‘BEING BACK ON SET IS DIFFICULT’
Eastenders star Diane Parish on returning to work and the friendship she treasures
Having played Denise Fox in Eastenders since 2006, you’d think Diane Parish would be right at home in Walford. But, as she reveals prior to her forthcoming appearance in Secrets From
The Square, she’s finding life on set a bit trickier than anticipated.
That’s because the cast are back to work for the first time in months, as lockdown eases and the country slowly returns to normal – but social-distancing measures are causing a headache for the normally tactile actors. Still, as Di, 50, admits, she’s grateful to have a job to go back to at all.
Here, she tells us all about getting back to work, and doing Secrets alongside her BFF Tameka Empson, who played Denise’s larger-than-life sister Kim Fox in the soap until last year. The ladies sit down with Secrets host Stacey Dooley to reminisce about their time on the Square – and it’s clear Di was thrilled to be reunited with her old pal. Tell us more, Di…
Hey Diane! First of all, what was it like to be back on set?
It’s been quite tricky. Actors intrinsically have to be free, they have to be tactile and uninhibited, but now you have to be very aware of yourself so that you don’t touch the wrong thing, or throw your arms around somebody, or walk too close. We have to adhere to those things for our safety. It’s difficult, but it’s possible. But it’s good to be working. That’s the important thing for many of us in soaps at the moment – we are part of a very privileged group in our industry who have jobs to go back to. So I’m grateful for that. And, of course, you’ve also filmed an episode of Secrets From The Square. What was the best part about that?
The first thing I enjoyed was seeing my buddy Tameka after not seeing her for so long. Obviously she’s been away, and then with the lockdown, it’s been such a long time, so it was good to see her.
Tell us a bit about your friendship…
Tameka and I met each other a while back and I thought she was great. I’ve always thought she’s phenomenally talented and clever, but then as I’ve got to know Tameka she’s a fantastic friend, a fantastic woman and a fantastic actress. She is, of course, hilariously funny, but she runs a lot deeper than that. She’s a very, very clever woman.
How do you think Kim and Denise would have coped in lockdown together?
Denise would have killed Kim! [laughs] Or she would’ve moved into the shed. They would have had to live at opposite ends of the house because Kim and Denise are the antithesis of each other. But they absolutely adore each other, and can’t really be apart for very long.
So what can fans expect to see in your episode of Secrets?
They will see there are many shades to Denise and Kim. And I think they’ll learn a little bit about my relationship with Tameka, as characters and as friends. Sometimes it’s nice to get a little peek through the window because I think we have a very special partnership. We understand each other, have a great respect for each other’s work and respect for our differences. I think people will enjoy getting a little glimpse into what we are like.
What surprised you most when watching classic episodes back?
How many bad hairstyles I had! It seemed they found every clip of my bad hair, dug most of them out and put them on in quick succession. Also, Denise has had a tumultuous time and you
forget quite a lot after a certain amount of time on the show. The things you think you remember, you don’t quite remember, and it actually was quite good to see it all backed up like that.
What’s your earliest memory of acting in Eastenders?
The first thing I remember was the first scene I had in The Queen Vic. Literally every single iconic character was there while I was ranting and raving at Phil Daniels [who played Kevin Wicks, Denise’s late husband]. That was terrifying, it was a real baptism of fire.
Secrets From The Square, Monday, 8pm, BBC1