Casualty Faith worries about Luka
CASUALTY NEWCOMER KIRSTY MITCHELL TALKS TO US ABOUT HER NEW ROLE…
When my agent called to say there’s a role on Casualty, I was telling myself, ‘This role is mine!’ – I’ve never been more determined,” laughs star Kirsty Mitchell, as we chat about her latest casting as Faith Cadogan. “I had a real connection with Faith, and there’s something within her character that I just got straight away. It’s really nice that a healthcare professional of her level is so gentle.”
When advanced clinical practitioner Faith first arrived in the ED, she was a breath of fresh air with an infectious smile. But now that her youngest child Luka has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, Kirsty tells us that life is about to get tough for her alter ego.
“Faith is not defeated in any way, shape or form,” explains the actress. “Following Luka’s diagnosis, she’s at the stage where she’s doing every single piece of research – Faith is arming herself with as much knowledge as possible to move forward.”
With Faith distracted at work thinking about her son, Dylan steps up and calls the infamous surgeon Zsa Zsa Harper-jenkinson for her opinion on the matter of Luka’s condition. But will Zsa Zsa decide to take on the case?
“Dylan’s been so lovely to Faith, and all he does is help her,” says Kirsty. “It’s a massive thing he does by calling Zsa Zsa. If someone does something for your child that could save their life, you’re going to be forever in debt to them.”
However, it’s not only Luka who needs help with his illness – it’s evidently taking a toll on Faith, as well as her husband and Luka’s dad, paramedic Lev. But when Faith suggests that the pair go to a parents support group,
Lev isn’t exactly keen. So, can they manage to keep their marriage af loat during this crisis?
“Lev isn’t on Faith’s wavelength, and so their family unit begins to show cracks,” Shares Kirsty. “Lev doesn’t see the point of talking to a bunch of strangers – he doesn’t think that it’ll do any good. But Faith wants to move forward and ends up going on her own. It’s important to show what happens to couples when they go through things like this.”
Kirsty informs us that she researched this plot with parents in a similar position as her character – but reveals that she’s also had some experience close to home.
“My sister has recently rung the bell – she’s cancerfree and finished all her treatment,” grins the star. “The thing she said to me during it, though, was that people kept saying to her, ‘You’re so brave’, and it resonated with me when she said, ‘What choice do I have? I don’t have a choice, I’m not being brave.’”
Kirsty also shares with us that this storyline has taken a bit of a toll on
Faith and Lev’s family unit begins to show cracks…
her body, and that it’s sometimes hard to switch off at the end of the day…
“I’ve been doing some intense scenes, and they can take four to five hours,” she reveals. “You have to be true to the emotional state and build yourself up to being in a space where you’re ready to go. After crying for five hours in real life, your body takes time to calm down.”
However, despite the difficult plot, Kirsty couldn’t be happier now that she’s feeling at home in the Casualty fold.
“I love all of it!” she gushes. “I love Cardiff [where Casualty is filmed], and I love being closer to my family. Everybody on the show is so lovely – they just want to make it as special as possible. It’s the nicest working environment ever!”