Rosemary’s powers are at play
IS ROSEMARY CHANNELING RICHARD HILLMAN? SOPHIE THOMPSON LIFTS THE LID ON HER PSYCHIC ALTER EGO AND HER LONG-TERM LOVE OF CORRIE…
It’s hard to imagine actress Sophie Thompson getting star-struck. Hailing from showbiz parents, she is the sister of Oscar winner Emma and has worked everywhere from the West End stage to Hollywood. But as we meet her to talk about her role as Weatherfield psychic Rosemary, Sophie is a ball of excitement – because when it comes to Corrie, she’s a huge fan…
“I literally feel like I’ve won some sort of prize!” she laughs. “My first day was filming in Audrey’s hair salon with Sue Nicholls, and I was so happy. I saw Sue in London years ago and had to resist the urge to run up and grab her by the ankles. I wish I had now – we have such a laugh.”
Sophie’s on-screen antics are bound to raise a titter as well, since eccentric Rosemary spends this week passing messages from the late, wicked Richard Hillman to stunned Gail. Each time Gail crosses Rosemary’s palm with silver, Richard gets more talkative – but the central message is that he’s put a curse on his ex and her family!
“I’m very fond of Rosemary already – it’s lovely to be her,” enthuses Sophie. “She’s a mysterious bird who’s clearly got a lot of information. The question is: does she have a genuine gift? Gail and Audrey respond to her as a true creature.”
Rosemary has already told Audrey that she’s in contact with her dearly departed hubby Alf, and now Hillman is using her as a conduit too. It’s a far-fetched claim, but many people attest to psychics and their powers. Is Sophie a believer?
“I have a healthy respect for the whole thing, as I have a friend who is psychic,” reveals the star. “I’ve bumped into a couple of ghosts in my time, I think! Once in the dressingroom corridor of the Bristol Old Vic, and another time in an old house I used to live in. I think there are genuine qualities that someone like Rosemary could have. She has an extrasensory perception that means she’s very empathetic – she can pick up on things, whatever that means. It’s like magic tricks. I don’t want to know how it works, but at times I hope it’s true.”
One thing Sophie has no trouble believing in is the magic of
Coronation Street, as she’s been enchanted by the show for years. In fact, she had to ‘quit’ Corrie for her kids back in the day.
“I had to wean myself off it, genuinely, when I had children,” explains the actress. “Back then it was only two episodes a week, but it was getting ridiculous because I’d tape it, and then life, work and children would happen. I thought, ‘I’ve got to leave it for a bit,’ so I did. However, the beauty of soap is that you can always return to those familiar faces. I was filming in the Rovers with Helen Worth [Gail] the other day, and I was like, ‘I’m in the pub with you, Helen!’ and she was going, ‘It’s okay, calm down,’ and pointing out where Ena and the ladies used to sit drinking their milk stout.”
Sophie did come to the Street on the back of a strange coincidence that could be a story from Rosemary herself…
“I did a short film with London Film School graduates, playing a clairvoyant,” she shares. “I felt she should be northern, and asked if it would be okay to play her like that, and they said yes. So I had to be this weird psychic northern woman – and a few days later, this job came up. Spooky!”
The question is: does Rosemary have a genuine gift?