Mollie Gallagher has spoken out about her departure from Coronation Street, describing the exit of her character Nina Lucas as 'really sad'. The actress, who first appeared on the cobbles in 2019, discussed her feelings during an interview on This Morning with hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shepherd.
Emotional Exit from the Cobbles
Gallagher admitted she struggles with change, saying: 'I don't like change. I struggle with change. It was really sad. Three days before I started rehearsal. In a way, it was helpful because it was so quick. That kind of helps because you have to kind of put things into compartments.' She expressed hope that Nina's story isn't over, stating: 'I believe it's not the end of Nina's story. I love Corrie so much. I really hope it's not the end. I don't feel like it is.'
Nina Lucas quickly became a fan favourite due to her unique identity as a happy-go-lucky Victorian Goth. Her time on the street was marked by a shocking hate crime attack that left her boyfriend Seb Franklin dead and Nina herself brutally assaulted by Corey Brent and his gang, simply because of her alternative style.
New Role in Silence of the Lambs
Gallagher is moving on to a stage production of the classic horror film Silence of the Lambs, where she will play FBI agent Clarice Starling. The role was famously portrayed by Jodie Foster in the 1991 film. The actress acknowledged the challenge: 'It's been absolutely amazing. I love theatre. I think something so iconic as Silence of the Lambs, people have these expectations about what they are going to be seeing. Obviously with the film, you get Jodie and Anthony Hopkins, and the amazing director and the close-ups. We have the live audience onstage. It's telling the story a lot more throughout the body and through the voice. It's different and it's exciting.'
She added: 'She's an icon. Obviously you have to make it your own. You will get some theatre goers will expect to see Jodie Foster but unfortunately, you have me! It's about what I can relate to with Clarice and using that, and telling the story about what I have been through. Especially as women, and with Clarice is this underdog in this world dominated by men. Our writer is absolutely brilliant and the writing does it all for us.'
Co-Stars and Accent Work
Gallagher will share the stage with former EastEnders star John Partridge, who plays Hannibal Lecter. She praised him: 'I've never met John Partridge before. He's lovely. He is the perfect Hannibal. He's lovely. He's terrifying at the same time. That's what you want.' She also discussed the unique dynamic: 'He is in a cage. We can't actually hear each other. Johnny's using a mic at the moment, which is helpful. How close can Clarice and Lecter get? We're still working that out through the process of rehearsals. Our director is brilliant. You just trust everything he does, really.'
The actress also shared insights into adopting a Southern American accent for the role: 'I love Southern American accents. I am glad we are going down that route. Something that really helped me is watching Jodie. She has this way of speaking as using the side of her mouth a little bit. Imagine you are constantly chewing something! It's quite broad. It's about finding the process of making it a little bit softer. Also I am Mancunian and I speak from my head voice, and I need to bring it all much lower. She's training FBI, she's not using her head voice, she wants to be taken seriously.'
The play, adapted by Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Nikolai Foster, also stars Oliver Farnworth as Jack Crawford. It will tour the UK from August.
