Interview with Carley Stenson

7 October 2015

Do you remember your audition?

I auditioned for Zara Morgan at first and didn't get it. Then I got a call-back and I remember someone saying to me, 'Wear something that makes you stand out'. So for some reason I put chop sticks in my hair! Maybe that swung it for me, I don't know. That was on the Monday, then on the Wednesday I got called out of college and told they wanted me to start work that same day. I remember sitting in the make-up chair not even knowing what my character was going to be called, and being handed a script and a call-sheet and I didn't understand what any of it meant! It was gobbledegook to me. The wardrobe lady was new that day too, and she gave me a 'warm coat', which is what you normally wear on top of your costume to keep warm in between outdoor scenes. But I didn't know I was supposed to take it off and neither did she. So if you look back at the first scene, I'm in this huge oversized coat that was never to be seen again!

You were a recurring character for the first couple of years, before you were given a full-time role and your family joined...

Yeah, I came in for a few episodes then I'd disappear for a month, then come back for a few episodes. Then eventually they brought in a family around me and that was one of my highlights of being there. I was so made up. And they are still some of my best friends to this day. We had a little get-together after they were cast, on a weekend, where we all met up and got to know each other. They'd say I nearly killed them because I drove them to the station in my little white Ford Fiesta and nearly crashed! I was a bit distracted. Hollyoaks is like a second home to me, still. I've been in so many different casts since, but they are my true second family. I was there from 17 to 27, and I went through a lot of life changes and life dilemmas with those guys. I went from being one of the youngest to one of the oldest in my time there. And I saw them for 12 hours a day, every day. I find it difficult to watch it now, because I know what happens when the cameras stop rolling, and the banter that will go on. That's what I miss.

What are your favourite memories?

I adored it when Bryan Kirkwood came in. I felt a massive change then. The energy of the cast, and the responses we were getting from the audience. Everything was lifted. The Niall serial killer era was my favourite. But as well as the dramatic story lines, there was a lot of humour. We had some crazy scripts and you think, 'Wow, what are we doing here?'. I remember one when me and Gemma Merna were chasing a hamster up a pipe! I think the whole thing was just invented to get Gemma Merna, with her lovely figure, stuck in a pipe. We were thinking, 'Why wouldn't we just wait for it to come out the other end?' But that's because there was a lot of humour there. It was the best job in the world. We had some mad stuff - dream scenes, I came back as an angel for crying out loud - but we would not have got to do that anywhere else. It doesn't happen on Corrie or Emmerdale or EastEnders. And it was absolutely brilliant.  Bryan just gets it. The story lines are gripping, and he has little short ones, and really long ones that go on for a year, and he balances the drama and the humour really well. When there are important story lines, like the domestic violence, they really care about getting them right.

Do you still get recognised in the street as Steph?

I get really shocked because I left four years ago but it does happen quite a lot. I'm really flattered when they do, but obviously I don't get it half as much as I used to. It's quite nice having anonymity again. I kind of grew up on Hollyoaks and was recognised from the age of 17, so it's a novelty not to be recognised all the time and it's quite nice.

Do you stay in touch with any of the cast?

Yeah, loads. I'm seeing Ashley [Taylor Dawson] and his fiancee next week. We saw Bronagh [Waugh] and Kevin [Sacre]and Rachel Shenton recently.  It's hard with this job because I'm touring at the moment [in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels] but I do try and stay in touch with the nice ones. I'm joking - they're all nice!

What was your most embarrassing scene?

I have lost all sense of pride due to that show! I've been dressed as a pirate, a tomato, and an egg! [laughs] One of my early scenes was a naughty one with a boy in a bedroom. They were always awkward. It's weird when you shake hands with someone you've just met, and then you have to climb into bed with them a few hours later. But they're always gentlemen. I've never had any problems!

What was your favourite storyline?

I loved the whole Niall and Max and Steph love triangle. When we went to Scotland with Tom, and then I was involved in Max's death. Matt [Littler] practised his dead eyes for months before that scene - he deserved that National Television Award! But being involved in that, and the aftermath of it, was amazing.  I got a nice little buzz off singing at his funeral. I still to this day get people messaging me about that. I released an EP and I sing that song on the EP, so people get in touch to say it reminds me of Max's funeral. That meant a lot. I was proud of us, and myself, if I can say that.

Can you tell us any secrets about Hollyoaks?

I took half of Steph's wardrobe home, which is shocking, because she had dreadful taste!  Half my clothes now have 'Steph' written on them. Oh and I do remember a scene with Helen Russell Clark [Jem Costello] and we had a scene with a big beautiful cheesecake and we thought, 'Oh, that'll be nice'.  But for some reason we kept having to redo the scene because things kept going wrong, and we had to eat five slices of cheesecake. We were like, 'bleurgh', afterwards.

Would you come back for a guest appearance if you were asked?

If they could think of a really clever way to do it, then yes! Could I be a long-lost twin, maybe? You never know. I loved that place so much, so I think I would go back.  I love Steph, I do. I would go back if we could think of a way to do it again.

 

 

 

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