How does Corey feel as Seb’s murder trial approaches, does he still feel confident that he’ll be found not guilty or is he starting to worry?
He definitely thinks he’s got the upper hand in comparison to Kelly, which comes down to his more privileged background I think and the preparations his dad has put in place with his legal team. But at the same time he’s still a young lad, on trial for a very serious crime so like anybody would be he’s very nervous.
How does he feel to be facing Nina and Abi again? Do they make him nervous or maybe feel some remorse?
I think it puts him on edge, he can read that these people don’t like him and they’re convinced he’s done it. They’re there to ensure that becomes more evident to other people and that does put him on edge.
Do you think Stefan starts to doubt his son during proceedings?
Yeah I think he starts to doubt him, there are a lot of loose ends that Corey hasn’t thought through and there’s a lot of evidence that comes to light that he wasn’t aware of. It’s then that Stefan and Sabeen, his lawyer, do start to doubt whether their son and client is completely innocent. I think what’s evident, that we see in both the characters of Corey and Kelly, is that they both could be found guilty. Over the years we’ve seen both characters build into two quite manipulative people, who both could be guilty, so the viewers have been waiting to find out what actually happened that night.
Despite this do you think Stefan will stand by his son no matter what?
The strongest thing in this world is family and it’s very hard to back down from doing anything you can to make sure your family members are safe. Obviously prison is a terrifying thought for any adult so you can only imagine how much Stefan is dreading his son ending up there. I don’t think Corey would last a day in prison. He may give the impression of being tough but it’s very accidental, he’s had a pretty blessed upbringing and never been involved in crime before to this extent so he would literally be a small fish in an ocean of sharks.
Outside of the trial his life, his football career, is going from strength to strength isn’t it?
It seems like everything else in his life is going his way, which makes it even more difficult for the likes of Abi and Nina to watch. His football career is taking off but it’s all come at the wrong time, he knows being accused of murder is going to affect his football career at some point, it’s like a ticking time bomb for him until one day the truth comes out.
How does Corey feel when Asha stands up in court? Does he realise he’s lost her at this point or does he think he can still manipulate her?
Corey idolised Asha as this kind of goddess when he was young, I do think he really did love her in his own way and didn’t want her to be with anyone else because he acknowledged her innocent beauty. But as soon as she turned her back against Corey then that all changed and it’s the other side of the coin now. He really looks down on her like he does with characters like Nina. He has no respect or empathy for any of these women, especially those that speak out against him. We’ve seen through his actions in the past that Corey has a lot of sexism in him and I think in these episodes where we find out the true nature of the attack we do see that vicious side of him and his emotions about what he hates most in the world. We’ll really see him here as a bad guy and it makes you wonder if there’s any good in him at all. Throughout the court case I think we see that this guy is the worst sort of human being.
Prior to the trial we see Nina’s reconstruction and the flashbacks of what actually happened that night, what was it like to film those scenes?
It was really interesting because personally the last few months have gone so fast for me that I’ve not really had time to step back and realise how mental the time has been. As character development it was very interesting to go back to the place which was such a catalyst of an episode and set the dominoes falling. It was very intense and it was great to have Harry (Seb) back again and hear how well things are going for him. We all had a really good time, it was a long night but I really enjoyed the night shoots. I think they’re important for young actors to do as they give you a real insight into how the industry works.
You created a close cohort to film the scenes, was it good to be able to work in that way?
I was in a bubble with Millie, it felt so surreal to be back being able to be close again. With characters like Corey and Kelly it was great to be able to have that intimacy, to emphasize Corey’s real physical violence and the threat he poses over her.
Seeing Kelly struggling in the court, shouting out at times that he’s lying, does he feel any guilt about trying to pin everything on her or is it survival of the fittest for him?
I think Corey has decided there’s no time for emotion, he’s almost tucked that away so deep inside of him because at the minute he’s fighting for only himself. He’s on trial for something that’s going to affect the rest of his life so at this point nobody else around him matters, especially someone like Kelly who he’s never really been such a fan of, she’s easy for him to just throw under the bus. He doesn’t have any respect for her.
Corey takes the stand and plans to lie through his teeth, do you think he’ll be able to put on a good performance?
There’s a balance, I found I had to get my mind into that state of vulnerability, because no matter how tough you are when you’re being thrown questions to catch you off guard then naturally you’re going to get emotional. So there’s a balance of yes he knows he has to put this act on but come the end of the questioning by Imran we do see him break down. It makes him appear like a child again and serves to assure the audience that he is still a child in this very adult situation.
Imran does not go easy on him does he, we saw in the Geoff trial his questioning can be intense?
We saw in the Geoff trail what Imran is capable of when confronted by these awful people and Geoff was a great example of one of the most awful characters the street has had in years. It was great to see Imran go against Geoff and maybe showed the audience that Imran has the tools to take down Corey as well.
One of the last things Corey has in his pocket is Eli, is he pretty convinced that Eli will back his story?
Eli was so close to that attack so Corey knows that despite being his friend he is a threat. Like with Kelly he’s a threat because they know what actually happened that night. But Corey hopes that because of his dad's connections Eli’s answers will be influenced by Stefan’s wealth.
At the end of the trial they bring out Tommy Orpinton as Corey’s character reference, with that is Corey feeling like the trial has gone his way by the end?
He’s definitely playing the right cards, although it’s Stefan who’s really the lead card player here. Tommy Orpinton was an interesting touch because it just adds that sense that everything else in Corey’s life is brilliant, he can’t be guilty because look he’s a good lad, this is what he’s on his way to becoming. Football is the good part of his life, we’ve seen that he’s not a nice person at all but he is talented.
What was it like filming the court scenes, did you enjoy being out on location?
They were long days but I loved working with all the cast, especially Charlie and Georgia who I’ve never really had the chance to work with before. They were such heavy scenes and as an actor the most crucial thing is to stay relaxed so having the time to chill with those guys really helped. It’s the people around you who help you get into that state of mind.
How would you like to see the trial end? Would you like to see Corey punished?
The end always comes for the bad ones, especially on Coronation Street. I’m anticipating that his end will come soon but I’d also be happy if it didn’t. A guilty party not being found guilty can put everyone on edge and leave people to take matters into their own hands. So I’m excited to see the outcome.
What has the reaction on the street to Corey been like?
The majority of people manage to separate me the actor from Corey quite well, on the street everyone is really nice, I’m happy to take pictures with people because the show is such a great accomplishment for Manchester and has such a huge following I’m happy every time people come up to me because it means the show is still going as string as it was all those years ago. If there ever is a bad comment I never take it to heart because I realise that Corey is a villain and it must mean I’m doing an alright job.
Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor
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