Interview: Connor-geddon
Don't mess with Michelle when her sons are in danger! We spoke to Kym Marsh about how the Connors will deal with the threat of Ronan.
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How does Michelle react when she finds out Ryan could have done more to save Cormac?
She goes into full protect mode, she doesn’t even think twice about the situation. She would do anything for her sons, so she just wants to cover it up. Ali is furious because he’s been dragged into the lie, he doesn’t want to be a part of it but goes along with it because Michelle asks him to. He covers up for Ryan’s lack of response, in a weird way Ryan was trying to help Cormac, as he’s just come out of jail and he didn’t want him to get into more trouble but it all backfired.
Does Michelle fear that despite her best efforts Ronan will find out the truth?
She’s very scared, especially when Ronan pays them a visit the following day wanting to see where his son spent his last moments. It’s made worse as Ronan is asking questions about who gave Cormac the drugs and Ryan just agrees with him about a name – the next day we see in the paper that the drug dealer’s been killed. After this everybody starts fearing the worst.
How scared is Michelle when Ronan threatens her family after finding out the truth?
She’s terrified. Sophie retracts her statement giving Ryan an alibi, then Ryan gets found with drugs on him and put in jail at which point Ronan finds out the truth. After Ryan is beaten up by a corrupt officer and wreaths are left on cars, Michelle realises she must do something. She confronts Ronan at Cormac’s wake and he threatens not only Ryan but her entire family.
Why does Michelle change her mind from asking the police for protection to going on the run?
She tells Ryan and Ali they’re going to the police to get them in the car. She’s realised that there is something dodgy going on within the Police and that they’re not to be trusted. She’s terrified about their safety so when she gets in the car she has no intention of going to the police.
What are Michelle’s emotions like in the build-up to the crash?
She’s scared but she knows they’re heading out of Weatherfield. Once she sees Ronan following them in the mirror then it turns to complete terror and panic. There’s this huge car chase, he’s trying to run her off the road and it’s quite intense. She’s in Mum mode and she’s trying to protect the people that she loves.
What was it like filming the crash?
It was great, they were long days so we were all very tired by the end of it. We had a great director too, Tim O’Mara, he’s an actor’s director he really cares about the performance we give and that’s important for us. He gives a lot of feedback which encourages us to do better. There was a lot of emotion during filming but it was good fun. I got to do some stunt driving, we never normally get to do things like that.
Why do you think Michelle is soft and protective of Ryan but harder and less forgiving of Ali?
I don’t think it’s an intentional thing and I’m not sure she is – I think Ali perceives it as that. More than anything she has so much more respect for Ali as he’s more grounded, more together. He’s done well for himself. Ryan is a bit more of a clown and joker, he doesn’t have those tools to be able to survive – whereas Ali is a survivor. She sees that Ali is a strong person, a lot stronger than Ryan. Ryan isn’t as resilient and sensible as Ali and does a lot of stupid things. She doesn’t have more love for one than the other, she loves them both.
What will everything that’s happened do to Ryan and Ali’s relationship?
It’s going to be a rough ride, there’s going to be more upset between the boys because they don’t get along anyway and this is going to make it worse. Michelle will be stuck in the middle of them both.