The Bullies are Back!
How does the bullying storyline progress?
In the next couple of weeks Lauren makes Bethany believe that she actually wants to be her friend. In Roy’s Rolls she convinces her that she’s going to help get Bethany a summer job. She overhears Alex asking Bethany how her mum’s been and then it kind of twigs that Bethany’s mum has gone a little bit psychotic. When they go outside all Lauren’s friends are there and they’re all chanting ‘psycho’ at Bethany. They get really nasty.
Did you do any research for the bullying storyline? Did you witness bullying at school?
I’ve never been subjected to bullying myself, but I do know what girls can be like. I went tohigh school, I was in quite a big group of girls. Although I’ve not been bullied I know that girls can be horrible to each other, especially at that age, 15 and 16. A relative was quite badly bullied. It’s all been sorted now but I spoke to her about it.
Do you feel upset by some of these storylines?
They are quite harrowing scenes when someone can be that nasty and it is upsetting knowing that this kind of stuff does actually happen to girls and boys.
Do you think it’s interesting that it’s happening to a character like Bethany who’s quite feisty and forthright? It shows how indiscriminate bullying can be.
Yes, I think it’s good to see Bethany’s vulnerable side. She’s not just this ballsy, feistycharacter, she’s a normal girl underneath it all and she does have feelings, and she’s beenhurt by these girls. It shows how it can happen to anyone. Just because she’s feisty itdoesn’t mean people aren’t going to pick on her.
Have you had viewers telling you about their own experiences?
Yes, I’ve had quite a lot of tweets from girls around the same age as Bethany saying that it helped them to talk to an adult about it so that was really nice to see. And quite a lot ofpeople on Instagram have made nice comments. That made me feel good, that I’ve done the bullying storyline justice and that people want to talk about it.
How far is the bullying storyline going to go on.
It’s a slow burner. It’s going to go on for months and months, we’re not just using it as aquick storyline and then moving onto something else, we’re looking well into the autumn.There’s not going to be a quick resolution.
Bethany can’t tell Sarah about it, can she?
She feels really isolated at the moment. Everything that’s happening with Sarah andCallum’s body, plus everything that happens with Kylie, it builds and builds. She confides in Kylie later on. I don’t know if she tells anyone else. She wants to talk to her mum but with everything that’s going on she feels she can’t talk to her mum about anything.
How aware is she of what Sarah’s experiencing?
At first she’s in denial and doesn’t think anything is wrong with her and then when Sarahbarricades herself in the Platts, she starts to see that something is really wrong. I think she does feel really horrible and sorry for her mum. She’s worried about her mum and is scared about what will happen.
Do you think there’s a lot of pressure on teenage girls to act in a certain way to avoid being bullied?
The thing that they’re trying to say to Bethany is she’s fat. I think “fat virgin” is one of thetexts that she got from them. She’s starts going to the gym. The whole skinny kind of thing, trying to keep up with make up trends and fashion trends, I do think it’s hard for girls. Plus Bethany’s come to the school late so there’s the jealousy there, it’s a minefield.
Would you like her to make friends with Craig, he’s a nice guy.
Yeah, Craig would be a good friend for Bethany because he’s lovely and he’s lovely in reallife. I really get on well with Colson, I’d like to have more scenes with him.
Have you ever experienced online bullying?
No, never to this kind of extreme. I’ve been called nasty things but I don’t really let things like that bother me. Obviously some people do when it gets worse, especially if someone really takes something to heart. I don’t, I try not to let things that people say to me make a difference to me. I’ve never been subjected to bullying in the same way Bethany is.
What advice would you give to Bethany?
To tell an adult she trusts, or a friend. I think talking about it can help resolve it as can getting advice from other people.
How do you feel about Paula leaving?
I’m really sad that she’s leaving because the dynamics really work - me, Tina, Paula, Jack and Helen, Ben – it really works so it’s going to be very sad when she leaves but it’s good for her to do other things.
How would you like to see your character evolve?
Hopefully the bullying resolves. I’d like her to get a cool fashion job, I think she’d be good at that because some of the things she wears are quite odd!
Anyone else on the street you’d like Bethany to have some scenes with?
Craig and maybe Tracy. Although I like that Bethany’s not so mean now, she’s quite nice, so maybe not Tracy as Tracy would probably make her mean again!