Coronation Street’s Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Nielsen tell TV Times magazine about the fun and tragedy they're having acting out soap’s saddest storyline...
How did you feel when you were first told about this storyline?
Julie: "I expected it, but when our producer first told us, I was surprised by how upset I felt. I realised that Hayley exists as part of me and as a separate entity. I was like, ‘I’ve done this to Hayley. Sorry Hayley!’"
David: "We had worked out she was going to die beforehand and this is a much bigger thing than an accident. I felt it was brave they were doing it and encouraged that they trusted us with the story."
Has it been upsetting to film?
Julie: "There have been some bits where I have not been able to run through my lines because it is so upsetting. I haven’t had to dig very deep to find the emotion as it has been beautifully written by people who care about Roy and Hayley. The first time it really hit me was when Hayley said to Roy that she didn’t want to die."
David: "It is upsetting because you have to go there; you have to engage with it. I like the fact that there is light and fun there too."
Tell us about Hayley’s decision die at home and have the right to end her life...
Julie: "She wants to be in control at the end. She wants to be somewhere familiar with people she loves. She also wants to say a proper goodbye and doesn’t want to linger on in some half-life. She meets this woman called Jane who is also dying from pancreatic cancer and she is living in the past through her medication. Jane had a nice past, but Hayley didn’t. Her childhood and adolescence were hellish and her fear is that she will get to a point where Hayley never existed."
David: "Roy wants her to die at home, but he doesn’t want her to take her own life. Roy’s view is that life isn’t convenient, dying is part of life and you see it through to the end."
Has this storyline made you think about your own mortality?
Julie: "Yes it has and I think that’s a good thing. A story like this makes you look at life. However, I have to keep this storyline at arm's length because to go there is too overwhelming. I am on this road and now I just have to get to the end."
David: "Not really, what makes you think about your own mortality is when your friends die, and several of my close friends have died of cancer recently. It makes you seize the day."
What would be on your bucket list?
Julie: "If it all ended tomorrow I could die happy, but I certainly have things I want to do. I want to drive across America; I want to go to Brazil, India and Argentina. Hayley is only going to Blackpool, but Blackpool means a lot to me, as it is where my mum and dad honeymooned and I spent my childhood there."
David: "I want to travel and I already I do as much as I can. I went to the Galapagos Islands last year and I am going to Tasmania for Christmas. There are so many places to visit, so many things that will be here long after I am gone."
What sort of reaction have you had from viewers?
Julie: "I have had hundreds of tweets from people telling me really personal stories of things they have been through. I had one from a friend of mine who lost his mum not long ago to pancreatic cancer. He wrote this amazing message. He and his partner watched the episode where Hayley was told there was nothing they could do. They talked about what they had been through and cried and talked. It was a positive experience for them and I will treasure that message."
David: "Julie gets hundreds of messages and I get half a dozen. The other day, a guy was blowing leaves in the street and he took his headphones off and said, ‘If you and that Hayley don’t win all the awards there is something wrong’ and that’s good enough for me."
Will you miss working with one another?
Julie: "I will feel a bit rudderless without David. He is so inventive and clever. It is effortless for us to act together."
David: "Yes, I will a lot. She is great. I always knew it was going to happen at some point and I think it is wonderful that she is moving on and doing other things. Julie and I will be lifelong friends."
What will the future have in store for Roy?
Julie: "I like the idea that Hayley has fixed him up on a dating website before she goes! Although in reality, I can’t really talk about Roy being with anybody else because I get a bit shirty. That Sally Webster is desperate to be with Roy, but she’s not right for him! Nobody is. It’s a fluke that he met Hayley."
David: "People keep saying to me ‘What’s going to happen to Roy?’ but I don’t know. It might not be the expected. Hayley came in for Roy to be the first in a series of unsuccessful relationships and look what happened. He only came in for six episodes to freak Deirdre out. He will carry on in some form, but I don’t think there are plans for him to run off with anyone. I know Sally Webster is keen and I wouldn’t mind that."
What’s next for you Julie?
Julie: "I am doing two plays at the Manchester Royal Exchange. Black Roses, which we are touring with and taking to London, and Blindsided, which also stars Beverley Callard’s daughter Rebecca. It’s set in Stockport and it’s very dark. It’s an exciting time for me and I will take the good with the bad. The unemployment, the uncertainty, it is all good, proper living."
David: "I went to see Julie in Black Roses. It’s an extraordinary piece and I will be going along to Blindsided. In a way I’ll be glad when she’s gone because work has been so busy, I have been living Roy’s life. I’ve got a boarding pass in my pocket and as soon as this is over, I am going to Tasmania for a month."
