Just seen Julie in two interviews.....she is Hayley or Hayley is her...so no acting there then she just plays herself. So directors did not have to create Hayley's mannerisms or think them up themselves.
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Just seen Julie in two interviews.....she is Hayley or Hayley is her...so no acting there then she just plays herself. So directors did not have to create Hayley's mannerisms or think them up themselves.
Then maybe she was chosen for her mannerisms because they thought she was fitting the bill
I think most of them are chosen like that. Anyway it's her last day on screen on Monday . I know people are divided about her but I'm sure it will be good on Monday.
It's true, she hasn't even truly stretched to play the role. I've seen her in interviews and she's just as eye rolling, theatrical in person. Just an annoying actress. But hey, there's no accounting for taste.Quote:
Originally Posted by swmc66
At the risk of sounding boring, and I'm not a frequent poster, so many people may not know, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer last year. Consequently, now, if I hear the word cancer I don't ignore it, whereas previously I'd gloss over it. I've said that only to explain that my views may be biased. On BBC Breakfast News yesterday there was an interview with a pancreatic cancer doctor and one of the Coronation Street producers. They showed a clip from Friday night's episodes, and even the presenters looked moved by it. The doctor said that in reality very few terminally ill patients choose to end their own lives, it's people who are mentally ill who are more likely to commit suicide. I do not watch Eastenders [only financial bribery would make me watch it], so can't comment on how they handling the Breast Cancer story line. I dip in and out of Emmerdale, to me they almost seem to have forgotten that Brenda was diagnosed with cancer. I accept it's difficult for soaps to portray cancer story lines. It's an emotive subject. Until I was diagnosed I had no idea there are 5 grades and stages of breast cancer. The medical definition of my breast cancer takes up 3 lines of text in all my letters from the hospital. All I know is, for wont of a better word, I've enjoyed the story line. If it's raised the profile of pancreatic cancer, that's a good thing in my view.
I had cancer in 2009 and do a lot to support cancer groups and services and raise awareness. I think rather than more of a focus on the cancer I have seen it as more as a right to die story. I can't even remember her having any systems of cancer in the storyline which would have been helpful to raise awareness. She just went along with Roy to get him checked out in the first instance. Seeing the systems would have raised more awareness as not everyone catches early morning shows or day time shows but a lot do I know. I found the Sally breast cancer storyline easier to relate to.
Following my posting above. It is ok to like Hayley or not like Hayley...... everyone has a right to their own opinion.
I meant symptoms not systems of cancer!
Coronation Street broke new ground in 1998 when show bosses introduced Hayley Patterson (now Cropper) as the programme's first transgender character.
16 years on, Hayley has once again become a national talking point as her exit storyline sees the much-loved Weatherfield resident end her own life in a controversial 'right to die' storyline.
In real life, actress Julie Hesmondhalgh is bowing out from the role of Hayley to pursue other acting ambitions.
To celebrate her long history on the cobbles, Julie recently caught up with us and named her favourite Hayley moments.
Hayley and Roy in Amsterdam
When Hayley joined Coronation Street in 1998, the initial plan was for her to be the first in a long line of 'disastrous dates' for mild-mannered Roy.
Once it became clear that the pairing was working on screen, Julie was offered a longer-term contract. Viewers had seen Roy reject Hayley after learning of her past, but he later saw sense and tracked her down in Amsterdam, where she was recovering after completing her gender reassignment surgery.
Julie says: "Amsterdam was a real treat, because that was me coming back into the show after a little break, when they decided they wanted me back. Roy came to find Hayley after her operation and that was lovely because it was the beginning of the new era of us being together. We had such a blast there - it's always great going on location with cast and crew."
Working with David Neilson
Roy and Hayley have become one of the most popular couples in soapland - in part thanks to the close bond that Julie and David Neilson share as friends in real life.
Julie says: "We've been like an old married couple! I love David and if you asked every single person in the cast who they'd most like to work with, they would say him. He's so loved and so respected. I think he's seen universally as the best actor in the show. I've had him for 16 years so it's someone else's turn now - the rest of the cast are all queuing up, trying to be his mate or his girlfriend or whatever! My relationship with him has been the absolute best.
"David is completely different from Roy in real life. Even physically he's completely different. He's very dry and he doesn't suffer fools. Although as the years roll on, he's getting a bit more like Roy, I have to say!"
Changing perceptions
Hayley's character and her relationship with Roy have been credited with helping to change public attitudes towards the LGBT community.
Julie says: "Old ladies in the street would say to me, 'When are Roy and Hayley going to get married?' and I'd say, 'Well, they're not allowed to because of the law'. They'd be like, 'Never mind that!' Suddenly when it's two people you care about, the law becomes absurd. We were even mentioned in Parliament early on for changing attitudes, so I'm really proud of that.
"There was a brilliant scene I often forget about in the Croppers' flat. Hayley was living with Roy, but she was sleeping on the couch. Roy came in and put 'Natural Woman' on and took her to bed. That was the moment when we saw that they were having sex, and that matters. It matters that characters who aren't heterosexual are having sex - you have to show all aspects of their lives."
Roy and Hayley's first wedding
Although Roy and Hayley could not legally marry after falling for each other, they did have a blessing ceremony in 1999. Drama on the big day saw the venue change to Roy's Rolls in a last-minute change after a newspaper threatened to turn Roy and Hayley's story into front page news.
Julie says: "The thing I remember most about the first wedding is that my real-life husband played the baddie journalist in the storyline. We weren't together at that time - we didn't get together until much later, in the week of the 40th anniversary live episode in 2000. In the story, Les Battersby had rung the Weatherfield Gazette to tell them what was going on, so my future husband nearly ruined Hayley's wedding!"
Hayley and Roy foster Fiz
Jennie McAlpine's character Fiz was first brought into Coronation Street in 2001 as a 16-year-old girl who was fostered by Roy and Hayley. Fiz was a tearaway and didn't make life easy for the Croppers, but she was later won over by their good natures and has remained close to them ever since.
Julie says: "It's almost 14 years since Jennie joined the show. The second she walked in, you just knew that she was something special. She was like nobody else. Apparently they auditioned loads of girls and they'd chosen somebody, but then Jennie walked in and they said, 'Well, who else could we have for this role?'
"It was great to see Jennie grow as a person. She's a really, really amazing person - I joke that I want to be her when I grow up! She has a maturity and a calmness about her - she's an old soul, very wise and good fun as well. Jennie also runs a mental health charity with her dad and she's very, very clued into all that - she's incredible."
Hayley's friendship with Becky
Becky Granger's bad girl antics quickly caused a stir when she joined the cobbles in 2006, but Roy and Hayley were among the first to see another side to her, giving her a chance by hiring her at Roy's Rolls. Viewers also warmed to Becky, and Katherine Kelly - who played her - credited the Croppers for the turnaround in public opinion.
Julie says: "I loved all of the Becky storylines. That was a great period for the Croppers. I'm still in touch with Kate in real life, too. She's absolutely gorgeous and she was one of the first people I told when I was thinking of leaving the show. She was incredibly supportive and has been ever since. We're in regular contact."
Roy and Hayley's second wedding
Roy and Hayley tied the knot for the second time in 2010 after a change in the law meant that their union could be legally recognised. The couple's big day ran into trouble when they travelled to the venue by steam train and Mary Taylor uncoupled the rear carriage, leaving Hayley stranded. Fortunately, the day was saved when Fiz and Becky helped Hayley to get to the wedding via pump wagon.
Julie says: "The wedding was beautiful. That was written by Debbie Oates, who's one of my favourite Corrie writers. There was a great line from Roy where he said, 'We have remained the same, but the world has turned to meet us'. They'd been in their little Roy and Hayley world, but the world moved on and the law had changed."
Hayley's friendship with Carla
After the dramatic siege at Underworld in 2010, Hayley struck up a close friendship with factory boss Carla. Carla has constantly been at Hayley's side since she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, brightening up even the darkest days with her no-nonsense attitude.
Julie says: "I've absolutely loved the development of Hayley and Carla's friendship. That's been really special to me, because it's a really unlikely friendship. It's really worked and that started with the siege episodes. I didn't really know Ali King, who plays Carla, at that point - but that's when we became friends in real life. That was a really special time for me.
"Ali is magic and you never know what you're going to get from her. With some actors, you read their lines on the page, you hear their voices and you know exactly how they're going to do it. With Ali, you never know how she's going to do it - she's a complete loose cannon!"
Hayley and Roy in Blackpool
When Hayley learned that her pancreatic cancer was terminal, she vowed to enjoy life to the fullest while she still could. One major wish on her list was to visit Blackpool and dance at the Tower Ballroom with Roy, so Coronation Street once again took the Croppers out on location for more heartwarming scenes.
Julie says: "Out of everything I've done, Blackpool usurps it all. It was a real moment in time for me, because it was like standing still just before a crazy journey to the end.
"I loved being in Blackpool with my friends from the cast and crew. It also had a bit of fairy dust on it, that shoot. We needed a gust of wind so that Roy would lose his schedule for the trip, so a gust of wind came and blew his piece of paper away. Then when it was supposed to be a beautiful and still night, it was. That's my all-time favourite."
Coronation Street airs Hayley's final episodes tonight (January 20) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
Which is why soap acting tends towards mediocrity in general. With some notable exceptions on EE; Jake Wood, Joy Joyner and Lacey Turner in recent years.Quote:
Originally Posted by swmc66