Gemma’s journey to fan favourite
Dolly-rose Campbell takes us inside the mind of her hilarious alter ego – and dishes the dirt on Rita and Norris…
As one of Callum Logan’s meanspirited sidekicks, bad girl Gemma was not someone we envisaged becoming a permanent fixture on the cobbles. But with great writing, and a little bit of TLC from Street stalwarts Rita, Norris and Dev, she’s swiftly become one of our favourite
Coronation Street characters…
“I think Gemma is more popular with the fans now,” blushes actress Dolly-rose Campbell, who is very modest as we tell her how much we’ve warmed to her alter ego. “A lot of people who come up to me say that they weren’t sure about her at first, but now she makes them laugh.”
We first met Gemma through Kylie Platt, as the fact that they grew up together was established. Like drug dealer Callum, Gemma was a nasty piece of work – and Weatherfield bosses gave Dolly the freedom to develop the character as she saw fit.
“When I joined it was only for six episodes, so I was able to bring my own interpretation to the role,” explains the star, who enjoyed a small part in Doctors before landing her first big TV job on
Corrie. “The writers gave me the lines, but it was left up to me to decide how I wanted Gemma to look and how to play her. I based her on a few people I knew – but they don’t know that!”
While creating Gemma, the actress decided that her alter ego would enjoy putting on make-up and watching Youtube videos on how to get the latest looks – but still get it completely wrong! It was also Dolly’s idea that Gemma would buy the smallest-sized clothes that she could squeeze into, so that she looked a little plump on screen.
“I wouldn’t wear Gemma’s outfits in real life!” she chuckles. “But every day I go into my dressing room to see what they’ve got for me, and I always burst out laughing. My favourite costume
so far is definitely Gemma’s gold PVC tracksuit, and her f lamingo shoes as well.”
Dolly tells us that Gemma’s outrageous costumes and hairstyles are just some of the reasons why she loves coming into work. The actress – who had mostly worked in theatre and on Radio 4 dramas before she joined the Street – is also thrilled to have bagged a nomination for Best Comedy Performance at this year’s British Soap Awards. “A lot of stuff I did on the radio was quite serious, so it has made a nice change playing Gemma,” says Dolly. “I think my fave moment so far was when a woman was buying an old cabinet from Norris and tried to con him. Gemma stuck up for him, and that was really fun.” Most actors can only dream of landing their big Weatherfield break and being instantly paired with the likes of Norris and Rita, but Dolly is unfazed as we quiz her on what it’s like to work with the Street’s legends.
“Everyone is so lovely here, so scenes with those people are more exciting than they are nervewracking,” she informs us. “Barbara [Knox, who plays Rita] is one of the biggest stars in the show, and has been doing it for a long time. She’s always been really lovely and great to me, and as a young actor you can really learn a lot from her.
“Malcolm [Hebden, aka Norris] is probably the person who makes me laugh the most on set, as he tells the best stories,” adds Dolly. “He’s always around for a brew as well!”
It’s fair to say that, had it not been for the kindness of Rita giving Gemma a place to live on the Street, she may not have developed into the girl she is today. However, Dolly isn’t convinced that Gemma will ever be a saint!
“Oh, I think she’s still the same person deep down, but she keeps better company and has more positive influences,” muses the star. “And anybody has it in them to make a fresh start, don’t they?”
On that note, we quiz Dolly about Gemma’s work in Dev’s takeaway, under the assumption that the kebabs we see on screen might not be as ‘fresh’ as they look. But the actress puts us straight…
“It’s real food,” insists Dolly, who worked in the past as a chef at an Italian restaurant in between acting jobs. “The props team have a little kitchen and they cook everything. I’m not sure I’d ever eat a kebab in real life, but who knows? I might have too much to drink one night!”
Before we let Dolly go to continue filming, we tell her that previous characters – such as your Karens, Beckys and Kylies – started out just like Gemma, and went on to become real sweethearts. The grounded actress won’t be drawn on whether she considers Gemma to be in the same league, but is hopeful that her cobbles success continues.
“I don’t know whether Gemma will be as impactful as those characters, as that’s quite a big thing to say,” she shares. “She’s still new, so we’ll see what happens. If Gemma were to become that popular, though, I’d be very happy!”
“I always go into my dressing room to see my costumes, and burst out laughing!”