Q:
"What was it like doing the musical numbers in
Blackpool? Were you confident or was it quite scary?"
[from Clair, Bangor, Wales] |
 A: "I really enjoyed it! I think we all felt that having music on set, nearly every day, really lifted the mood and energy of the whole piece. I'm a huge music fan so I loved that part of it.
I don't have that much singing or dancing to do - my role in the musical side was minimal, it was mainly the two Davids (David Morrissey and David Tennant) and Sarah. The little bit that I have I enjoyed, although I'm by no means a singer.
I was a little bit apprehensive at first but as soon as I started it, I absolutely loved it. You've just got to go for it really and not be afraid of looking silly." |
Q: "How do you develop and 'get in' character, and sustain it throughout a shoot?"
[from David, Shrewsbury] |
A:
"For someone like David Morrissey who is taking on this
completely different character - he has to completely embody him in every
way possible, in the way that he stands, he moves, his whole physicality.
The way that David approaches a role is very thorough and really
fascinating.
For me, a character I'm playing will obviously have elements of her which
are different to me, but who isn't completely far removed - in that she
has the same sort of voice as me, doesn't look that different to me and so
on. I suppose you just use what the writer and directors give you. We had
rehearsals before we started, which really helped us think about, for me
especially, the relationship between Shyanne and Steve and how we'd get
that to work.
I don't find it difficult to switch off from my characters. I'm never one
of these people who take the character home. I completely 100% throw
myself into it while I'm doing it, I completely believe it, but when they
shout 'cut' it's important for me to switch off.
When I was in Coronation Street, I did a big rape storyline which was more
dramatic than the scenes I did in Blackpool. People asked if I was
depressed when I went home, and I said no, because I hadn't been raped. I
tried to perform it the best I could and it was incredibly upsetting while
I was doing it. But I'm not going to pretend I've been through a fraction
of what a person who's actually been raped has been through.
I think it's quite important to draw a line between the character you play
and the character you are." |
Q: "Would you ever like to return to Coronation Street or do you feel your time as Toyah is over for good?"
[from Dominic, Swansea] |
A: "I don't necessarily feel that it's over for good; it's over for now. It's not something that I'd ever rule out because I did absolutely love working there, and all my friends are there and it's a great crew.
There would be a lot of factors to consider like how long it would be for and what the reasons for her coming back would be.
It's been great doing other stuff and that's the main reason why I left. I was watching things on TV and hearing about actor friends of mine going up for auditions and thinking I really wanted to be doing that or at least give it a go while I was still young. When Blackpool came along, it was fantastic and cemented in my mind that I'd done the right thing.
I wouldn't rule out a return to Coronation Street, but I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen because it would depend on what I was doing and it would depend on whether they wanted me back! It might not be right storyline-wise. Not for a while yet anyway - I think there'd need to be a certain amount of time before I'd consider that." |
Q: "You once said that after Coronation Street, you would like to do post-watershed programmes that allow you to swear and behave differently to the character of Toyah. Has Blackpool fulfilled your desire for such programming?"
[from Dominic, Swansea] |
A: "It's really not about the swearing, that's such a tiny part of it. What I meant when I said that is that often you're put in dramatic situations in a soap where you really have to hold back. It's obviously shown at half 7 when kids are going to be watching. You can't always show the truth in things and you have to water it down basically.
I just wanted to do something where we didn't have as many restraints. For example, if someone found out someone was having an affair they could call them what they would in real life not just a "piggin' cow". For example if you've just met the person who's cheated on you, or raped you, and you can only call them a 'piggin' something it's frustrating. The fact of having no limitations was what I meant by that." |
Q: "How did you start out in acting?"
[from Rog, Cornwall] |
A: "I basically started with youth theatre workshops on a Saturday and doing school plays. After I'd done my GCSEs, I went to sixth form college to study Theatre Studies, English Literature and Psychology. By this point I'd got an agent via the theatre workshop I was a member of and the lady who ran that also ran a kids acting agency.
So I'd been a member just for a few months and I was at college working away. And she got me an audition for Coronation Street, originally for the character of Zoe, who went out with Ashley. I didn't get that, but the casting director must have liked me because she brought me back to read for Toyah. I had about four or five auditions for Toyah; it was quite a thorough process and then I got it.
It was a really extraordinary path I took and I think there was a lot of luck involved. Toyah worked out pretty well for me." |
Q: "What would be your dream acting role? - would it be in serious drama or would you like to do comedy dramas for example."
[from Becky, Bristol] |
A: "I'd like to do both. I wouldn't like to pigeon-hole myself by saying I'd rather do this or I'd rather do that. I'd love to do some more drama because I really thrive on getting a great dramatic script. But I also love to laugh, so I'd love to be part of something genuinely funny.
I can't really think of one specific thing I'd like to do, the important thing for me is to try and do as many different roles as possible. I hope to do some theatre in the future as well." |
Q: "What was your favourite storyline during your time on Coronation Street?"
[from Dan, Nottingham] |
A: "My favourite dramatic storyline was the rape storyline. It gave me a real chance to show what I could do. I felt honoured to be trusted with such a huge storyline, it felt like a thank you from the producers for all my years of hard work.
Aside from that, I loved all the stuff with Spider, played by Martin Hancock. He was great to work with. We worked together solidly for a couple of years. I had so many scenes with him, and just daft stuff like going on protests and when they finally got together, which took about two years!
I remember the response from the public was absolutely amazing because they knew that Toyah had been in love with this guy for so long and they wanted them to get together. When we did get together, publicity-wise we were on about ten magazine covers. We couldn't believe that people were so happy that these two slightly oddball characters had found each other." |
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