How’s Nick feeling as Leanne becomes more invested in the institute?
I think what's happening here is Leanne’s emotional withdrawal from Nick. Leanne going out and doing something for herself, Nick's all for, but it’s the fact that she's leaving him emotionally and being talked into things which she never normally would be. I think he's wary of where it's going.
It’s not just time she’s investing it’s now money on online workshops and vitamin supplements, does this worry Nick?
He was a bit concerned about the money but it wasn't huge amounts, but now it’s become a bit of money, a bit of time not being at work and then it's a bit of emotionally not being there for her sister or for Nick. It’s a withdrawal of her.
Is he jealous of her closeness with Rowan?
Yeah definitely, he’s a good looking guy and I think actually Nick is just a bit jealous. It starts to occur to him that maybe she’s having an affair. He’s not happy about what's going on in one respect but he’s also not happy about what a good looking guy Rowan is and the time they spend together. I think he does start to wonder what’s going on.
He’s met Rowan a few times now, how does he feel about him, is he suspicious of his motives at all?
Yes definitely, I think he just gets this vibe of it all can't be like this. It's all too good to be true. Also Rowan’s not particularly nice to Nick, he seems like he is but Nick gets that vibe, he sees him and he knows Rowan doesn’t really want him around.
What does Nick think when Leanne invites him to the institute to meet people?
He’s thinking he probably should go, he knows it’s something he should do but then there's also a part of Nick that goes, I'm not changing my mind, this isn't right. But then he knows he should always support her.
Toyah starts to do a bit of digging into the institute’s past, is Nick encouraging of this or is he more willing to accept it if Leanne’s happy?
He definitely doesn't mind Toyah looking into it without a doubt because he does think there is something more to it. Toyah's much more invested in it and more convinced that Leanne is being dragged into something bad whereas I think Nick is more stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’s stuck in between what’s effectively his wife and his sister in law and he’s trying to hedge his bets both ways. He understands that Leanne needs a bit of freedom, but he's also worried about her and worried about what Toyah is saying.
How does he feel when Leanne suddenly announces she’s dropping everything and disappearing on a retreat?
He’s gutted, I think that's the moment where he twigs that this is the way it could end up being. She’ll withdraw more and more and then she’ll end up saying she’s found another life. So I think there is maybe a bit of him thinking that this is going to lead to somewhere not great. I think he's a bit jealous as well that she doesn't want to spend time with him.
Nick’s left to deal with Simon who’s not in a great place right now, is he angry about this, annoyed that Leanne’s seemingly shirking her responsibilities?
I think Nick has had enough, he’s annoyed. He's always been annoyed with Peter about his behaviour. Simon put his son at risk, he's displaying a lot of the character traits that his dad did and he thinks he’s going to end up like his dad and why should he have to pick up the pieces of that. Nick has his own son Sam now and he has to consider his well being in all this too.
Nick and Toyah are forced to pull together with Leanne being away and help Simon, could Leanne’s absence start to have an impact on their relationship?
Yeah I think so, it's more the emotional part, that the Leanne he knows has gone and I think Nick really needs that emotional connection. That’s how he works within the Platt family, he’s the one that emotionally connects with everyone really, whereas David doesn’t. And I think as Leanne withdraws, it gets harder and harder for Nick.
Is he starting to feel like he’s losing Leanne? Nick was already having doubts about a wedding, could this be another nail in the coffin?
Yeah, I think so.
Are you enjoying playing this storyline? Because it is something that's quite different but something that does affect more people than you think?
I think if you're playing it within characters in the street, with long established characters, then you can do things like this. There's a lot of it in the news, there's a lot about these kinds of things going on, it's definitely very present. Underneath it is a classic Corrie love triangle, which is being played slightly differently. I’m really enjoying it, because it’s being played within the family and you can play anything if it’s within a family, it’s all a slice of life and it’s their reality. None of them see this as a cult right now, to Leanne I think it’s just a new way of living and that’s how she’s presenting it and there are loads of people doing that, it's very present.
Have you read anything about these wellness groups that then ask for money, or watched any of the documentaries about them?
Yes I've definitely seen things in the past but now it seems to be much more nuanced. Sometimes it's only when people look back on it, that they start to realise that wasn’t quite right and that should have been an alarm bell. But broken down smaller things don’t seem as significant and that’s what's happening to Leanne. It seems normal to her but then when you step back from it you can see this isn't you Leanne. What we’re playing here is the emotions it brings to that family dynamic and I love that.
