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| Natalie
plays Nurse Stella Davenport in The Royal. Sundays @ 8.00pm on
ITV1
How would you describe your character Nurse Stella Davenport?
Stella is still very flirty and very sassy, but as the series develops she matures an awful lot and she has to grow up very quickly.
In Episode 4 Stella and Lizzie have an argument. Can you tell us about that?
It’s about men! They’re two girls, both single and as flirty as each other, and both vying for the same man who is playing them off against one another! As always in these situations, instead of blaming the bloke, they blame each other! I don’t know why they don’t see it’s his fault!
One of the major storylines in this series is Stella’s rape. How does she react to the ordeal? Does it change her?
Initially she’s in denial about it, because she doesn’t want anyone to know that it’s happened and won’t talk about it. She’s really ashamed and tries to blank it out. However, Matron confronts her about the situation so she has to open up and it all comes out.
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Stella is affected very badly by it and the effects are seen in her throughout the series. It’s only at the end of the series that she’s able to draw a line under the whole experience and put it behind her. It’s very traumatic for Stella, as she doesn’t trust anybody and she’s very ashamed. It’s a really awful time for her and it really changes her as a person. The Stella you see in the beginning is a very, very different person from the Stella at the end of the series.
As an actress, how did you find it playing such a serious storyline?
The thing I found hardest as an actress was the fact that if I’d been playing the part in a modern day setting, attitudes towards rape would be very different to those that Stella encounters in the sixties, when everyone assumes it’s her fault. People are much more sympathetic and understanding these days. The person who was raped wasn’t really seen as a victim in the 60’s. A lot of people feel as though she’s brought it upon herself because of what she was wearing and the way she is. Even the police and her friends, such as Frankie, imply that she’s to blame. When I was playing the character it happened to be rape awareness week and it really demonstrated the difference in attitudes. It was a great storyline, although quite tricky to film all Stella’s stages of anguish and her recovery, especially as we don’t film in chronological order!
It sounds odd I know, given the circumstances, but I’ve enjoyed it so much, as it’s been a really challenging part to play. One of the reasons you become an actress, is to play out these types of real situations. It’s been a story I can get my teeth into and adds another layer to Stella’s character. People can see that she’s not just one dimensional and that there’s a lot more to her than perhaps they thought in the beginning.
How does Stella feel about the arrival of new nurse, Marian?
Initially, because she’s so caught up in her own life, she can’t be bothered with anybody. Especially when Marian moves into her room in the middle of the night! You can imagine after such a terrible ordeal how you’d feel if someone just stumbled into your room at night with no warning! Its quite terrifying for her. So Stella doesn’t get off to a great start with Marian. She’s abrupt with her and quite distant. But as the series continues they develop an almost big sister- little sister relationship. Stella sees a lot of herself in Marian, as she reminds her of when she first started at The Royal. She’s young and wants to do well. They end up friends in the end.
Have you enjoyed filming this year’s series?
Ive loved it, and I think it’s been my favourite series so far. It’s a big cast and I feel so fortunate that
Ive been able to be involved so much throughout this series. I’ve been so lucky to be one of the characters to go from one extreme to the other in the space of 12 episodes.
Have you had you have any funny moments whilst filming?
Amy Robbins and I were doing a scene with the police inspector and I was acting all emotional and upset. Then all of a sudden we heard this mobile phone ring. Amy picked it up and it was her mum! I really found all the light-hearted moments hilarious and it was great because they broke up some of the tension whilst filming the heavier, serious scenes about rape.
What are your plans during the filming break?
I’m actually back in the studio at the moment doing some musical work, so it’s great to have time to work on my music as well as acting.
Picture Credit: Copyright
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