Since Leanne found out about Nick’s secret son how has that changed the dynamic of their relationship?
Oliver’s illness is still eclipsing everything. It’s too much for Leanne to cope with, she meets Sam but she can’t take it any further than that. Her initial concern was that Natasha was trying something on, she’s clearly not, so Leanne is a bit like you’ve done what you’ve done but my focus is Oliver so let’s move on.
Nick obviously wants to get to know his son but is also supporting the person he loves while she loses her son, how is he managing to balance the two?
I don’t think he is but he knows enough to not reject his son. He doesn’t dive in there at first but it’s Sam who pushes it and Natasha makes it clear that if he starts seeing him it has to be for keeps. Nick was rejected by his own father Brian and he doesn’t want to be that dad. He’s in a really difficult situation.
Nick has been a parent to Oliver for some time now but does he find himself pushed out a bit by Leanne and Steve as Oliver’s illness becomes ever more serious?
Completely, he’s pushed out by the medical team who can’t speak to him. It’s hard because deep down he knows he’s always going to be hit over the head with the fact that he’s not Oliver’s real dad. It’s hard because Nick really loves him, there isn’t a bone in his body that doesn’t think of Oliver as his son but when you really get to it he’s not. Leanne fires that at him at times, which is a bit rough, Peter is never really there for Simon, Steve hasn’t been there for Oliver at times, Nick picks up a lot of that and he does feel a bit hard done by. But on the other hand he does understand what Leanne’s going through, it’s an impossible situation, she’s losing her child slowly.
Nick admits to Gail that he’s starting to think Leanne’s fighting a losing battle, do you think possibly taking a step back allows him to see this?
Yes, I also think Steve does start to see it but he’s dragged along by Leanne and the fight she has in her. When push comes to shove are you really going to give up on your child and go against the mum’s wishes. Nick can take a little bit of a step back and see this isn’t going to help Oliver. But it’s Leanne against the world, she’s in a corner and she’s fighting the world, she’s fighting all of the medical teams, she's fighting for the money. The awful brutal truth is that Oliver isn’t going to get better, Nick can see that but he can’t force it on Leanne. It’s an impossible situation for everyone but they can’t look back and say they didn’t do everything.
In the meantime is Nick bonding with Sam?
Almost instantly he can see himself in Sam, there’s that blood connection, it’s just there. There’s an instant connection because he is his son and he’s not going to push him away.
Natasha offers £20,000 to Leanne’s fund to treat Oliver, why doesn’t he tell her about the offer?
It’s a lot of money but is it enough money to fund the treatment, no, and for the mess it’s going to cause in their relationship is it worth it, probably not. A transaction between Nick’s girlfriend, who’s the mother of his son, and his current partner just doesn’t feel healthy. He thinks he’s best not to tell Leanne but then Leanne finds out and she wants the money. It muddles what’s already a very complicated situation, there’s already Leanne, Nick, Steve and Tracy involved, now Natasha, it’s messy.
How hard has it been to film this storyline and leave it at work at the end of the day?
Jane has been fantastic, she’s super solid, we’re very supportive of each other but when you’re in it you're in it. We’re both old enough to know what comes with these types of big storylines but we’re also lucky enough to go back to our own families where this is not our life and that’s important. When we’re in work we give it 100% but when we step out you have to try not to take it home. There are days when we’ve cried a lot and you can’t stop crying but that’s what we’re paid to do and Jane has done an amazing job. Yes covid has made it slightly harder as you film a lot of back to back emotional scenes in one day but we’re both extremely lucky to be working. It’s important to us to work and it’s important to get this story right.
How important is it for families going through this in real life to see it portrayed on screen?
It’s very important for their voice to be heard, like their story is being addressed. Jane and I are both aware that this is someone's story, this is someone’s life and that’s why we’re giving it everything we can. No one takes it lightly, you have to find the balance of keeping that in the back of your head but also be aware that you’re playing it and not let the whole weight fall on you. Jane, Simon, Kate, the directors, the writing team have all been brilliant. People may find it hard to watch but good, soaps should challenge viewers but then balance it with other stories. It’s like the Geoff and Yasmeen storyline, it may be uncomfortable to watch but it’s a story that has to be told and you balance it with other stories. I think the show has done that really well coming out of lockdown, to not drop stories but to play them out fully and this will continue to play out for quite a while, especially for Leanne.
Glenda Young
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8 comments:
Hard to see Nick as a decent father or person tbh. I wonder if the actor remembers his character once pushed both Leanne and Natasha into aborting his babies.
And wasn't it last year he stole £80,000 from his own grandmother? Hardly thinking of his step kids then. Not forgetting that he had only been in Oliver's life for 5 minutes when he decided it was the right time to leave Leanne.
I would understand it more if this was about Nick being more of a father to Simon, (even though Peter seems to have a really good relationship with him now) but Steve has always been there for Oliver, so I really don't get why we are supposed to think that Nick is the better father figure. Sorry!
Anonymous [01:09] You keep commenting the same thing over and over again on every post that has something to do with Nick. Do you make any other comments? Give it a rest now. Your grudge is so boring.
Here here!
I'm curious. How do all these Anonymous commenters know which one one of them has made which comment? Anyway, what I was going to say was that a small sliver of humour wouldn't go amiss in this storyline. I was waiting for Gail to say to Nick: 'Sam's very intelligent. Are you sure he's yours?'
I like to imagine what Granny Ivy would have said if she was still around. No doubt she would be demanding Sam's name was changed to Tilsley. And being very rude and judgemental to Natasha of course.
While the storyline has been depressing to watch, the actors have definitely been on top of their game. As this interview is from Ben Price, his acting has been very impressive, he’s the dark horse of Coronation Street. Lots of delicate and layered acting. Hopefully we get more scenes of Sam too, a wonderful addition to the street.
Remembering how he demanded David get a DNA test on Lily [after his drunken one night stand with Kylie] and the fact that Natasha lied about being pregnant after her abortion,I'm surprised that Nick or Gail for that matter haven't demanded a DNA test on Sam to confirm he is Nick's son instead of taking Natasha's word.
Good one Humpty - I bet it is the same person arguing with theirself. lol
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