Ki Griffin
“What we’re doing with Ripley is amazing – and really beautiful…”
To have a character like Ripley on TV when I was growing up would have been huge,” explains Hollyoaks star Ki Griffin, who plays Ripley, as we sit down for a chat about playing the first non-binary character in a soap. “I probably would have come to terms with my own gender identity a lot sooner. Honestly, I think what we’re doing with Ripley is amazing, and it’s really beautiful for me to think that young kids who are questioning whether they’re non-binary are looking at Ripley and thinking, ‘Maybe that’s how I feel’.”
Although Ripley has been running a market stall in Hollyoaks village since last July, it was only recently that they explained to their friends Brooke, Ollie and Imran that they identify as nonbinary – outside of either masculine or feminine. The scene had a huge impact on viewers, and Ki tells us that they’re delighted to be playing such a ground-breaking character…
Hello, Ki! How important is it for Hollyoaks to be exploring a character who is non-binary?
It’s very important that we bring people of all different identities into mainstream media, especially for a show which has such a big audience. It’s really important that we’re reaching out to viewers who either may not come into contact with non-binary people themselves, or even the term.
What I love about Ripley is that they’re a well-rounded human in all their glory – we see them as a real person.
What feedback did you get from Hollyoaks viewers after Ripley essentially ‘came out’? I’ve never been more popular on social media! The amount of parents who’ve got in touch with me to say, “I saw you on television, and my child is going through a similar experience”, I’m very happy about that. It can be really hard – I know my own parents are still adjusting to this new identity that I proposed to them. So I love that
I can bring that experience to people, and just make a child or a family’s life a little bit easier.
Do you have an input into the way Ripley’s scenes are written?
Yeah, most of the stuff that’s written surrounding Ripley’s gender identity is run by me first. But the Hollyoaks writers are amazing – the scene where Ripley came out, I probably couldn’t have written it better myself. Although not every non-binary person will identify with the way that Ripley came out, it was nice to make it a slightly more casual thing – because essentially as gender non-conforming people, we’re coming out every day as we walk into the world.
This week, Brooke confides in Ripley that she doesn’t feel like a girl. How does Ripley react to that?
Brooke and Ripley’s relationship is something that I’m really enjoying playing on the show. It’s so lovely to have a character like Ripley, who is quite firm in their own identity, reach out and just say, “I’ll be right here next to you as you try things”. So as Brooke explores their identity, Ripley will be that right-hand person who will be there every step of the way.
Can you give us any hints about what’s to come for Ripley and Brooke’s relationship?
It’s going to bloom from this point onwards, and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It’s really important that we see people supporting each other. No matter what point you find yourself at in your journey, it’s important to have people who are going to celebrate every stage of that with you. There’s a Ripley out there for everyone – it’s just a case of finding them!
And are we going to be seeing more of Ripley on screen in the coming weeks? Well, I’ve been on set a lot recently! Ripley is a full human who has beliefs, hopes, dreams and quirks, and that’s definitely going to come across more in the coming months. Ripley’s quite a refreshing character, and I think people should be excited to see someone who’s really quite different from anyone else in the village…
I love that Ripley is a well-rounded human in all their glory