As Brief Encounters' continues, Sharon Rooney reveals that her character Dawn might seem like the life and soul of the party but, when she goes home at night, it's a different story...
Brief Encounters' star Sharon Rooney has revealed there's more to her character Dawn than meets the eye.
As the six-part drama premiered on ITV on Monday night, fun-loving hairdresser Dawn jumped at the chance to get involved with hosting Ann Summers’ parties.
But, as Sharon told What's on TV, Dawn's bubbly nature is hiding a secret heartache…
"People will first see her and go, 'I know your type, I know exactly who you are', and then actually you scratch the surface and you see that she's not who you think she is, she’s not just the bubbly hairdresser with all the funny jokes, she’s actually got a lot going on in her life that’s not so funny and not so great.”
In next week's episode, Dawn's having some major problems at home and is struggling to cope.
Sharon revealed: “Dawn’s home life is really hard, she lost her mum a few years ago and she’s kinda bringing up her little brother, her dad’s an alcoholic, who’s struggling with depression, and she’s got another two brothers that do nothing, so everything falls on Dawn.”
After a blazing row with one of her brothers, Dawn decides she can’t live at home any more, but she can’t move in with fiance Russell (Will Merrick) as his mum’s religious. So Dawn turns up at the house of her new posh pal Pauline (Penelope Wilton) with her suitcases and asks to stay!
"This show is about friendship and family and all those things that, no matter what era you put them in, are important," said Sharon, best known for her role as Rae Earl in E4's My Mad Fat Diary. "These women who wouldn’t necessarily come into each other's lives are suddenly really good friends and they become like this strong little girl gang – I love it."
Something else Sharon loved was Dawn's 80s costume.
"Dawn in my eyes is like a walking advert for the 80s," said Sharon, who wasn't actually born until 1988. "She's got legwarmers for every outfit, she wears every clashing pattern, every clashing colour that you can think of and her hair just gets bigger."
And it seems the actress had lots of fun filming the Ann Summers' party scenes.
"I just had the giggles from start to finish and I was making myself laugh which is even worse," said Sharon, who noted how much attitudes to sex and sex toys has changed since 1982. "Nowadays [sex toys] are on the high street and you can see them but, in 1982, it was like an urban myth.
"I think people might be a bit shocked at how prudish people were and how standoffish people were about it, because nowadays not many people are like that."
Brief Encounters continues on Mondays at 9pm on ITV.
Watch our interview with Sharon Rooney, above...
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