How do you think Dee-Dee has been coping since she found out that she was pregnant?
I don’t think she's coping. She's definitely avoiding confronting the realities at the minute, even though I think she wants to. Even three months ago, being pregnant with Joel’s baby would have been an incredible situation. They would have been married by now, and her life has obviously taken such a massive turn with the revelation of who he is. And so, for her now, it's reconciling – how does she cope? Is a baby going to ever let her move past this, or is the baby a new opportunity for happiness for her? I don't know. There's lots of conflicting emotions going on for her at the minute. But something like a baby is such a permanent fixture, and becoming a parent, there's never really the ideal circumstances. I guess this is just completely different circumstances to how she ever imagined becoming a mother. So, she really is just trying to work out what is for the best here, for the baby and for herself.
How does Dee-Dee feel about the fact that Joel’s parents return to Weatherfield?
They're probably a really big factor in her decision making. She's definitely unnerved by it. And there's that thing again of being aware that if she was to go through the pregnancy, they probably would crop up for all of eternity. So, that definitely unnerves her. And it's just another thing of - would she ever have any respite from Joel and the trauma that she's been through with that relationship?
Can you tell us about that moment that she comes to blows with Anthea in the cafe?
For Dee-Dee, she's partly lashing out because part of her knows that she could potentially hold some of the answers to help Lauren, but she doesn’t want to bear the burden. So, it’s frustrating that Anthea is being so unhelpful. But also, I think it’s that lack of self-awareness that his parents have about their child. And she blows up on her to give her a few home truths really, which are definitely overdue. But I also think that there’s this whole thing going on with her own emotions, her own hormones and her own decision in the process. She really vents all of her frustration onto Anthea in that moment, rightly or wrongly. As soon as the scales fell away from her eyes, she saw Joel as the person he was, and the fact that that his parents are still peddling a narrative, looking down their nose on Lauren is extremely infuriating to her, because actually, the reality is Joel was a predator, and he has caused all the situations that everyone finds themselves in.
Dee-Dee tells Lauren that she’ll help her find a donor for Frankie. What does her instinct tell her as she weighs up whether to admit that she’s pregnant?
Her instinct is to absolutely avoid Lauren at all costs. She knows that if Lauren finds out, she’s going to advocate for Dee-Dee to have the baby for a potential donor for Frankie. But also, part of her knows that if she does get into that conversation with Lauren, she may change her mind and not make a decision based on what she actually feels is best for her. Because as much as she wants to be in control, she does have so much compassion for Lauren and Frankie, and they are massively bonded and entwined. And she knows that hearing the ramifications that her decision could have on Lauren and Frankie might really persuade her decision. So,her instinct really is avoidance.
What factors does Dee-Dee consider as she comes to her decision about the baby?
The angle that I came at it with was, obviously in terms of having a termination, it’s a really complicated choice, it’s a massive decision. Obviously, she does have her faith playing a part of that. And while we have a few conversations where she makes it clear that she’s very much pro-choice, but for herself, this isn’t the kind of thing that she would have seen herself choosing, in terms of having an abortion. And obviously Frankie is a factor, but can she put herself through this just for him? And more than anything, the way I described it at the time when I was discussing it with directors was, I don’t think she actually wants to have an abortion, but it’s one thing that she can control. I think everything has been out of her control for so long, and this is one decision and one choice that she is fully in control of. And that is more the thing that is pushing her towards the choice of potentially terminating the pregnancy. And especially the fact that it’s Lauren. She has poured so much into Lauren – at no fault of Lauren’s, but so much of the turmoil and trauma has been around her. And the ask of having a baby on top of everything is such a massive thing for her. Me and Cait went down the route of she doesn’t want to be emotionally blackmailed into this situation because she has emotionally been so tied with Lauren for so long but that doesn’t obviously negate the fact that she cares about her and Frankie, and she cares about doing the right thing.
How much does Dee-Dee feel that it’s her responsibility to save Frankie?
She's definitely burdened by it. She’s definitely aware of the implications of what could happen if Frankie doesn’t find a donor. But then obviously, we don’t know the baby is a donor. I mean, having a baby, there’s so many factors. Even if we think about surrogacy, having a baby for someone else is such a massively complicated thing that is considered, and the decision is made in a really different context. So, the emotional and relational context of this just adds a whole other layer to it. At this point, I felt like she was fighting to keep her head above the water, and there was nothing of her old self left. So, would this be almost like the final nail in the coffin, if she is to go through with that pregnancy, she will ever escape Joel? I think that’s the thing that’s hanging over her.
2 comments:
Channique must be exhausted after all her work this year! She's already been involved in nearly 200 episodes (197 and counting) which is more than the previous record last year (189) set by the characters Jenny and Daisy jointly and even more than Stella of the back room (179) back in the day! Channique's done an incredible job, but is she in danger of being over-exposed? Or even reaching burn-out?
I love these "semi-spoilers" on this website - We know Frankie has something wrong with him, now from this article we learn that he needs a donor. But we've still not been told WHAT is wrong with him! I love it!
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