Corrie baddie: "I had to change my appearance to hide from fans"

Actress Rhea Bailey, who played baddie Caz Hammond in Coronation Street, says that she used to be shouted at the street by Corrie fans and when she left, she had to change her appearance to hide from fans.

In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Rhea says:  “People were upset by Caz’s story and I would constantly have people shouting things at me in the street. I changed my hair to distance myself from the character. I’ve changed it back again now and as soon as I did people recognised me again."

Rhea is currently filming for the CBBC Victorian children’s drama Hetty Feather and the new Kay Mellor drama Girlfriends.

Read more Corrie news, interviews and spoilers 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Watch: Corrie Caz on Celebrity Dinner Date

Rhea Bailey, who played Caz Hammond on Coronation Street, appeared in Celebrity Dinner Date last night. It was shown ITVBe which is a channel, I must admit, I'm not familiar with. 

I knew Rhea was going to be on the show and I had been waiting for it to come on the main ITV channel. But then, before I knew it, it snuck itself onto ITVBe and was on last night and I missed it.

If you also missed it and you'd like to watch Rhea on Celebrity Dinner Date, it's on the ITV Hub here.

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW! Coronation Street Blog - the book.
A must for all Corrie fans!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Friday Corrie wrapped up

The episode only lasted 30 minutes but it was a real mix of lovely things and "wait, what?" moments, too. Emma covered much of this in her excellent episode summary but I wanted to add my point of view as well.

We've finally seen the end of the Caz storyline and I bow down in thanks to the Soap Gods for that. It was consistent, I'll say that for it. This story has been full of plot holes. We've mentioned this before and they continued to mount up right to the last episode. Kate conveniently connected a camera purchase to one Caz made in the past for a mate in the army and instantly knew it was in the flat (where the police didn't find it but where Caz had no trouble picking it up off a shelf or something) and she took the leap that Caz was probably watching so she played into it and lured Caz to the flat. Aidan and then the police showed up almost instantaneously which surprised me  after they left Aidan waiting at the factory the other day for a very long time. They wouldn't believe him any more today than they did then. Caz has finally been dragged away and I bet that snotty police detective never apologizes to everyone for giving them such a hard time. Maria's out of prison but with the next legal battle hanging over her head, she's not particularly happy. I don't think they'll send her to prison twice, though I could be wrong. Beth didn't have to go to jail for deliberately committing bigamy so maybe Maria will be joining her on the community beautification program.

Zeedan and Rana are wed and the morning after they're more concerned with getting some of Yasmeen's jewelry back than basking in the afterglow of their first physical encounter, something they've been dancing around for months. This would likely be Zeedan's first sexual experience. Either he spent the night distracted by wondering "where did you learn *that*?" or miffed that she had to show him what to do but they certainly didn't act like they spent the night in honeymoon heaven. There wasn't a giggle or a cup of tea in bed...nothing.  Mind you, they probably spent it with Grandmother in the next room so it was probably a bit low key.

With the very short time frame between their engagement and wedding that didn't nearly happen, I'm not surprised they haven't talked about when to have children. At the tender age of 21 (Zeedan) and approximately 23 (Rana, as Alya's friend would be a little older than him), and considering that they've only known each other under a year, they barely know each other. Zeedan's premarital wobbles were probably justified. Then Rana went running for the birth control pills, stolen from the (probably) sample cabinet at the health centre when she's probably already taking them. I don't get why she'd have to steal more of them, just make sure she gets her prescription renewed. I didn't need to be clubbed over the head with that one, all we had to do was see her looking at the package of pills in her handbag which is stupid, too, and contrived, because nobody I know carries them around in their bags but at least it's legal! I don't see this lasting a lifetime, do you?

Tyrone has invited Freddie back to be their lodger, assuring him that Fiz and the kids miss him and would love to have him back full time. On the surface, that's a lovely gesture. In reality, he did it without asking Fiz and that might not go down quite so well. Also, isn't that where Alya is kipping at the moment? It must be like Euston Station at rush hour in there at the moment. I like Freddie, and I'm glad he is going to be in the show for the foreseeable.

Mary has had a health crisis and Erica was right there by her side supporting her. I think that's lovely. Mary might not believe the doctor and want a further test to make sure and that's her right. I might feel the same way if I found a lump that wasn't there before. There's something else going on with Mary, though, and I'm looking forward to the rest of her story.

I'm really glad they're working Mary further into the fabric of the street. When she first turned into a permanent character, she lived in a motor home and her whole world seemed to be only Rita and Norris. Roy and Hayley were stuck on but that was a contentious relationship at first. Then they struck gold by putting her with the Alahans after Sunita died and she really came into her own. She has a home now with people who depend on her. She and Erica had a rocky start because she felt threatened by Erica's presence in her domestic world but they have grown to be good friends and it really works. Now that the twins need her a little less, they've added Tracy Barlow into the mix and it has been a genius move. She's really only a little older than Tracy but seems to have taken on the role of a quasi-mother/big sister. She still helps out in the Kabin and the cafe when her friends need her and she still entertains us with her quirky, wonderful stories. Patti Claire has really impressed me of late.

Tvor, twitter: @tvordlj

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


Click here to see our Christmas gift ideas for Coronation Street fans


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Coronation Street Blog interview with Samia Longchambon

It was a real pleasure to meet and interview Samia Longchambon, who plays Maria Connor in Coronation Street.  Samia was a great interviewee - very interesting, very warm and she really ran with the questions and was happy to explore possibilities and issues.

Viewers have witnessed Maria’s distress as Caz, on whom she took pity and took in when she was desperate, has turned on Maria, when she rejected Caz’s romantic suggestions and then told her that it would be best if Caz left.

I began by asking Samia if she enjoyed seeing herself play Maria on television
I watch the show to see where I’ve gone wrong and to see what I should do differently – to criticise myself, basically. I think I’ll give myself a day off from it on Christmas Day though.

Do you feel that you are following in Deirdre’s footsteps, when she was put in jail and the campaign Free the Weatherfield One began?
That’s what I thought when I first heard about this storyline – although Deidre wasn’t guilty and Maria kind of is. She’s not guilty the first time they put her behind bars – she’s not guilty of murder.
She’s going to be someone’s b....  I can’t say that word! She would not cope. I keep saying she’s going to come out with a tattoo of someone’s name on her chest, or a teardrop tattoo on her face or something. She wouldn’t cope very well.

Aidan and Maria are getting closer. Is it love or lust?
Caz is unwittingly pushing them both together. Aidan is convinced Maria hasn’t killed Caz. Anyone who really knows her, knows she’s not capable of murder. David is really behind Maria and Aidan. He is really gunning for her to be found not guilty. It pushes Maria and Aidan closer together over a period of time. You see her warming more and more to him. There’s that attraction there between them both. It’s building and building. There’s a couple of times when you think, are they going to kiss? and then they don’t, or they get interrupted. If you see how I look in these episodes, it’s certainly not lust.

I’ve been fighting with the make-up girls for more make-up and they’re like, nope, you wouldn’t be wearing make up for this. So, it has to be something deeper for Aidan, because I’m not looking my best. I think he genuinely does love her. He just wants to protect her. He sees himself as her knight in shining armour really and so does she. He’s her hero. He believes in her when a lot of other people don’t. Aidan’s the one person who believes she’s innocent, apart from Kirk.

He’s with Eva, so Maria’s aware that she shouldn’t be having these feelings, but she just can’t help it. They’re family as well – there’s that long history – she was married to his cousin. There’s a back history that we haven’t seen. There are a couple of times when he makes her feel really cheap. He kisses her, then won’t tell Eva – he wants his cake and eat it

What advice would you give to Maria concerning Aidan?
My advice to Maria would be to stay away! I would run a mile from him. Even Shayne is saying that himself. He’s like, ‘God, I can’t defend myself.’ When she finds the scissors, she realises that Caz has well and truly stitched her up. She realises then that it’s really serious and she could go to prison. Maria and Aidan are making the worst decisions ever – they’re hiding evidence when they should just be telling the truth.

And what about Liam in all this?
There’s a really sweet scene where Maria's’s cuddling Liam on the sofa, because she’s fearing the worst – she’s fearing she’s going to get sent down. They’re watching the film Up and she says, ‘I love a happy ending’. It’s really sad because you know she’s never going to get a happy ending.

Why does Maria let Adam Barlow turn her head?
Adam Barlow, ah yes. – it’s making Aidan jealous. He doesn’t really want her. She’s being reckless - she sees Adam as a distraction and a way to get Aidan jealous.

So is Maria really in love with Aidan?
Yes, I think she is in love with him. It’s not just a sexual thing. She does love him. Going through this together, he’s got her back no matter what. It means a lot to her – she does love him.

And what will happen when/if Maria goes to prison? And what about Eva?
Two possible prison sentences in the space of a month – that’s quite a record that is! For different things. If she does go to prison, she won’t come out the same person. It definitely would change her, but I’m not sure how. The usual sentence is 12 months if you have a sham marriage – it depends if they make an example of her. Eva and Maria are polar opposites. If I was him, I’d stick to Eva – she’s far less trouble!

And Caz?
No one seems to have warmed to Caz’s character, which means we’re doing a good job. She’s a true baddy. I hope everyone is #TeamMaria on this one.

Do you enjoy acting out the bad times?
This year is up there with when she lost Liam – but then she got engaged to Liam’s murderer. This year may take the biscuit though.

And what about Luke?
Luke is too reliable. She doesn’t go for reliable and safe – she just didn’t have that spark with him. - it’s like careful what you wish for.

What would you like to give Maria for Christmas?
For Christmas, I want freedom for my character. Liberty for Maria – that would be lovely. Don’t know if she’s going to get it though. Peace and love for everyone else.

Do you feel lucky to have your job?
This year has been amazing. It’s been one fab story after another. I enjoy it – I love my job. But, when I’m at home, I try and just be mum.

Does Maria annoy you?
Maria frustrates me a lot. I love her, obviously, I’ve stuck with her my whole adult life, so there’s something about this character that I do love. But, despite everything she’s been through, she’s still got this incredible naivety – she’s so gullible. It’s really frustrating. When I read the scripts I think, “God, you’re so stupid!” You will her to have a happy ending, but I don’t think she’s ever going to get it.

How do you switch off after a drama-filled day on set?
I try not to take it home with me.  Especially this stuff - it’s been really dark. You’re spending ten hours a day pretending to be depressed and fed up and looking at a prison sentence. So I’ve tried to leave it here at Media City and then go back to being mum at home. When I leave the gates, I put on my happy music and the drive home is my way of shaking off the stress.

Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net



Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Coronation Street Blog interview with Shayne Ward

I was lucky enough recently to interview Shayne Ward, who plays Aidan Connor in Coronation Street.   

How does Aidan feel initially after having slept with Maria?
He knows straight away that it shouldn’t have happened. The next day it’s a massive shock for Maria. I think she’s always liked Aidan. What hurt her the most was that he was telling her it was wrong and nothing should have happened. He does love Eva, but Maria and Eva are very different. He feels as if he can have a conversation with Maria, whereas he can’t with Eva. Eva is all, babe this and babe that. Eva is being really kind and caring towards Maria, so that makes him feel really bad about Eva, who is a complete innocent in this. Aidan doesn’t want to break Eva’s heart but it seems as though he will.
More than anything though, his mind set is on work – he wants to prove to his dad that he can run the business himself. He wants to be fully committed with his relationship – but his focus is on work.

Aidan totally believes Maria is innocent. Is that because you knew Caz when she was engaged to your sister Kate?
He’s aware of Caz because she was going out with his sister. She’s a bit of a bunny boiler – Aidan knows her better than a lot of people. He knows she’s up to something.

Do you think Aidan has a conscience or does he just do what he wants?
Yes, because he feels guilty from the get go. He can see how Eva is trying to help Maria and comfort her. He feels guilty in all this, because he slept with Maria and now his girlfriend and Maria are getting pally – there’s going to be a lot of awkward scenes in there. He knows Maria and trusts her not to tell Eva. She’s not going to break Eva’s heart by telling her. He does feel a lot for Maria. If she does end up going to prison, he’ll be really gutted.

And Shayne also told me about his personal life too...
I’m going to be getting the most amazing Christmas present ever – I’m expecting a baby in early December. I’m very excited, it’s the best thing ever. Everything is prepared. The nursery is done, we’re just waiting. We’re on countdown - not long to go now. Everyone is lovely. Mikey North (Gary Windass) is expecting his baby too. It’s wicked because I’m joining this Corrie family club, it’s amazing. I’m an uncle thirteen times over – that’s Irish families for you!

And his best Christmas memories?
17th December 2005 – I remember Over the Rainbow was the final song I sang (on the X-Factor) and it was a brilliant moment for me. It’s nice, because people keep uploading clips from the show itself. It’s weird, it looks dead old now. I get people approaching me who are 18 and they tell me they were seven when I won – it’s crazy. It was one of the most amazing times I ever had – I absolutely loved it on there.

And how do you enjoy being on Corrie? Is it very different from appearing on the X Factor?
It’s so different. The first time I came to do my first scene, I realised I had to look away from the camera. As a singer, you’re taught to look directly into the camera and sell yourself, so it’s really different. I like them both. Singing is a massive passion of mine and I’ll always continue singing regardless. With the acting, I like that it’s a completely different challenge. With a song, you sing it over and over again, but with a script, you do it once and it’s gone, then you have to move onto a different emotion – I love the challenge of that.

Any Christmas disasters?
I once bought a Santa’s outfit from America – I went the whole hog; it wasn’t a cheap one. I dressed up and came downstairs – I had the boots on and everything. I came downstairs and had my nephews and nieces going “It’s uncle Shayne” I was like, “No it’s not! It’s Santa!” I’m sat down on the couch with all my nieces and nephews around, then all of a sudden I got a weird reaction from the clothing. I had to take it off – I had a massive allergic reaction. I was itchy and had a rash, I was also sick!

Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net

NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Coronation Street Blog interview with Rhea Bailey

On a bright and sunny autumn day, I headed off to the Bistro in Weatherfield. I had been invited by Coronation Street's press team and was really looking forward to the day, We had been encouraged to wear Christmas jumpers - call me miserable if you wish, but they're not my favourite garment even on 25 December. Some willing souls had obliged and one guy had a shirt patterned with polar bears, wearing Christmas hats. Very jolly indeed. The press team were as good as their word and had dutifully dressed up.We were served a range of delicious Christmas snacks and mulled wine! Wonderful! Then it was down to business.

I interviewed Rhea Bailey, who plays Caz, and is currently Maria's nemesis. This is what she had to say.

How are you enjoying playing a Corrie villain?

It definitely comes with a lot more baggage than I anticipated. A lot of people who watch the show have a hard time differentiating between actors and the characters they play and I find that quite difficult to be honest. That wasn’t something I was prepared for.

You sort of think you do your hours at work, and it’s so fun, it’s really exciting, I’m really enjoying all the storylines they’re giving me and then I go home and then I’m like, ‘You guys are still acting like I’m at work but I’ve left work now and I’m just trying to do my supermarket shopping and I don’t know why you’re calling me names in the supermarket!’. I didn’t sign up for this but I’m getting more used to it now.

The general public are also getting more used to Caz and getting more excited about her being conniving and devious whereas before, just because they’re so loyal; the fans were so loyal to Sophie – everywhere I went people were saying, ‘Leave that Sophie alone!’ and I was like, ‘We’re cool [Rhea and Brooke Vincent] We go shopping together. Don’t worry about it!’

I’ve found that quite odd but people are now getting a bit more excited and enthused about her. It does take a while for an audience to accept a new character. And we’re at that stage now…thank goodness.

When you joined did you know you were going to be made into a baddie?

In my audition I did have to switch, yeah; I went from being a loving fiancé and then I had to show a nasty side too. When I started I was only supposed to be doing six episodes and then they asked me to do a few more, and then they asked me to stay, and so what I thought was just going to be a storyline with an arc where she did go a bit crazy quite quickly, has really panned out and dragged out and got a lot deeper.

A lot crazier. Have you ever thought of getting a t-shirt made that says, ‘I’m just playing a character! I’m not really Caz!’

At one point I was speaking to my friend Micah Balfour who I was in The Bill with and he plays, like, a paedophile in Emmerdale and we were talking about this. He’s had people shouting ‘Oi! Peado!’ at him. That’s a horrible thing to shout to a person who’s just trying to do their job. I said we should get hoodies printed up that say, ‘I’m just an actor!’. I was seriously thinking about it.

But if you are seen to complain too much people will think, ‘Well, what’s she complaining about? She’s on the telly. She must have a great life.

My mum says to me that people are really investing in your character, which shows you’re doing a great job and I say, ‘Yeah, but I need people to know that I’m not actually crazy!’

What would you say is Caz’s frame of mind as she embarks on this creepy plot to frame Maria?

She feels that everything she’s doing is completely justified. In her mind she’s been rejected by everybody; she was rejected by her family growing up, now she’s been rejected by the army, she then fell in love and thought she was going to start a new life with Kate, but then she got rejected by Kate so Maria, unfortunately, is the straw that broke the camel’s back.

She’s thought, ‘I’ve had enough!’ and she’s going to unleash terror on everyone around her because she thinks, ‘You guys have hurt me so badly and now I’m going to hurt you.’ In her head she’s just trying to get justice and she doesn’t see her behaviour as unreasonable. She’s so damaged that to her, this is just what you do when someone has hurt you. You get back at them.

So there’s no guilt about Maria being framed for murder?

I don’t think she feels any guilt at all. In a lot of ways I think she’s just still trying to get attention. I think in her head she still thinks she can make everyone like her somehow at the end of all of this.

Would you say that she’s not necessarily a psychopath, then?

I would say that because I went upstairs and said to the producers, ‘Is she a psychopath’. I’m reading the scripts and I’m like, ‘can you let me know, how am I playing this? Do you want me to play like she’s lost the plot?,’ And they said, ‘No, we genuinely want it to be believable,’ so it’s all coming from a place of brokenness and vulnerability and necessity as far as Caz as concerned. They didn’t want her to be just two-dimensional mental, they wanted her to be somebody that was so broken and so damaged that she thinks everything is justifiable so I’ve tried to keep it as realistic as possible, even if she’s doing completely unreasonable things.

Can you sympathise with her?

As an actor, you’re taught to never judge your character. It is really hard but I’ve got to the point now, because I’ve been acting  for 18 years, that I can watch the telly and step back from it because otherwise you watch it and you say, ‘Oh my Gosh, I look awful!’ or ‘I shouldn’t have done this or that,’ and so now I’ll remove myself and find myself saying, ‘Oh my Gosh! She’s so crazy. Why did she do that?’ I’m also able to shout things at the TV like the audience would such as, ‘Maria! Run!’

I don’t feel sorry for her in any way. I think she deserves whatever’s coming to her but then, as an actress myself, I haven’t been able to judge her because you can’t play it convincingly if you’re constantly saying, ‘But that’s not very nice, is it!’

How has she come up with something so extreme as framing Maria for murder?

Any lies she’s told, even having Maria burgled, got the result she wanted, so she’s decided now she will finally get people’s attention. She’s tried to do positive things, she even tried to help out when the explosion happened but nobody thanked her and said, ‘You were so great. You’re the only woman who helped lift that car.’ So, because of that, she says, ‘I’m going to do the worst things that I can think of doing.’

She’s got time on her hands (She’s not doing anything else; she hasn’t got a job on the Street) so she’s really thought out and plotted and schemed this really extensive plan where she’s going to London to use Maria’s credit card, she’s setting up stuff, she’s starting to manipulate people on the side.

She’s already manipulating Tyrone into thinking, ‘Oh, Maria’s up to her old tricks again, being a bit crazy,’ She’s dropping hints everywhere and making up fake stuff so that when people start to add it up, they’re going to add two and two and make five. so she’s been massively manipulative.

It’s weird for Maria to realise that, while she’s been in London, someone’s been behind her, seeing what she’s been doing…  

Yeah, I’m like Coronation Street’s friendliest stalker at the moment. We’ve got a lot of jokes on set that I’m just going to pop out from behind somewhere. We filmed an Aidan and Maria scene the other day at night and they didn’t understand the shot and they kept saying, ‘Why are they doing it from this angle?’ and I said, ‘because I’m back here, guys!’

I’ve been doing a lot of weird things that the audience is going to see and there’s a lot of stuff that we’re not going to see Caz do, but that we find out that she’s done. It’s sort of like a treasure trail but it’s not going to lead to anything good! The worst kind of treasure trail.

Will she be redeemed or is Caz only destined to get her comeuppance?

Well, the human side of me wants her to be redeemed but from the executives’ point of view, it’s so much more exciting to just have a baddie out and about. Everybody likes that kind of drama. I think, long term, it would be better if she was redeemed but I don’t think at this point there’s any sign of that happening.

I was like, ‘Can she have a conversation with Billy which leads to her finding Jesus?’ and the producers said, ‘NO!’

Does the character have a sell-by date because often villains are in the show for a specific length of time?

Well I think people get away with murder on this show so I don’t know. It definitely makes the road more rocky but it definitely keeps it interesting. At the moment, she’s already done a lot of coming and going….it just means that we have to keep it interesting so the viewers don’t just see her as a hate figure. That’s why I think she’s tried not to just make her evil in a two-dimensional sense. They’ve tried to show why she’s twisted so people can see why she is the way she is.

Some people on Twitter have been quite sympathetic towards Caz and I worry about those people but everybody sees Caz’s behaviour from a sort of different point of view.

Does she still think there might be a chance of her and Kate getting back together?

In her head she still thinks there’s a chance for everybody in Weatherfield to love her. She\s completely delusional at this point. What you’re going to see coming up over the next few weeks is her asking for Kate’s forgiveness and then as soon as Kate offers to forgive her, Caz is like, ‘Oh, shall we go for a drink, then?’ Caz takes it too far and Kate’s saying, ‘No, I don’t want to go for a drink with you, I don’t want to be friends with you, I’m just saying I will forgive you.’ In Caz’s head, the second anyone is nice to her, because she is so needy, she’s going to try to use that.

Caz is proving to be quite the evil genius. If she were to join forces with Pat Phelan, do you think they’d be able to take over the world? Or at least Weatherfield?

That would be awesome. A lot of people online have suggested that as well. They’ve said, ‘She should do something with Phelan!,’ and I’m like, ‘That would be cool. Conor’s such a nice guy. It would be fun to work with him. It’s funny, the reception he gets from the public is very different from the one I get. When you play a female villain, people are a lot happier to hate on you but when you’re a male villain, people just think you’re really, sexy, mysterious and dangerous but when you’re a woman, they just want to damn you and kick you so I feel that we’re quite sexist still in that way. I find that weird because he’s adored by women everywhere he goes…

And Pat’s done some terrible things, hasn’t he? 

Yeah.  And his has been going on far longer, whereas with me it’s just like, ‘Eurghhhh, she’s horrible, she’s evil!’ And with him it’s like, ‘Ooooohhhhhhh, he’s so sexy when he’s that evil,’ and that is just weird. I find it really odd.

What’s the worst thing a member of the public has said to you in the Street. Has anyone been particularly nasty?

I’ve said it a few times now in interview but somebody shouted at the top of their voice that I was a bitch the other day. I was a bit like, ‘Are you talking to me?’ and then she walked over to me, she came at me and I looked at the friend I was with and said, ‘Is this okay? Am I supposed to just stand for this? I can take care of myself and I don’t think you can give people abuse for no reason; I don’t think that’s okay but, apparently, because we’re on a TV show, they have permission to give us abuse in the street and I’m supposed to be really polite and nice about it because it’s my job.

So instead of me giving a normal reaction which would be, ‘Who do you think you’re talking to?’ I have to go (affects patient, friendly voice) ‘Oh, are you talking about my character? Oh, I see.’ You have to be really nice to these people and treat them with kid gloves when actually you want to say, ‘You can’t talk to me like that!’

Get out of my personal space…

Exactly but you know if you did that, it’s going to escalate and then one of you guys is going to write about it and it’s going to be a big deal so you have to treat these people with kid gloves because they’re not necessarily the full ticket. If they think it’s real…I had a group of old ladies boo me the other day. They must have seen me before I saw them and they collectively, as I turned a corner, booed me. And it’s funny now but at the time, I was like, ‘what the heck is going on?’

You felt like you were in a pantomime?Yeah, yeah and I think that’s what we have to remember. To a lot of the viewers, it’s like a panto. They’re booing a character, they’re not booing me.

And they would probably be heartbroken to think they’d actually upset you by booing you…

Yeah but in that respect they don’t necessarily see us as real people because people will talk about you as if the screen is still there. You can be stood right next to them in a queue and they’ll be going, ‘Oh look, it’s definitely her and she does look fatter on the telly,’ And I’m stood right there and my ears are burning but you just have to let it flow over you.

Does this make you quite anxious about what the public’s reaction is going to be when this story does come to a head?

Because it’s been bedding in for a while, I’m no longer anxious about it. If it had happened quite quickly with the whole Sophie, if it had come to a head with that storyline, I was getting quite anxious when I was out and about in public. But now, the sort of reaction I’m getting from people is one of excitement because they are enjoying the drama. It was affecting me a little bit personally…

Were there any moments when you broke down over it?

I didn’t break down but I definitely spoke to my mum about it. I’ve definitely spoken to people  here about it. I’ve spoken to other actors here such as Kate Ford because she obviously gets abuse from people on a regular basis and she’s used to it now! So I had a chat with her and I had a chat with Conor and I was surprised to learn that he has such a different response from people. I’ve had to ask people in the building not to refer to me as being evil in the building because we’re at work and if I’m getting it out on the Street, I don’t want people joking about it at work because it does bother me so…

Has it given you a thicker skin?

Somebody said to me that you have to develop a thicker skin and I said, ‘I don’t want to. I don’t want to be a person who has to put up a guard and be ready and armed to be rude back to people on the street.’ That’s not who I am as a person. I don’t want it to affect my personal life. Rather than have a thicker skin, I’ve decided to let it flow over me and just embrace the fact that people are getting a lot out of the drama and I must be doing my job properly.

When you said you talked to people here, what advice did they give you?

Well, the press office said, ‘Do let us know if there’s anything online that’s been particularly nasty,’ and they’d investigate that but it hasn’t gone that far at all. There’s been a few people I’ve blocked making unkind comments but I think that happens to everybody, regardless of your job – that’s the nature of the beast with social media.

Kate’s really good. She’s a really good, honest and genuine person. She said you have to get to the point where you don’t really care what people think of you and, because she’s been dealing with it for so long, she doesn’t really care if that one person in the supermarket does think she’s a bitch in real life because if she’s in a hurry, and she’s trying to deal with her son, and she’s got to be somewhere, and she doesn’t want to listen while somebody is rude to her, she’s just going to be, like, ‘whatever!’. It doesn’t affect her.

I’m finding myself being very patient with these people in the supermarket, I’m being nicer than I normally would be because I want them to go away knowing that I really am a nice person really and not like Caz! It’s just a learning curve that you embark on when you’re in a show as huge as this.

Aside from the abuse you’ve received, have you enjoyed playing a villain?

I love opening the scripts and going, ‘Oh my gosh – what is Caz doing now?’ I love how engaging it is. It’s challenging for me; when we do a take, I’ll always be saying, ‘Was that dirty look good enough,’  It’s definitely been more challenging than it would have been…if I was just playing a normal character, I wouldn’t have found it challenging because it would have just been a normal acting job but, at the beginning, I was lying about lying. I’d hurt my ankle in a fight but I was saying that I had hurt my ankle so I’m acting that I’ve got a fake broken ankle but then I’m also pretending that the reason I broke it was a completely different reason so there’s a lot of layers to it that made it a bit more challenging to me because the directors would be like, ‘Oh, can you make it more obvious’ and I’d be like, ‘I don’t want it to be too obvious because Kate’s got to believe it but the audience will know it’s fake. ‘

With this storyline you’ve worked with prosthetics, haven’t you?

That’s been a lot of fun. I really enjoy anything like that. I’ve also used fake blood which I’ve also found exciting.

Would the fans’ reaction to Caz make you think twice about taking another role where the character is defined by their villainy.

I am enjoying how much the audience is investing in Caz but it’s [the adverse reaction from certain fans] something I’ll learn from. I definitely now have learned to deal with people better and not take it as personally and accept it as part of the job and know how to respond going forward.

In the long term, what would you like to see happen to Caz?

I said to the producers,  ‘Can’t she just work as a mechanic with Kevin and Sophie?’ but no, that’s not happening! But long term, I don’t know I really think this could go on and on and it could take a lot more dark twists and turns. She could go from putting it all on to Maria to causing trouble for Aidan. He’s rubbed her up the wrong way recently so I think that could be an interesting storyline.

She could have a hitlist…

Yes, she could have a hitlist which she could work her way through. It’s getting quite long. Poor Audrey was quite mean to her in the pub the other day and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m adding her to the list!’ She’s a lovely lady but…

When Caz first joined was always going to be in it for a while or was it a short contract that was extended?

It was only supposed to be for six episodes. At the beginning it was just her and Kate were going to be together, then there was going to be a big fight and then she was going to leave and it was mainly going to be a storyline for Kate but I think the producers saw an opportunity to develop something a bit more exciting than that. So they asked me to stay and I’ve been willing to and happy to as long as they’ll write for me because it’s quite exciting.

I don’t know if it’s on the cards but if Caz were to end up in prison, how would she survive?

I actually think, sadly - because the only place she’s ever been happy was an institution – the army, that Caz would thrive if she ended up in prison. I had a conversation with one of the writers who had spoken to someone who had come out of the army and was really struggling. They call it being back on Civvy Street and it can be a real issue for people coming out of the army.

They’ve become institutionalised…

Yeah, they struggle to get back into the day-to-day, organising yourself and arranging for yourself to be somewhere, especially when for years you’ve known when to get up, when to have breakfast, where to be at any given time of the day. I’ve heard that can be a massive issue for people coming out the army but also for people coming out of prison.

Having that structure in her life again, she would feel safe. The writer spoke to that person and they said they were struggling with life after the army so we had a brief storyline, just an episode where Caz was in tears just because she had missed a bus. The writer had to explain to me how important that actually was because when I read it myself I was thinking, ‘She’s just missed a bus…get over it!’ but to Caz, she felt completely useless, she couldn’t even get to a bus on time. But then it was the bus’s fault for being early. So I think if she were to go to prison she’d probably feel a lot more comfortable and not as vulnerable as being out in the world.

I imagine she’s be able to look after herself. She probably wouldn’t get bullied…

Yeah and then she could get another girlfriend. She’d be cool. She’d be happy. Kate would offer to visit and Caz would say, ‘I don’t need you to visit me!’ I think Caz should join Orange Is The New Black!

Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722


Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Coronation Street plot hole hell

Reposted from State of the Street with permission

I initially thought this storyline with Caz and Maria was good. It kept my interest as Caz became more obsessed with Maria, manipulating and lying. But in the past few weeks it's getting rather bizarre. Now Maria is being suspected of Murder with no body (because we know Caz isn't dead) and plenty of evidence that isn't even strong enough to be considered circumstantial. I can usually suspend disbelief for the most part but this storyline is starting to get out of control. I hope when Caz is discovered alive, Maria gets an apology from the police and from that self righteous Kate but I doubt it will happen.

Caz was only gone a few hours and everyone was hopping up and down saying she'd disappeared mysteriously. Then, after the bloody handprint and blood on the wall (surely a blood splatter expert could tell something from that), Fiz finds a bloody rug in their wheely bin. I don't understand it, though. If it was Maria that had really killed Caz, she wouldn't hide the bloody rug in Tyrone and Fiz's bin. I guess where it's a set up by Caz, I can see her doing it to bring more attention to doubt Maria's state of mind. It's not as if that bin was near either end of the ginnel, it's in the middle! Wouldn't any old bin do?

Caz must have an Invisibility Cloak. She's been hanging out and lurking in the ginnel.

She must have slipped into Maria's just after she left for work. Nobody saw her. Maria was at work, left again, went to the pub, left again so she wasn't gone all that long and there was Caz about to make her escape from the flat in broad daylight. Yet, Maria got pulled away for a cuppa by Eva so Caz didn't leave after all, she went back upstairs. Why?

She ended up using Maria's scissors to open up a cut that was already on her hand and then replaced the scissors in Maria's case with a half-hazard swipe at the handle of the scissors and later, another swipe at the top of the case, presumably to wipe fingerprints off.

In this day and age of technology and DNA, it would be pretty obvious that wouldn't get rid of any evidence that Caz had touched the case. You just know that the police will not find a thing, though, right?

And another thing. How long was Caz in that flat? Must have been hours, yet we saw her put the scissors in the case and later, much later it must have been, after we saw Maria finish her police interview, Caz was only folding up the case just then. I do wonder why Maria never had the locks changed in the flat once she got home and all this started up.

Oh yes, the case. It's a bit odd that someone that has a permanent job in a salon would carry their work gear back and forth each day, especially when she only lives over the shop anyway. We've never seen Audrey carry hers in of a morning nor David nor anyone else in the history of the salon.

We also found out that Caz has installed a remote webcam and is monitoring it on a tablet from a room somewhere. At the very least it might be a shelter or hostel though it looks much nicer than that. Caz is broke, no job, no mates. The stolen credit card explains the tablet and webcam but Maria was in London a few weeks ago now, was she planning on video spying on her even then? Caz doesn't seem like a planner, more of an off the cuff kind of woman. And did it take Maria that long to cancel the credit card? If Caz's paying any sort of rent, I'd like to know how. Was she on benefits? I doubt the army would have given her a severance if they dishonourably discharged her. Perhaps she had pension money due.

The police turned up to search the flat and the salon. They claimed it was a tip off. Doesn't that raise alarm bells? And Aidan managed to get the bloody scissors out the door and into the nearest bin, the one outside the factory. Yet the police didn't find the scissors case which still had blood in it, in the flat where it wasn't really well hidden.

It's all confusing and though I did like the storyline, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore the plot holes, as deep as the Mariana trench.

Tvor - twitter @tvordlj

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Corrie's Caz to star in pantomime this Christmas

Rhea Bailey, who plays Caz Hammond in Coronation Street, has today been announced as headlining the cast of a pantomime in Rochdale.

Rhea will play Wicked Queen Morgana in Show White at the Gracie Fields theatre in Rochdale.

Rhea will join previously announced Austin Armacost as Prince Charming and a digital appearance by Russell Grant as the Man in the Mirror.

Further star casting will be announced very shortly.

Tickets available now from www.graciefieldstheatre.com
See our list of ex-Coronation Street cast members who are playing in panto this Christmas

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

One villain, one apprentice villain and two gullible women

I'm partial to a villain. At a distance of course, but I must admit to a predilection to watching the machinations of a bad boy or girl. For a villain to be truly villainous he/she depends upon a certain personal charm, an ability to inspire trust, plus excellent lying and cheating skills. A villain cannot have much of a conscience either - a strong moral grounding would derail them. To be thoroughly effective they must use their personal charm and other villainous essentials, on a person who, for whatever reason, is gullible; made to be so by the villain.

In Phelan we have a man who exhibits all necessary villainous credentials. Leaving aside Anna Windass, Phelan does seem capable of charming several women. Sally seems to have fallen for his charm, and that, despite her determination to be the best and most influential  female politician since Angela Merkel. Eileen too is well under his spell. There was once a brief moment when she looked as if she might doubt him, but that swiftly passed.

Astonishingly, Jason gives the OK for his £60 grand plus to be released to Pat Phelan. Incredibly, Jason's mother, Eileen, goes to the bank to release the money. Are they stark staring mad? Or do they really trust Phelan with their money and their livelihood? Well, it seems that they do trust him, so that is enough for Phelan to go ahead with his swindle. What mother in her right mind would withdraw her son's hard earned money to give to a man she barely knows? And I thought Eileen was supposed to be a woman of sound judgement, wisdom and life experience.

As for Caz, she has gone from an inconvenience and a liar, to some pretty nasty plotting. And who is her side kick? Is it her brother, a friend?  Judging from the looks and glances exchanged between them they are clearly in cahoots. Caz has wholly exploited Maria's kindness in allowing her to stay. There is the burglary, the attack, the phone calls and the stolen watch that Liam found in Caz's bag. Then the pathetic reasoning as to why she forgot to tell Maria that she had found Liam's dad's watch, nor could she remember where she found it. Maria - get rid of her sharpish! Maybe Maria is now more aware of Caz not being all she seems. She did ask Caz to leave, but then, out of fear, asked her to stay.

Perhaps it is the case that Maria is not exactly gullible, but more a soft touch - there is a nuance of difference between these two positions.

Because this is soap opera, both Phelan and Caz will be found out. Tim and Todd are both aware of Phelan's intended treachery, and maybe, the whole Caz threat will be thwarted by hero Luke, resulting in a reconciliation for Maria and Audrey's favourite boy.  And then of course, there's David and his revenge...

Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available to pre-order now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Tabloid rumour: Caz turns nasty with Maria in Coronation Street

In today's Mirror, there's a story which says Maria is going to be involved in "a shock new lesbian plot."

That's tabloid-speak for Caz turning her attentions to Maria. The Mirror says that Caz becomes obsessed with Maria and tries to kiss her.

Our old friend, Mr Curry Sauce, tells the Mirror:  “In the coming months Caz is going to turn all single white female on Maria and will leave her feeling nervous and anxious in her own home. She corners her in their flat and tries to kiss her, but Maria doesn’t reciprocate.”

Maria then tells Audrey Roberts about Caz’s fixation with her and is left feeling even worse when Sophie warns her that Caz is a bunny boiler.

Teasing the storyline, Corrie boss Kate Oates said recently: “There’s a crisis in Maria’s life in the form of Caz, who is fairly complicated. She brings those complications to Maria’s life in quite a dramatic and tense fashion. That storyline is about testing Maria and putting her in jeopardy.”

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Caz - your time is up! Please pack your kit and leave

Yes, you Caz - it is now your time to depart the cobbles. There, that's told her. Now, let me explain why she has to go.

Caz Hammond, who arrived in November last year, has no further reason to remain in Weatherfield. Kate has told her, in no uncertain terms, that she doesn't want to see her any more and that she no longer loves her.  No doubt though, Caz is living in hope that Kate will change her mind, fall in love with her again and they'll get married. It seems unlikely.

Caz has lied repeatedly about her parachute training accident and hobbled around for several months trying to maintain the lie. Both viewers and Kate have now discovered, due to the arrival of the army's representative, who spoke of the forthcoming court martial, that Caz sustained the injury due to a fight. She is due to attend a court martial concerning the incident. According to Caz,  desperate for excuses, the girl she fought was making homophobic comments and so Caz tore into her. Hmmm.

Luke is not at all happy about the fact that Caz is staying at Maria's flat and he has made his feelings more than clear to Maria: 'She's a nutter!'

When Liam was playing with his toy car it ran over Caz's ankle, but Caz reacted as if a truck had run over her foot and not just a child's toy. Luke then informs Maria that he found a painkiller Caz claimed to need, down the sink. No wonder then that Luke is intolerant of Caz's presence. Sophie is also a good deal less than convinced about Caz's parachute training accident.  Maria has been told, in no uncertain terms, that Caz is playing her, but Maria refuses to listen and is all sympathy, telling Caz that she can stay in her flat as long as she needs, to sort herself out.

In the Rovers, Kylie's killer, Clayton, was pestering Kate. Caz, seeing red, rounded on him and fought him off. A good deed in itself but one which clearly revealed that her ankle was perfectly fine. Caz did try to ham it up a bit when she realised she had given the game away, but it was too late. Kate, shortly afterwards gives Caz her marching orders (bit of a pun there!). Caz wails, 'You're all I care about, all I've got left. She adds, 'My love life's in tatters and my career is hanging by a thread!'

What we don't yet know is almost anything about Caz's background. Might there be a clue in her past life which would explain why she seems so deeply troubled? If so, it would be interesting to find out.

Sadly, the relationship between Kate and Caz, in my view, failed to convince. This is not a criticism of each individual actor, just a comment on how some screen relationships don't quite hit the mark of credibility. Much of their time together, unfortunately, appeared forced and contrived.

Ruth Owen. Twitter @ruth1722

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License