Q&A with Rebekah Staton
Q&A with Rebekah Staton
Published: 5 October 2016
I guess the job of being an actress is professional lying. I am a terrible liar in real life - I need some training!
Tell us about the character you play, Wendy.
I play Wendy Walker, forklift truck driver and popular key member at Coopers Warehouse. Welsh Wendy is in a happy relationship but comes into trouble when her ex partner takes against her new one.
What can you tell us about Wendy’s lie/secret?
Wendy explores how far you go for someone you love when someone you used to love wants to ruin your life.
Your episode handles the serious issue of abuse in relationships. Did you have to do much research in order to play your role and did you find it challenging?
I did do a bit of research into it. I am not surprised but domestic violence exists in all different types of relationships but it did feel important to do a storyline where we were highlighting that domestic abuse happens in same sex relationships as well. It was not always easy to step into the shoes of someone who is very much broken by someone else and previous experiences. It is not always pleasant to be in those shoes. A lot of time I had to do scenes where her ex partner made her feel very scared, frightened and upset. It is not always pleasant to go there but a lot of people face that so, I am really pleased we told that story.
Do you think it’s important for same-sex couples to be represented on screen?
Of course! I would like to think that we are getting to the point that whatever the nature of your sexual preference, you are seeing characters on screen that represent you. I know that speaking to people in the lesbian and transgender community; they would like to see more happy endings for gay characters. They feel like they see a lot of gay characters where bad things happen but to them I would reassure them that this is a drama and regardless of the sexual preferences of the characters, in drama bad things tend to happen to the leading characters because that is what makes an interesting story. I hope they forgive us for another character where difficult things happen to them but I hope that they will enjoy the quality of the story.
What was it that appealed to you about playing Wendy?
I had just played somebody who had a very tough exterior, with no nonsense and was very accomplished at everything. What I like about Wendy is that you thought she was that, you make judgments about her (she drives a forklift truck, she is one of the lads, she is funny, she likes a bit of joke). What I love about the episode is that she is a completely different person in private. She is actually quite insecure in her relationship, she is a good mum doing her best and she is desperately trying to be happy. I loved that very simple saying of “I have met the person I love and I just want to be happy”, but she has a massive tumbling block on the way which is this abusive relationship that just won’t go away.
You and Noel needed a forklift license to play your roles. How did you find that?
I found it very interesting to learn how to drive a forklift truck. People have asked which is the better driver, Noel or me. All I will say is that I did not run over a piece of camera equipment. People should be very careful about what people say about the difference between female and male drivers!
Did you enjoy working with Danny Brocklehurst?
Yes, I wanted to work with Danny for quite a long time. We’ve had 4-5 different projects where we have nearly worked together but for different reasons it’s never happened. I am delighted we have finally done it!
What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?
The biggest lie I tell is that I play different people on telly. I am not Della from Raised by Wolves and I am not a Wendy from Ordinary Lies. These are lies in their own way. I guess the job of being an actress is professional lying. I am a terrible liar in real life – I need some training!
