Our chat with Jane Hazlegrove
We sat down with Jane Hazlegrove to discuss her latest storyline with being mistaken for Fern and all the fun that came with it.
This must have been such a fun storyline to work on. How did it come about?
It has been so much fun, I am a bit sad that it is coming to an end to be honest. The storyline came from the fact that I have been mistaken for Gabby for 30 years, I get asked all the time about my time in Brookside or Black Adder, even friends claim to have seen me in shows I have never been in. So when I joined Corrie as Bernie I was told that she is a twin and I started thinking if we ever saw her twin we would have to cast Gabby. I am really good friends with Corrie writer Jonathan Harvey and I was telling him about us both getting mistaken for each other and he thought it was hilarious and it was him that came up with this storyline.
Have you and Gabrielle worked together before?
We did an episode of Casualty together and I was so excited to meet her. We both had so many stories about being mistaken for each other. She is a fantastic actress and lovely lady, so it is flattering really.
How scared has Bernie been in the past few weeks, does she really think she might be going to jail?
The longer it takes to find Fern the more she starts to think that is a possibility. She has been on the wrong side of the law before but only minor things and she has never faced going to jail. Fern has been very clever and has made sure that she was never seen with Bernie so you can see why people are finding it hard to believe Bernie.
How much does it mean to her that Dev is the one person who does believe her?
It means everything to her. Even Gemma and Paul don’t believe her but Dev is 100% behind her and never doubts her. She hasn’t really ever had someone who has her back like that. She is fundamentally a good woman and he is a good man. I love their relationship and I adore working with Jimmi.
This week she cooks up the plan with Fern’s husband Howard to try and catch her. Does she think it will work?
She is willing to try anything at this stage, what she didn't imagine happening was her getting kidnapped. At that point she is scared for her life. She knows that Fern is a ruthless woman who is also trying to stay out of jail and Bernie is worried that she has bitten off more than she can chew. She knows nothing about this woman other than she is a con artist and a criminal who has probably pulled similar stunts before, she knows she could have some very dodgy contacts who could be very dangerous.
If Bernie clears her name do you think she will manage to stay out of trouble in the future?
The thing about Bernie is she cares for her family and she will do anything to help them. This whole thing started from her wanting to help them with the bills, she wasn't doing it for herself. So who knows what she will get up to in the future and that is what I like about playing her.
Do you think she has changed since you first started playing her?
She has matured and she is a better mum than she ever was. This has been a second chance for her with her kids and her grandkids, she is like a lioness when it comes to her family and that wasn't always the case. She is more likeable now. Some of my favourite scenes are when she is behind the counter at Roy's Rolls and she thinks she is coming out with pearls of wisdom when she is actually talking nonsense. I feel blessed to work on the show and I love the people I work with.
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