It’s been a very traumatic year for Lauren, how do you feel when you look back on the past 12 months?
It’s definitely been exhausting but also very rewarding. Mainly because I wanted to do it well, and to do it well, you need to know the story inside out. I did a lot of research behind what grooming was, I knew what it was, but I never knew the extent of it. I also worked with charities to make sure I got the story right. I feel like I’ve now got to the point where I’m getting a bit more control back and can focus on what’s now for Lauren, because she’s a completely different person than she was prior to leaving, or even coming back. She’s now killed someone and that’s going to stay with her for a long time, I don’t know how she will come back from that. But the past year has been really eye-opening, not just for me but hopefully for the audience too, as well as people who have experienced similar things or know people who have experienced it. I hope they know that they are valued, seen and heard, which was the main thing I wanted from this storyline.
Like you’ve just said, when Joel died, we saw a moment where Lauren was worried about how Frankie would feel towards her after killing his dad. How does Lauren truly feel about Joel? Does him being Frankie’s father complicate her feelings?
I honestly think Lauren really hates him. Maybe there was a little bit of guilt there at the start, but not for Joel, for Frankie because she feels like she’s taken away part of his life, even though she knows that Joel would never have been a part of his life, but she’s also got rid of that opportunity for him which is conflicting. After everything Joel has done, Lauren doesn’t feel like she got the justice that she wanted - he tried to kill her, her baby and has hurt everyone that she loves. But I do think the fact that Lauren knows she’s going to have to explain everything to Frankie will be really tough on her.
This storyline started off with a mystery boyfriend, turning out to be Joel. Do you think Lauren realised how much danger she was in at the time or did she genuinely believe Joel was a good guy?
She certainly thought Joe was a good guy. Lauren was in a really bad place, Max had turned his back on her to be with Sabrina and he was the only person who made Lauren feel heard, valued and respected. Having that rejection definitely made Lauren even more vulnerable, and to then have someone of a higher authority figure like Joel finally listen and believe her made her feel special. Lauren hasn’t had a good experience with men in general, especially growing up, so as soon as Joel gave her any attention, she wanted to take it. That’s what people like Joel do though, they learn who is vulnerable, has no stability and has a bad relationship with their parents and use that to their advantage and that’s exactly what Lauren was, she was an outcast.
What was the turning point where she realised that he was actually dangerous?
Definitely when Joel started buying her things because he was giving her something, she knew she then had to give him something back. That’s where the prior scene with Roy where she propositioned him, even though it didn’t feel right, that’s just what Lauren expects from men. She felt guilty for taking Joel’s money and time and she was really grateful for his help, but the only thing she could give him was herself, which is a really sad thing. By this point, she was too far in to get out of it because he knew where she lived, where she worked and lived on the same street as her, so she couldn’t escape him. She was also desperate, she needed the money and when she’s desperate, she’ll do anything to survive.
How long have you known that Lauren was going to be the one to murder Joel?
I knew very early on, pretty much when I came back which was quite a shock. It’s hard to know that this will come because me and Calum have an amazing friendship and I’ve loved working with him. When you see someone everyday and work so closely together, it’s hard to know that it will come to an end. To not have him now has been really strange, he’s done the part amazingly well and even in the episodes leading up to his death, I felt sorry for Joel and I caught myself saying “why do you feel sorry for someone who’s done that?” but when you find an actor that can make you laugh, cry and hate them, that’s when you know they’re a great actor.
How did you and Calum get into character for those hard hitting scenes? Especially when you have such a great friendship?
For the flashback scenes, we stayed away from each other in between takes. The flashback scene where it looked like Lauren was dead was a 12 hour filming day, so for 12 hours, we had to stay in character. We actually said to each other to stay in separate parts of the room and if we walked past each other, we didn’t even want to lock eye contact. If I did walk past him, he’d growl or glare at me, but it was a really fun experience. Once filming was over, we would always do something to break character like high five or hug to make sure each of us were comfortable, which was really important in this storyline.
What was your initial reaction when you were told about the storyline?
I was definitely scared and nervous because Lauren is such a complex character and I love playing her because I know her and her journey and can understand why she is the way she is, but the scary thing was that she wasn’t on the street for long so a lot of the audience didn’t really like her or know her. One thing I’ve learned is if a storyline excites you but scares you, you just need to go for it and can’t overthink it.
How important was working with the Maggie Oliver Foundation and how did they help shape this storyline for you?
That was the main thing I really wanted to do from the moment I heard about this storyline. The charity and meeting people who had been in similar situations taught me so much and I really owe everything to them. It’s also helped shape what I would personally like for Lauren in the future, because meeting with people who have experienced abuse and seeing that they can move forward with their life is so inspiring to me, and that’s what I want to highlight. What Lauren has been through doesn’t mean she’s not capable of raising a child, or being in another relationship, or building friendships and doing well for herself and that’s exactly what I’ve learned through working with people from the Maggie Oliver Foundation. They haven’t just inspired the storyline, but they’ve also inspired me as a person and I would hope to think the audience too. Maggie was also brilliant, she was sending me podcast interviews to listen to and was always there when I had any questions. Maggie was there throughout the whole storyline and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support.
Lauren doesn’t have many people she can trust in her life, what is it about Max that she can trust?
Max and Lauren have been through so much together and although they are trauma bonded, they also just have so much love for each other. Max has been the only person in Lauren’s life that has always respected her and put her first, and that’s why he’s the only person in the world that she can trust. It’s just sad because they dream of this perfect life together, and when it’s in reaching distance, he hands himself in for a murder that he didn’t actually commit. I was even watching it on TV shouting “why?” Lauren’s never had any stability in life, and now that she has Frankie who is her reason to live and breathe, the fact Max stuck around and has loved him like his own has created even more of a bond between them.
Lauren’s currently in jail after David reported her to the police. We saw a nice relationship forming between Lauren and the Platt’s. Could this change everything between them now or does she understand?
I think deep down she understands because she’s got Frankie now and she feels that unconditional love of a parent, knowing you would do anything for them. But on the other hand, Lauren is a very jealous person and Max has that big family that’s loved and respected by everyone on the street, has a nice house and all have each other’s back - which is something Lauren’s never had. So at first, I think she will feel anger and resentment towards them. Lauren opens up to Shona, so she thinks that Shona is the one to go behind her back instead of David, which is really disappointing to Lauren because she thought of Shona as a mother type figure.
With Lauren now rid of Joel, Gus and Anthea are on the scene. How does Lauren feel towards them?
Oh she hates them! I don’t think anyone is born evil or a killer so I think Lauren blames his parents. To Gus and Anthea, Joel is that little boy who can do no wrong in their eyes and that really frustrates Lauren because they can’t see the monster they have created. That’s where I think Joel and Lauren are quite similar, because they both haven’t had great models to look up to in life. For Gus, let’s just say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because they are so similar in their mannerisms and will look down on people. Gus is in law too, so he knows how to work it. Whenever Lauren looks at Gus, all she can see is Joel which is really triggering for her. Both Gus and Anthea are a massive threat to Lauren because now that Joel isn’t around, they will do anything in their power to bring Lauren down. I think this is where we will see another side to Lauren, because it’s a natural motherly instinct, and she’ll be in full mother mode as well as survival mode, but not just for herself anymore, but her son.
This week, Lauren finds out that Frankie has some bruising on his body. Where does her mind go when she first hears this?
Instantly Lauren thinks Gus and Anthea have done something to set her up. She can’t even think rationally because she just thinks something sinister has happened so Lauren will lose Frankie forever. Lauren’s looking for someone to blame and I think Max will get the brunt of it because he should never have taken his eyes off of Frankie for even a second when Gus and Anthea were visiting him.
Out of the whole year, what has been your favourite memory?
I have genuinely loved every second of the past year and learned so much about myself and the industry but there’s two storyline memories which are my favourite. The first one would be the flashback scene, when it looked like Joel murdered Lauren, because as I mentioned before, that’s the longest I’ve ever had to stay in character. The adrenaline was real afterwards. My other favourite memory would be Calum’s last day on location. Finishing with him and being a part of his journey was so bittersweet and really special to be a part of. Filming on location is such a different experience than when you’re back at base, because you know your surroundings at base, so there’s always something really exciting about being on location and not being able to imagine what the end product will look like until you see it on screen.
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