This is a very good interview with Nicole Barber Lane (Myra) and Barry Sloane:
www.ok-magazine.co.uk/food/view/3950/Barry-Sloane-and-Nicole-Barber-Lane/ BARRY SLOANE AND NICOLE BARBER-LANE
THE ‘HOLLYOAKS’ STARS FILL US IN ON MURDEROUS HAIRDRESSERS TEARFUL SCENES AND KIT-OFF CALENDARS OVER LUNCH AT BLAKESPosted: Tuesday 7 Oct 2008
There are Hollyoaks bad boys – and then there’s Niall Rafferty, the long-lost son of Myra McQueen, who’s about to create all kinds of mayhem with his twisted plan to avenge her for abandoning him as a youngster.
As Barry Sloane, the actor who plays him, says: ‘Niall isn’t your average kind of villain – he’s more a mixed-up psychopath, and deep down he’s quite a nice guy. I like him!’
Events on screen crank up to a nail-biting crescendo next week on Hollyoaks when Niall decides to abduct the McQueen children and tricks Myra into turning up at a church, where he’s got her daughters tied up and terrified.
Let’s just say there’s an explosive chain of events in store for Hollyoaks fans, with one of the McQueen girls making an untimely and shocking exit at the hands of nasty Niall.
Barry’s compelling performance as Niall has already garnered him a Best Newcomer nomination at the upcoming National TV Awards.
And in real life, we’re pleased to reveal he’s good friends with the actress who plays his on-screen mother Myra (no, we can’t believe that casting either!), the gorgeous Nicole Barber-Lane.
After sharing such emotionally-draining scenes together, we decided the least they deserved was a civilised lunch, and John Lennon fan Barry was particularly thrilled when he learnt that their destination was Liverpool’s most exciting new hotel, the Beatles-themed Hard Day’s Night, where the mouth-watering fare at Blakes restaurant proved just the ticket…
Barry, congratulations on being nominated for Best Newcomer at the National TV Awards later this month. How chuffed are you about that?
I’m made up – it’s an absolute honour, especially when I realised I’m the only male in the running, alongside Michelle Keegan [who plays Tina in Coronation Street], Rita Simons [Roxy in EastEnders] and Georgia Taylor [Ruth Winters in Casualty].
Don’t you think it’s a bit strange that you’re playing a murderous hairdresser?
I quite like that twist! When I got the part, I couldn’t quite believe it. Hollyoaks is so stylish, so you can’t be a plasterer – you’re a stylist!
I did these scenes last week for the late-night Hollyoaks episodes coming up in November where Niall’s gone completely nuts, so I’m bearded with long hair and I’ve got dirty clothing on.
He’s living in a little hut in the Scottish highlands, and he’s got this bag on his shoulder – and all his gear inside is immaculate!
Have you taken over the Hollyoaks bad boy crown from Jamie Lomas?
Jamie and I do very different villains. I think Warren is an out-and-out bad lad, a dodgy gangster type, whereas Niall is a sinister stylist! Niall is more twisted, really, a psychopath, whereas Warren is the love-to-hate bad lad.
There’s never been a competition between me and Jamie, I think he does a fantastic job.
Your scenes where Niall kidnaps Myra’s children and holds them hostage in a church are pretty full-on, with explosions and falling rubble. Was that difficult?
Barry: To act alongside that was brilliant – and occasionally dangerous. We were walking through this church and people were on scaffolding just chucking bits of rock down at you!
There was one scene where they’re actually throwing down a statue that’s going to hit Niall. I looked up, and all this rubble went right down my throat – I nearly choked on it.
God knows what it was, but four weeks later I’m still coughing it up! They were literally emptying buckets into my mouth!
Nicole: Some of it was quite upsetting, especially when Myra has to choose between her kids! It’s such a shock when she gets to the church.
She thinks she’s just going to be meeting Tina there, then she sees Niall and then she finds out he’s her son. And then it all kicks off.
Does the emotional drama of it stay with you for a bit?
Barry: Without sounding too actor-y, I had to go to some dark places with Niall, but it’s been a lovely journey.
Sure, you go home from work sometimes feeling a bit down, and you wonder why – and then you realise it’s because you’ve been pretending to kill people all day!
Nicole: Talking about it right now, I’m really restraining myself not to get upset, because I’ve got make-up on!
I never need to do any emotional memory acting – I don’t need to, because I do feel genuinely upset by Myra’s storyline.
And the fact that I’m not going to be working with some of my screen children any more is quite traumatic.
Barry, if you were putting up a defence for Niall Rafferty, where would you start?
The problem is that he suffers from mental health issues. He’s really mixed up, so half the time he doesn’t know what he wants to get out of this whole revenge thing.
If he just wanted to get his mother back, he could have asked her a long time ago. But that’s soaps for you – and my contract wouldn’t have been so long!
Nicole, sum up Myra in a nutshell…
She is the type of mum that everybody would like, I think, because she’s the one who always supports her kids, no matter what they do.
She loves them all to bits. She’s a bit of fun, she’s a little bit naughty now and again, and she’s ruled by her heart.
What are her bad points?
All of the above! I’m a mum in real life and I’m a lot stricter and harder on my real children than Myra would ever be.
My mum’s always saying: ‘Why aren’t you more like Myra? Why don’t you understand your kids more?’
Tell us about your family…
There’s Jemma, my 19-year-old daughter, who’s just moved out and got her own place, and my eight-year-old son Ben.
He’s a little bit young to watch Hollyoaks but he does watch it, and then he still says: ‘It’s so funny, Mummy. You’re on telly and you’re here!’ He still finds that a little bizarre.
Who’s your other half?
My husband is actor Liam Fox – he’s Ben’s dad. He’s been in dinnerladies and Coronation Street.
Some people say actors shouldn’t marry other actors, but he completely supports me and I completely support him, because we understand the game.
Barry, do you have a girlfriend?
Yes, she’s fashion designer Katy O’Grady, best known for Project Catwalk, and I think she likes me being a Hollyoaks bad boy.
I make her watch it, though, and when I come on screen, she makes everybody be quiet. She’s very supportive.
Project Catwalk is coming back and she’s sorting out a new range. She’s also my stylist at the moment so she’s the one to blame if I look a mess!
Barry, what’s been the maddest thing you’ve had to do on Hollyoaks?
Recently, I had my first scene of dressing up for a fantasy sequence in a whole year. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the Green Room and seen people dressed as different fruits and vegetables.
I saw Emma Rigby, the Best Actress winner at the Soap Awards, dressed up as a banana, and I thought if they can do it to her, I don’t mind.
So I got dressed up as Johnny Depp from Pirates Of The Caribbean for a fantasy sequence where Niall sees himself as a pirate.
And that was quite cool for me too – I’ve always wanted to be a pirate!
Have you done a sexy male calendar shoot with all the other Hollyoaks guys?
Yes. When I first joined the show, I said to the publicity department: ‘There’s no way on earth I’m doing a Hollyoaks calendar.’
Cut to me stood in Spain with my top off! I didn’t really enjoy the shoot because it’s just not me and I didn’t feel comfortable.
But if you’re doing Hollyoaks, you’ve got to do the Hollyoaks hunks calendar as a memory. I didn’t work out at all beforehand, so when all the other guys took their tops off I went: ‘Oh dear. They’ve been to the gym, haven’t they?’
Nicole, you ran the London Marathon this year – how was that experience?
It was painful! I did it in seven hours, 58 minutes and 58 seconds – which is two seconds under the eight hours you need to do it in to get the medal.
I was so proud, but by the time we got to the finish there was no crowd left! I’ve never done anything like that before, and I only started the training at Christmas.
My main aim was to finish and get a medal. I was convinced I’d do it, and I did it!
Did your family get right behind you?
Liam just kept saying to me: ‘Are you mad?’ But ultimately he did get behind me.
At first I think he was worried about my health, because I am a couch potato – or I used to be! I lost a stone and a half, and another half a stone after the marathon, but I’ve put that back on since.
What charity were you running for?
I did it for Jeans For Genes and raised about £2,000. On the run I met a girl called Sarah, dressed as a pink fairy, and she was running for prostate cancer.
My dad had just been diagnosed and had gone in for his operation just before the marathon so when I met her I felt it was meant to be.
We promised each other we’d finish together, because she wanted to give up at six miles. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I would have finished at all.
HARD DAY’S NIGHT HOTEL, 39-41 NORTH JOHN STREET, LIVERPOOL L2 6RR. TEL: 0151 236 1964;
WWW.HARDDAYSNIGHTHOTEL.COM.
‘HOLLYOAKS’ IS ON CHANNEL 4 WEEKNIGHTS AT 6.30pm, WITH THE OMNIBUS ON SUNDAY MORNINGS.