Jamie Lomas's Final 'Hollyoaks' Interview
So there we have it... Warren Fox is no more.
What did you think of his death scene? I have to say I thought it was quite an imaginative one. Death by mirror's not something you see every day.
Last week, I gave the man behind the sly Fox, Jamie Lomas, a call to chat about his final episodes, his death scene and what he plans for in life after Hollyoaks.
Was it always your intention to leave after this length of time?
"Well I wanted to go after two years. I sat down with Bryan Kirkwood who told me what he had in store and it was too good to refuse! The storyline was so fantastic."
Did you have any input into Warren's demise?
"Bryan was the brains behind it. Obviously we used to talk about the character all the time and the direction we would like him to go in but it's down to Bryan really."
You must owe a lot to him because Warren was his creation?
"Yeah, of course - we've become good friends and I'd love to work with him again given the chance. I always tell him I'll never forget what he did for me. Look what he did for the show as well - it was in a bit of a mess when he took over and he took it from rags to riches."
Would you have preferred Louise to have killed Warren off?
"I don't know really, it's difficult to say. Louise was the love of Warren's life - I had people coming up to me saying 'She's not dead!' and I'm like 'She's dead!' - there's no more evidence than me sat on the bed with a pillow on my lap and her legs dangling. She's dead but I would have loved her to come back. I felt that it was quite fitting that Clare came back for Warren's exit though."
I always thought Louise was still alive. I thought she was wheeled out in that laundry hamper and she was just unconscious or something...
"I think they did an alternative ending in case she wanted to come back but she'd decided she didn't want to and that's why they brought Clare in."
What was it like filming the stunts?
"Awesome. As an actor that's the sort of thing you want to do! It was so intense filming them. I was glad that Chris Fountain had something to do with the exit because Justin and Warren have such a past. We work really well together and you'll see from the final episode that we've got a connection on screen and it worked really well. We got to do a lot of the stunts ourselves but it was so hot in the room we were filming in with the fire. It all added to the intensity and drama, though. We had such a good director as well in Sean Glynn. The whole week was shot so fantastically. That's the good thing with Hollyoaks, too - it's shot differently from any other soap.
Were you upset on your last day at Hollyoaks?
"To be honest with you, when I knew I was filming my final scene - obviously I've spent three years of my life there and I've got lots of good friends there - I got really emotional. I had to take myself off and have a word with myself and say 'Come on - you need to pull it together!' It was great because all the producers came down and clapped me and bought me a bottle of champagne. It was very emotional."
Were you pleased with the final scene?
"Yeah, it was weird to watch though. Seeing yourself dying on screen is a bit strange but I couldn't have asked for a better exit!"
Did you see filming for Warren's funeral?
"I didn't, but I phoned my friend Stephen Uppal [Ravi] while I was in Portugal playing golf to see how he was doing but he was really quiet. Then he said 'I was just on set filming your funeral!' It was bizarre!"
Was there anything you'd have liked to have seen Warren do but didn't get chance?
"They had a storyline where they were going to let him do some underground boxing. I sat down with Bryan and we came up with the idea but he thought it was a bit too gruesome. But now they've given it to somebody else! I really wanted that storyline and now it's happening to someone else - I can't tell you who, obviously, but it'll be great to watch because the guy who's doing it's brilliant."
How did you keep in such good shape working on such an intense show?
"Towards the end I did put a bit of weight on because I was in work all the time. When you're involved in such a heavy storyline like that you're that tired when you come home and you have to learn lines for the next day and go over your scenes - you just don't have time. It's only when the calendar's due to be shot that everyone gets in shape really!"
Where do you go from here
"I don't know. I'm shooting a short film the first week in June but to be honest, since I left, I've not stopped doing press so I haven't had a chance to think about it! I've got a couple of auditions for films and other projects. Whatever comes in, my agent and I will have a look at and see what's right for me. I want to pick the right role obviously and shake off Warren."
What's the film called?
"I'm doing a film called Threads at the moment. It's a short film based in Sheffield - so I get to do an accent. It's about a character who's part of a far-right party. He had an affair with a black lady when he was younger and they had a son who he wanted nothing to do with. It's about his son coming back all these years later and he's still involved with the same far-right party and they're trying to connect with each other but he's gone that far that he can't. It's really interesting and the character's completely different to Warren. There's another film I'm looking at called Rose so that might be interesting as well. I'm just looking at the script at the moment so we'll see what happens. I'd love to go down the film route but I'm going to have to wait and see."
You could do what James Sutton has done and go to a different soap with a different character?
"Yeah, good luck to him! James is a good friend of mine - I'm sure he'll be great in Emmerdale! My sister [Charley Webb] is there, too. She's absolutely fantastic and she's been there since she was a kid!"
Would you ever do soap again?
"Definitely! I'm an actor at the end of the day and if the right thing comes up, I'll never say never. I'm a big Coronation Street fan and obviously my girlfriend [Kym Marsh] is there, too."
Can't Kym pull a few strings to get you a Corrie cameo?
"I'd never ask for that - I'd get it off my own merit!"
Warren's final episode also signals the end of Bryan Kirkwood's storyline ideas with the teen soap. If you're interested to read what's in store for the coming months, then click here to read my recent interview with new series producer Lucy Allan.
Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox, 'Hollyoaks') DS Interview
Hollyoaks fans were left stunned earlier this month when the soap's bosses announced that Jamie Lomas had returned to the role of Warren Fox. Viewers thought that they had seen the last of the notorious villain when he appeared to be killed by a falling ceiling mirror during a fire at The Loft in May 2009. However, in a huge storyline twist, the Hollyoaks residents are about to discover that Warren made it out of the burning club alive - before fleeing the village. With Warren about to make his screen comeback, DS recently chatted to Jamie about what's in store.
How did the return to Hollyoaks come about?
"Back in June or July, I received a phone call from [producer] Paul Marquess with the pitch of bringing Warren back. As far as I was concerned, Warren was dead and buried, but I was aware that the viewers had never actually seen his body. So Paul came to me with this genius plot and it was just too good to turn down as an actor - it's got so many twists and turns in it, and intrigue and mystery. As an actor that's what you want to do, and I always loved playing Warren when I was here before. When I left under Bryan Kirkwood, my character had run its course, but Paul has basically brought in a new cast so there's so much scope for new stories. You know what Warren's like - he's just going to come straight in and cause mayhem!"
A storyline where a character comes 'back from the dead' is always going to be a bit controversial, so did you have any reservations about returning?
"Well, it's like I said before, the saving grace was that they never actually saw my body - all they saw was me getting hit by a mirror. So we're going to do a whole storyline on how Warren got out, what happened and whose body it was that they found badly burnt. It's really exciting and I think the fans are going to love it."
We've heard that you've filmed some flashback scenes showing what really happened in The Loft fire - can you tell us anything about them?
"I can't really say anything about them! It's all top secret. Like I said, I knew about this storyline in June or July, and I went to the Hollyoaks charity ball a few weeks later and a lot of my fellow cast members were there who I used to work with. They're extremely good friends of mine and I even had to keep it a secret from them! That was really difficult. All I can say about the storyline is that it'll have everybody hooked and for me, it's just a delight to be playing this character again."
Can you tell us what Warren's main motive for leaving the village was?
"Well, he was in a bad way. Obviously he killed Louise and found out that she was pregnant with his kid, and everything was getting on top of him. The net was closing in on him because I think he'd confessed to Calvin, and so he basically knew that it was the end of the road. So those are some of the reasons why he wanted to flee."
Does Warren come back with a bang, or he will he keep a bit of a low profile in the village at first?
"I can't really say, but nothing is ever done subtly with Warren! The audience are going to be shocked. Also, pretty much as soon as he comes back, they're obviously going to have to explain everything and what happened."
How difficult was it for Warren to let Spencer and Katy think he was dead?
"Warren is Warren and he just looks after number one. At the end of the day, Katy had left the village and she'd basically washed her hands of Warren. Warren just cares about himself - the only person who he watches out for is himself."
Has Warren changed much in the last year?
"You'll see! All I can say is that he's come back to cause mayhem. Wherever he is, he can't help but cause trouble. He's just one of those people."
With Brendan Brady and Danny Houston also in the village, do you think Warren will meet his match in the bad boy stakes?
"I hope so! But obviously Warren is scared of no man. Warren was always a character who got a kick out of rubbing people up the wrong way and winding them up. That's how Warren gets his kicks and if he knows that he's getting to people, that's what keeps him going. So there'll be loads of scope there for him. Brendan and Danny are the type of characters who won't be running to the police, so there's loads of room for good storylines and I'm really excited about it."
Have you received a warm welcome back from the Hollyoaks team?
"Yeah, definitely! I know it sounds like a bit of a cliché, but when you're here for such a long time like I was - I was originally here for three years - these people become like your family. It's not just the cast, it's the production and the crew and everyone from make-up. I mean, I walked into make-up and everyone was saying, 'I can't believe you're back!' It's a lovely place to work and the people are great. They welcomed me back with open arms."
It was Bryan Kirkwood who first introduced the character of Warren to Hollyoaks - have you spoken to him about your decision to return?
"I haven't spoken to him, but he did send me a text the other day when the news was reported in a paper. The paper said that I'd begged for my job back, which wasn't true! Bryan just said that he wished me all the best. Me and Bryan were always friends anyway. But obviously he's got his own stuff to deal with down at EastEnders, and I'm up here working for Paul! I'm a big fan of Paul's work, so I'm really excited about starting work for him."
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4.
Exclusive: Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox, 'Hollyoaks')
Warren Fox takes centre stage in Hollyoaks on Wednesday evening as a special stand-alone episode explores how he managed to escape the fire at The Loft, what he did next and why he is back in the village. Following Warren's shock return at the end of October, fans have been eagerly awaiting an explanation of how he cheated death - and a series of flashbacks are about to reveal all. DS recently caught up with Jamie Lomas - who plays the villainous character - for an exclusive chat about the Warren-centric episode and more.
This interview contains plot details about the special edition which some readers may prefer to avoid.
How would you describe the special stand-alone episode?
"It's full of stunts and basically we had to re-create The Loft and show how Warren escaped from the fire. The episode is full of twists and turns - it's such a fantastic episode. I haven't had a chance to watch it back yet as I've been so busy, but I've been told that it's brilliant."
How long did it take to film the episode?
"We had to shoot it within four days, which will seem unbelievable when you see the footage that we've got. We were under pressure to get it done, but the audience needed an explanation of how Warren escaped so it was very important for us to get it done. We managed to finish it within the four days."
Did you get to do any of your own stunts?
"I did pretty much all of it myself! The only thing I didn't do myself was a bit where you see Warren fall through the floor, because it was a 20 foot drop. I wanted to do it myself but they wouldn't let me, because I'm in so many scenes at the moment and they couldn't afford for me to get injured."
Was it difficult for the team to re-create the old Loft set?
"I'm not sure how they did it, but they did it within a couple of days, which is just unbelievable when you see it. I remember walking in and I was just gobsmacked for them to have done that. It looked fantastic."
Were you happy with the explanation that the writers came up with for Warren's survival?
"I was a bit worried at first, wondering whether it was going to be believable, but the story that they've come up with is fantastic and it's something that I'm really proud I could be a part of. The audience are definitely going to be amazed by it. It's such a high-energy episode that you blink and it's over! It's really good storytelling."
Which characters feature in the episode?
"There's literally four characters in it, so it's a really stand-alone thing. One of those characters is Theresa - as we've just seen on screen, she's one of the reasons that he's come back…"
Next week's episodes see Warren's presence in the village revealed to everyone - how do the Hollyoaks residents react?
"They look like they've seen a ghost! I don't think they're too happy that he's back, but there's not much that they can do!"
We've heard that Warren also gets arrested next week - how does that come about?
"He gets arrested because the police think that he's faked his own death. But when he comes in, the police can't pin anything on him - he's never made out that he was dead and they can't prove he faked anything. It was obviously somebody's body that they found there and there was a mix-up with the DNA. Warren's like a slippery fish - you can't pin him down and he gets out of everything!"
We've also heard that your storyline is going to get a lot darker - can you give us any hints on what's in store?
"All I can say is that it'll be worth watching. Warren is going darker and darker, which is great for me to play. It's going to be exciting stuff so you'll just have to tune in and watch it."
Do you think Warren might try to get the club back eventually?
"He's definitely come back with an ulterior motive! He tends to get sucked into things and one thing leads to another. I think he'll definitely try to claim back what's his."
A lot of fans have been looking forward to seeing Warren and Brendan go head-to-head - could that happen soon?
"I think it'll happen sooner rather than later! They couldn't keep those two apart - those two are definitely going to go head-to-head."
Will Warren carry on teaming up with Mandy to target Tony, or is he about to find another victim?
"I think that the Warren and Mandy storyline may come to a head. But it's still going on for now and will do until the New Year. I don't know what they've written for after that. I filmed a scene with Tony yesterday where he sees Warren for the first time. I don't know where they're going to go with that one, to be honest!"
Finally, how have Hollyoaks fans reacted to your return?
"To be honest, I've got no idea! I've literally been here 14 hours a day, six days a week. I've forgotten what the outside world looks like! I hope they've taken to it well, but I've got absolutely no idea!"
Hollyoaks' special Warren episode airs on Wednesday at 6.30pm on Channel 4.
Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox ) to leave Hollyoaks!
Reports today reveal that Jamie Lomas will be leaving Hollyoaks at the end of his current contract.
Jamie who plays badboy Warren Fox will finish filming in October with Warren set to depart the village end of November/beginning of December time.
When asked if Warren would be killed off Jamie said he hoped the door would be left open!
From - http://www.soapsecrets-spoilers.com/...leavers?page=2
