Charlie Hardwick talks to TV Times magazine about Emmerdale's Val Pollard's traumatic HIV storyline…
How did you feel when you found out that Val was going to be HIV positive?
"I was absolutely shocked. My jaw dropped like Marley’s ghost in a Christmas Carol when he takes the bandages off. I didn’t see it coming and I said to [the producer], 'This is going to turn Val into a serious character'. But she explained that she was keen to do it to Val so that we could bring some gallows humour into it. That is how people get through things."
How does it affect her marriage with Eric?
"Eric says that they can stay together, but have no physical contact, but that is not enough for her. She and Eric are highly libidinous and that would be a complete denial of their sexuality. It would be tantamount to living a lie, and Val can’t do that."
So does this mean their marriage is over?
"They have had more ups and downs than a fiddler’s elbow and to be honest, I don’t know if it is really over. I know what the audience want. Before Val had told Eric about the virus, two women came up to me in Newcastle and said 'Tell him Val, he loves you'. The whole issue is a moral maze. It doesn’t matter what Val and Eric feel about each other, if they can’t sleep together, there isn’t a way forward."
What research did you do for the storyline?
"I spoke to somebody who has the virus and she told me that she felt like the personification of contamination. You see yourself as only disease. You have got this time bomb ticking away inside you. I was very keen to find out as much as I could because when people ask, I want to know the answers. I am very passionate about getting this out in the open. Women in their 50s are a growing at-risk group when it comes to HIV and sexually transmitted diseases."
How do you feel for Val?
"I feel sorry for Eric and Val. It’s hard for Val because the only people who love and care about her are Diane and Pollard. If it were me, I would have a whole army of Amazonian women picking me up and putting me back on the right path. Val’s not a sympathetic character – people don’t really like her."
How has it been taking on this storyline for you?
"This storyline has been very intense. The hours on a soap are ridiculous, but I love doing it. When I get home, it’s a case of lying on the living room floor until I wake up a bit cold in the middle of the night. But I have enjoyed getting my head round this story. It has been a real challenge. Some of the dark humour is really close to the bone and I am like 'We are on thin ice here, can I really say this?'"
Do you think Val will ever be herself again?
"We are lucky because HIV can be managed with drugs today. I hope Val will learn to relish sex with latex. I can see her rediscovering her sexuality. I hope she has the confidence and the help to be able to do that."
