn’t recognise him when she first sees him again. She is really excited to see what she remembers as a little boy so when this man is presented before her, she is so confused and she doesn’t know who he is. She doesn’t think it’s Clayton but she succumbs to the fact that it is him very quickly because she knows that she can’t remember but it really is a shock when she sees him.
Clayton is using the situation and her memory loss to his advantage, how much does Shona feel like she can trust him?
Initially she thinks she can trust him but as he begins to quite clearly show his true colours, she may quickly change her mind...
What does she remember of the street?
Absolutely nothing. She has no recollection of living on Coronation Street, she still thinks she lives on The Dog and Gun estate. I’ve been on Corrie three and a half years now and all that is gone from her memory. Gail, Roy… she can’t remember a thing.
What does she make of David?
It’s difficult because he is a stranger telling her he is her husband and she is very wary of that. She knows that she is married to him but because she doesn’t have any emotional connection towards him, for example everything that they have been through has gone from her memory, she is quite cold towards him. I don’t think she dislikes him, I don’t think she likes him, she is quite indifferent.
Why does Shona decide to go to the Platts?
Sarah comes to visit her in her rehab centre and without the history there, Shona really connects to Sarah’s plight. Shona can see how genuinely upset Sarah is about the way that David is behaving. Shona’s essence is still there; she is still a kind person and wants to help people so she agrees with Sarah that she will go back and see if anything jogs her memory.
What’s the reaction when there’s a glimmer of hope because she knows where the tea bags are kept?
It is hard to say because a lot of people keep their tea bags above the kettle, I do myself at home, so there is that glimmer of hope but also I think everybody is in a position where the reality of the situation is that it might just be a coincidence. It’s exciting but let’s not get too excited just yet.
What was it like being back on set for you, as Julia?
Oh, I was gone for about five minutes so everything is exactly the same as it was and it’s been great to get back! I’ve really enjoyed being back at work and also having this challenging this storyline.
Shona’s personality is not the same as before. As an actor, what’s it like playing the same character but very different?
The difficulty is that the character is so different so to approach it in that sense is really odd because she is completely unrecognisable. When working with my colleagues like Tina O’Brien, Jack P Shepherd, Helen Worth and David Neilson, it’s hard to not go back to the natural rhythm that we had with each other. We have a rapport that we have built up, the way we work together, as characters but also as friends so it’s hard not to sink back into that familiarity from before. For example, if Shona and David have a cheeky exchange, we have to be quite cold and to look at it with new eyes.
What conversations were had about Shona’s new character? What research did you do?
We have excellent writers and there has been lots of research put into Shona’s brain injury. I had a meeting with Dr Julianne Kinch, Consultant Neuropsychologist, and Dr Nicola Wheeler, Clinical Psychologist, from Christchurch Group and they were incredibly helpful with the way Shona will behave and react to people. It’s challenging because I want to get it right and I really hope I have done it justice because people are going through this situation in real life.
Do you think this is one of the biggest tests of Shona and David’s relationship?
Absolutely! At least before they were on a similar page, but now they are strangers to each other. From David’s point of view, he is looking at his wife physically but he is not looking at who she is and she is not looking back with the same eyes, the same face. This is probably their toughest challenge yet.
As an actor, do you prefer when Shona and David are happy or do you enjoy playing out their troubles?
I love both. It would be boring if it was always the same so I love it when they argue and David constantly dumps her, he’s always dumping her isn’t he? I also adore their relationship when they are at their best; when they are joking and laughing and having fun, because it’s adding all those layers on, that lovely colour to a real life relationship which is what Coronation Street aims for with the couples.
Glenda Young
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2 comments:
I hope they use this as an opportunity for Nick to support Shona - he did suffer from a brain injury that caused changes to his personality not long ago after all.
Although I like the idea of Nick supporting Shona due to his won brain injury,i hope it doesn't lead to an affair.
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