Bethany's Crush
Bethany's fallen for Gary but he's going out with her mum! Lucy Fallon talks about how this could get awkward...
Why is Bethany so smitten with Gary?
Gary has shown an interest in Bethany by helping her out with her problems at school and taking her under his wing but because Bethany is young she sees that as that he has feelings for her.
The feelings have developed because he has been so nice to her. And there’s been a lot going on at home for The Platts too and so just because the bullying has stopped for Bethany, everyone may think that she is fine but she’s not and Gary can see that.
When Bethany asks him round to Nick’s flat it’s not necessarily obvious to him what she means?
At first, when she asks him to come round he thinks it’s because the whole family is going to be there but when he turns up Bethany isn’t there, Sarah is. So at that point Gary thinks Bethany has set this up for the pair of them.
What does Bethany think is going to happen when she sets up that date?
Well she has put a lasagne in the oven and set up candles on the table! This is Bethany’s way of trying to show Gary that she is grown up. She wants it to be just the two of them on an intimate level so she can tell him that she does have feelings for him and hopefully he will say it back.
So what happens when she returns?
Bethany has gone to get some candles and when she comes back, she sees Gary and Sarah on the balcony having a smooch.
Do you think Bethany will resent Sarah for this?
I don’t think Bethany does because she feels more foolish and embarrassed for herself. She doesn’t feel angry towards Sarah because she knows it’s not Sarah’s fault, she just feels really humiliated and it chips away at her confidence.
Does this change her feelings towards him?
I think Bethany still has feelings for Gary but she is trying to push them to the side because Sarah wants to do things as a family, with Gary. But the feelings are still there and that may cause problems in the future…
Do you think she would be able to cope with having him around all the time as her mum’s boyfriend?
I think that would be quite problematic, I think she would go off the rails if that happened.
Do you think she would want to cause trouble for them?
No, I don’t think Bethany wants to cause trouble for Sarah and Gary. She may accidentally cause trouble but she knows that everybody has been through a lot. I think she has grown up as a character. She doesn’t want to hurt people now whereas she may have done before when she was a bit gobbier - now she is more vulnerable.
What is it like working with Mikey North?
Mikey is really nice, he is so chilled and really fun to work with. And I think he is really enjoying working with The Platts as well.
Would you like to see Bethany find a boyfriend closer to her own age?
Bethany thinks that anybody her age is really immature and she can’t be bothered with them, that is why she has no friends as well.
We have seen her have feelings for Callum and now she has feelings for Gary - she’s always been interested in who her mum is seeing! But she has also always been interested in people who are older and I think her vulnerability is going to cause her problems in the future
Do you enjoying playing this role? Do you like how Bethany has developed?
Yes, I think that everybody seems to like her character now whereas at first I think that a lot of people thought she was gobby.
But after the bullying storyline unfolded and her crush with Gary, we have seen her vulnerable side. I am happy that she has changed as a character but she still has that gobby side to her sometimes.