‘People shout at me in the street!’
Emmerdale actress Natalie Ann Jamieson reveals all about her explosive storyline and how life has changed since she joined the hit soap
Natalie Ann Jamieson burst on to our screens in Emmerdale back in March as outspoken Geordie lass Amy Wyatt. Over recent months we’ve seen Amy trying to rebuild her relationship with her mum Kerry after five years away from the village, as well as trying to win over Cain Dingle in an attempt to see their son Kyle.
And while things looked like they were on the up when she met hunky Nate, her life got flipped upside down when she attempted to break the CCTV at the factory after stealing charity money from the safe with Kerry.Their failed attempts sparked a fire, which saw village favourite Frank Clayton lose his life.
While the mother-daughter duo are struggling to come to terms with their actions, Amy’s boyfriend Nate is cheating on her with Cain’s wife Moira and this week it looks like things are going to come to a head.
We caught up with actress Natalie to find out more about her latest storyline, what it’s really like to step into the shoes of a character formerly played by another actress, and why she has no time to relax these days…
Hi Natalie. Amy has been struggling to cope since the fire at the factory and this week is Frank’s funeral. How is she feeling?
Amy is absolutely consumed with guilt at this point. She’s been living with the secret for a little while now and there is nobody other than her and Kerry that know about it. It’s the week of the funeral, and because Kerry is living in the house with the girls and she’s good friends with them, Amy somehow gets roped into helping out with the funeral and she and Kerry have to go. It’s an awful situation for her to be in.
How is it affecting Amy and Kerry’s relationship?
It’s really tough.The only people they have in this huge secret – and all of the lies, the guilt and the emotions that they’re feeling – is each other. So because of that, they’re tighter than ever in a way. But at the same time it’s putting a huge amount of strain between them. So they’ve probably never been closer, but at the same time they say or do the wrong thing for each other.They’re having a lot of arguments, they’re falling out a lot. The stakes are so high.
We see her confess everything to Nate this week.Why?
Amy and Kerry are at the point where in this small village, carrying this huge secret it’s just all too much for them. So they decide to do a runner and go – and they’re going to take Kyle with them. Kerry is packing up, ready to leave, and Amy realises she doesn’t have Kyle’s passport. She sneaks into the house when there’s nobody there and she finds his passport, but when she turns around Nate is standing there. In that moment it’s all too much and it’s the right set of circumstances, so she blurts it out.
How would Amy feel if she knew Nate was cheating on
her with Moira?
I think she would be really hurt – especially after this point, she would be devastated. And I don’t think she would have told him if she had any doubt that he wasn’t a trustworthy person. And there’s also Moira: Amy looks up to Moira because she often has Amy’s back. She’s levelheaded and fair and has helped her when it comes to Kyle and Cain. She forgives Amy and her past and isn’t one to judge, so I think Amy would be gutted.
How do you think Amy will react if Nate and Moira’s affair is exposed?
I think it would very much depend on how she found out. If it was only her that knew, I think she would kick off. But if Cain knew too, I think Amy would just take a back seat, go along for the ride and let it unfold, because obviously he’d be the one that kicks off most!
Do you enjoy playing both comedy and high drama?
Recently I’ve been able to get a bit of everything and I think that’s brilliant. I really enjoy the comedy and the situations where she’s just kicking off. Sometimes the best thing about this job is being able to do things that you would never do in real life. And yeah, I love it when Amy kicks off!
Do you and Amy have anything in common?
Quite a bit. If Amy had grown up in Newcastle I think we would have been brought up in similar areas. And I can see lots of elements of my friends in Amy – she’s a really mixed bag of people I know and lots of her qualities and quirks are a mixture of people I’ve met along the way in my life. She’s a lovely character – she’s got so much going on in terms of her past and her relationships.
Chelsea Halfpenny played Amy until she left in 2013. How did you find joining the show playing a character who was already established?
That can be difficult, as obviously people already have their idea of the character and might think your idea of it is different. It’s like when you read a book and you get an idea of someone, and then they make a film of it and you’re like,“That’s not how I saw that person at all!”But I think people have got used to me now.
Are fans of the show starting to recognise you in the street?
Yes. I was in Newcastle over the weekend and I had a couple of people shouting at me in the street, telling me to give the money back! That was funny. What’s great about Amy is that she’s not a typical good or bad person – she can be either. She’s flawed and relatable.
How do you relax when you’re not working?
I don’t really have time to relax! I travel between Leeds and London, so I spend a lot of time on trains learning my lines and listening to podcasts. I like going to gym classes – that’s my favourite thing to do. I try to get there three times a week. It helps to keep me balanced.
How has your life changed since you joined Emmerdale?
It’s very different to any other job – Emmerdale has so many fans, so you’re not as private any more, you don’t go as unnoticed. People want to come over and say hello, which is lovely, because they’re appreciating what you do and it’s feedback. I’m enjoying every minute.
Have you had any unusual encounters with fans?
A few! You can get caught off guard. I went to a festival recently and I was trying to get some indigestion tablets and was asking around in the toilet queue. Later, somebody tweeted me asking,“Did you get your indigestion tablets?” So yeah, you can’t get away with anything!