Julie’s delight to see soaps fight against prejudice

FORMER Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh has praised soap operas for their role in breaking down prejudice by introducing diverse characters. The actress, who played the ITV show’s first transgender character Hayley Cropper, says that getting into the living rooms of people who would not usually associate with certain communities is a way to make them understand each other.

The 49-year-old spoke to Nihal Arthanayake on Radio 5’s Live Drive about the importance of starting conversations in a bid to address issues such as racism.

She said: “I think EastEnders, Brookside, Hollyoaks, Corrie and Emmerdale have done so much in introducing issues through characters that you love. That’s how you break prejudice down. It’s to prejudge and, once you know somebody, you can’t judge them by the same criteria anymore.

“When people are snobby about soap operas, I’m always like, that’s the beginning of everything – it’s a way of having conversations with people who are perhaps cut off from other communities.”

Hayley first stepped onto the cobbles in 1988 and won the hearts of the nation and of cafe owner Roy, played by David Neilson.

She became one of the soap’s best loved characters before dying in the arms of hubby Roy on January 20, 2014, after taking her own life rather than enduring the final stages of pancreatic cancer.

Julie said: “I know for myself when I went into that programme as Hayley, a trans character, there was so little understanding about what that meant. It was a joke – even the storyline was brought in as a bit of a joke at the time and what you have to do is be in people’s living rooms and get people rooting for you to understand the issues around the character and to fall in love with them before that understanding kicks in.”

Julie – who has gone on to enjoy success in other TV shows including Broadchurch with Oscar winner Olivia Coleman, as well as theatre including her most recent production, Mother Courage and Her Children – also spoke about how the #MeToo movement has helped women in the industry.

“There’s definitely been a shift,” she said. “I’ve got friends who have been on film sets since the Me Too movement and feel they feel able now to say, ‘that’s not ok’ when people say certain things.

“There was, for so many years, a culture of putting up with things and accepting that’s just the way things are. Now there is something in place that has allowed women to stand together and say, this is no good anymore. That can only be a good thing.”