Is Lauren still under Joel’s spell?
Yes very much so but I think with Lauren it’s always about stability and she’s never had that. She knows that coming back she’s going to have to build a lot of bridges with people but she wants that stability back that she’s never had before and that she felt on the street. Joel is manipulating her again and saying ‘If you keep quiet, I can help you.’ I think she grabs onto that, because who else has she got? And now it’s not just her she has to think about, she’s got a baby to think about and that comes first for Lauren. It’s sad but it happens, people who have been groomed and abused have kids with their abuser and they are manipulated again because that’s all they know and they are desperate - and that’s what Lauren is, she is desperate for love.
Has she not got the strength to speak up?
She wants a fresh start and to do that she needs money. She hasn’t got a job, she’s been god knows where over the past few months, hasn’t got anybody to support her, so when he promises financial stability, she has to take it. But I also think it’s a case of if she does say something, is she going to be believed? Joel has a high standing in the community, he knows how to work the law, manipulate the law, manipulate people, who are you going to believe? A young girl who has been on the wrong side of the tracks, had issues with the police, lied about a lot of things, got a dad in prison and a mum who doesn’t want to know, or are you going to believe someone who works for the law, someone win a position of authority and power? It’s a no brainer for Lauren, she feels like she’s never going to be believed so what’s the point.
Does she want to run again?
She managed to get away from Joel once but she thinks what if she doesn’t manage that the second time? She thinks ‘If I go, will he follow me, but if I stay, will he harm me and my baby?’ What is the right thing to do? She can’t confide in anyone because she doesn’t trust anyone.
How does Lauren feel when she’s mugged, does it make her even more vulnerable?
The reason I love playing Lauren is because she is that feisty, hot-headed character who isn’t afraid of speaking her mind. But over the past couple of months many things have changed - if you asked me months back how Lauren would respond to being mugged I’d say she would completely kick off and fight back. There's probably an urge to still do that but Lauren as we see her at the moment is in fact vulnerable, with no support unit, and she is also pregnant. So now she is no longer in survival mode for her own safety but also her child's.
Joel is there 'supporting' her, is she grateful or does she hate having to rely on him?
Lauren is not grateful for Joel, he tried killing her. Lauren is in fact desperate. Her focus is on the baby. Lauren has played her trump card with Joel which is the baby, the only evidence that can be used to bring Joel down. However, Joel has blackmailed Lauren, reassuring her that if she stays quiet about what happened he will financially help and support her moving to Ireland to start a new life, just her and the baby. Lauren is stuck between a rock and a hard place - she hasn't got the financial stability to move to Ireland herself, so the only way she will get her wish is if she keeps herself quiet about what Joel did.
How scared does Lauren feel when she’s hit with stomach pains and thinks she’s going into early labour?
Lauren is terrified, she has no idea what's happening. She's never been through this before like any soon to be parent. It is terrifying for, especially because she's on her own when this happens and it’s so early. This is not the way it’s meant to be.
Do you think Lauren will be a good parent?
On one hand if you don’t know love, how are you supposed to offer it? But I think for Lauren because she’s never had that unconditional love, having something that’s going to love her unconditionally despite her flaws and imperfections and mistakes, I think that gives her an inner power. To form a human, that takes a lot of strength. She will always make mistakes, everyone does, but I do want her to keep her feistiness. I want people to look at her and think ‘She’s been through all this trauma but she’s come out the other side.’ I’d love that moving forward, for people to go on that journey with her and see how low she was but see how much she has changed and adapted to motherhood. Trauma changes you, as does having a baby.
Tell us about the research you’ve done for this storyline
Talking to charities was a massive thing, when there’s a storyline addressing a really important topic, you feel like there’s a duty of care. We’d had a glimpse of what she had been through in her past - been brought up by older men, been abused by older men, sexually and physically, which is why her self worth was so low. So when I found out she was going to be targeted, I wanted to dive into what grooming was. I thought I knew what it was but it’s not just one thing, it’s so many different things in one. Speaking to the Maggie Oliver Foundation opened my eyes to what grooming is, and it’s such a relevant issue that is happening today. The justice system is failing certain young vulnerable girls because of where they have come from - Lauren has had a bad experience with men, she’s got a bad relationship with her mum, her dad is in prison. If you’ve never felt love, how do you know anything different? That’s what these girls who I’ve been lucky to talk to, survivors, have told us. I’ve heard their stories and hearing what they’ve been through has been so inspiring.
Do you enjoy playing Lauren?
If you looked at Lauren, from the outside perspective, you’d think she’s been in trouble with the police, she’s known as a madam, she’s got attitude, she’s feisty, but if you look below the surface, there’s so much more than that and that’s why I love playing her. There’s so many layers to the character. I feel really protective of her, I’ve done so much research and I really care for her. I hope that translates on screen.
3 comments:
She's really stupid to trust Joel. And why on earth does she want to go to Ireland where she knows nobody? What will she live off? Joel won't keep paying once she's out of the way.
It's called coercive control
Jeanie: I don't know about the coercive control thing. She never lived with him and then seemed perfectly able to separate herself from him after he tried to kill her. I like the character and actress but find this an incredibly ludicrous storyline in so many different ways. And because it is goes beyond the bounds of what is possible its hard not to find it boring and tune it out as ridiculous. No one is going to survive an attack the way Lauren did, then disappear without a trace, then cheerfully leave Roy to be jailed for weeks, then pop up months later without so much as a scar. And by the way, pregnant!Writers you can do better than that. Just a series of cheap, unearned thrills.
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