INTERVIEW: The Franklins Fight It Out
As Abi and Seb go head-to-head for the twin's future, we spoke to Sally Carman and Harry Visinoni about all the drama to come...
How hard is it for Abi to say that she thinks the twins are better off with their foster parents?
SALLY: It is the hardest thing Abi has ever had to do but she feels that it's the only thing for her to do because she is thinking of what is best for the children and she just doesn’t have any faith in herself.
She doesn’t want the twins to have an upbringing like Seb had and as much as it broke her heart when she saw the children with their foster parents she knew they could offer them stability. For once, she really digs deep and does what she thinks is the right thing for her children.
Adam offers to represent Seb for free at the Special Guardianship hearing, what does this mean to him?
HARRY: It gives him a glimmer of hope because at the moment the twins are the only focus in his life. It’s his motivator to keep going and get up the next day and when Adam says he wants to help him, it encourages Seb to ignore the reality that looking after the twins isn’t really a plausible thing.
Does he also feel betrayed by Abi, who tells the court that Seb is lying about his employment?
HARRY: Seb knows how Abi feels anyway and he doesn’t have any respect for her at this point. His opinion of her couldn’t get any lower.
If the Judge rules in Seb’s favour, do you think that he would be able to cope with the twins?
HARRY: Given that responsibility, he probably would step up to the plate because that would be his life and he would take on that commitment, certainly better than how Abi would take it on.
He has so much love for the twins and he would be a good parental figure to them.
Does Abi believe that she will be able to make amends with Seb after this?
SALLY: She is really scared that she has lost him. Seb is made from a certain kind of metal that means he has managed to get through his childhood in one piece and he is self-sufficient and doing alright, but she just couldn't take that risk with the other two children.
She hopes that he will understand at some point but it’s just another pill she has got to swallow in her desire to do the right thing.
HARRY: There is that love between them and they are always going to have that relationship. There’s a fine line between love and hate, but that’s not to say that he isn’t being truthful in how his feelings come across towards her because he does think that essentially she is a waste of space.
Would you like Abi and Seb to be a happy family, or do you prefer the storylines where there is friction between the characters?
Harry: The fact that their relationship is like a pendulum works best because they go through a lot!
I really enjoy working with Sally and we bounce of each other really well. She is a great person for me to look up to and learn a lot from because she is a talented actor. I love having a little family unit in the show and I really couldn’t ask for a better person to be playing my mum.
Do you think that this is a turning point for Abi?
SALLY: It’s a massive turning point. This is not something that she would have considered on any level before but she is really trying to get herself together.
She is starting to get make friends and put roots down and that’s what she really wants. Her addiction will never be far away but she is certainly trying to put things right.
What advice would you give to Seb?
HARRY: I feel like he is justified and the way he behaves make sense but I don’t think he should shout so much at people because that is not going to help him.