Sally Ann Matthews
PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR FAITH IN TRUE LOVE RESTORED! SALLY ANN MATTHEWS TELLS US ALL ABOUT ALTER EGO JENNY’S BIG WEDDING WEEK…
“I love that Jenny can surprise the audience!”
The public are scared of getting the Jenny death stare!
It might be hard to admit, but there’s a little bit of Jenny Bradley in all of us. Who wouldn’t be privately fuming about having to share their wedding day, or worry about being upstaged by a much younger, model-beautiful bride? The difference between Jenny and the rest of us is that she makes no attempt to hide her feelings, and is anything but predictable in her reactions – which is what makes her such an entertaining character on screen. And as we sit down with Sally Ann Matthews, who plays Jenny, for a chat about the dramatic upcoming week, she tells us to expect the unexpected…
“The thing with Jenny is that you never know what she’s going to do or what she’s thinking,” muses the actress. “You’re going to see a lot of that in wedding week! Most of the time when you know a character, you also know when they’re going to kick off, but I love that Jenny can surprise the audience.”
With Jenny forced into the double wedding and also having endured a tacky hen night that she didn’t sign on for, she’s set to go in all guns blazing – until news of her surrogate mum Rita’s illness takes the wind out of her sails (see p10). And Sal reveals that the situation is set to make Jenny re-evaluate her life.
“Jenny is still being a Bridezilla when she and Johnny spend the morning at the hospital with Rita,” says Sal. “All I can tell you is that Jenny is going to realise that it’s not about the circus of the wedding, it’s all about love. It’s not even about her relationship with Johnny – we see her re-evaluate her relationships with everyone.”
The star also tells us that we can look forward to scenes of high drama as well as high emotion.
“It’s not just one story this week,” she explains. “They’re all intertwined. I can’t say much except watch, because it’s going to be mega! Everybody’s reactions and interactions are so genuine. It’s cleverly plotted, too. We filmed at a huge stately home, which looks epic. We did one scene and after the director shouted ‘Cut!’, we all started cheering and clapping. It’s got everything – it’ll make you laugh and it’ll make you cry. This is something that will be on every Coronation Street clip compilation in future years.”
It’s very possible that Jenny and Johnny’s wedding could end in disaster – but does Sal think fans are rooting for Jenny, despite her prickly persona? “They fluctuate between hating her and loving her, I think,” she chuckles. “Old women used to grab me when I first played Jenny and tell me to be nice to Rita, whereas now they want her to be happy. People sometimes say, ‘Jenny’s brill, she is’, then the next moment they’re like, ‘Oh, she’s gone and upset the apple cart!’. I like that.”
Meanwhile, Sally Ann laughs as she reveals that the viewers who spot her out and about are generally keen to keep on the right side of her!
“People often don’t talk to me, which is brilliant,” she grins. “They just look instead. I think they’re scared of getting the Jenny death stare – as are my kids!”
Still, Sal admits she has one fan who is always keen to talk to her…
“My kids have no interest in the show,” shares the actress, who is mum to two teenage boys. “We live in London, where
Corrie isn’t so keenly watched. However, there’s one friend of my son who I see when they play football. He’s a well-to-do boy, and always cool on the field, but then he’ll rush up to me saying, ‘Go on, tell me what’s going on!’. I love that!”