You Ask… Louisa Clein (Maya)
While there’s still much to learn about Dales newbie Maya, lovely Louisa is an open book in comparison, as she happily tackles your questions…
“What has been the standout moment of your Emmerdale experience so far?”
I think that has to be when I first arrived for filming in the Emmerdale village. You arrive to the most amazing countryside, and for some reason every time I’ve filmed there the weather has been pretty good – really bright sunshine, open countryside and animals
bouncing around. I remember getting there and thinking, ‘Yes, this is my new place of work’. It’s pretty spectacular.
“Did you always want to become an actress while growing up?”
I did actually. I come from a family of creatives, so it was always something that I loved and wanted to do. I went through a stage of wanting to be a journalist and a doctor, but I always came back to acting. I played Dandy Dan in Bugsy Malone once, when I was at my all-girls school, and I remember drawing on a moustache. I loved that!
“Where is the oddest place you’ve ever been recognised in public?”
I’m not sure whether to give this answer, but there was a situation where I was at the doctors’ having a smear test and the nurse actually turned around and said, “I’ve definitely seen you on the television, and can’t wait to tell my husband that I’ve met you”! So that was a relatively embarrassing and excruciating moment. You don’t expect it to happen in those kinds of situations!
“Is your hair curly in real life, or is it styled that way for Maya?”
It is naturally that curly. The make-up department is so lovely and fantastic – they neaten up a lot of wayward hair!
“Are all the drinks and nibbles in David’s shop real?”
Yes – and they are delicious! Sometimes we’ll be filming at 7 o’clock in the morning, and there might be some slightly ripe salami sitting on the counter with a strong smell! But we do pinch an olive or two if we can!
“If Maya could make a good friend in the village, which character would you love to see her chum up with?”
“Did you always want to be an actress?”
I would love to see her chum up with Faith! I think we’d have a great laugh. I love Sally Dexter [who plays her], and I love Faith as a character. I’ve not worked with her so much, but we share a dressing room – so we spend a lot of off-screen time hanging out.
“Can you tell me a secret about Matthew Wolfenden, the actor who plays David?”
He manages to injure himself a lot! We’ve had to rewrite several scenes due to broken thumbs, feet and lots of things like that. He’s accident-prone, so I’m always slightly aware of the bits of him that I can’t bash too hard!
“I read that you played the viola when you were younger. Do you still play the instrument?”
Yes, I do! I have one at home, so when we can, myself and some friends might try to set up some chamber music, or sometimes I’ll get it out and play a bit. It’s so amazing being part of an orchestra – I played at the Royal Albert Hall as I was with the National Youth Orchestra, and it’s big and loud and you are right in the middle of it. You are totally immersed in this loud music, it’s brilliant. My children are starting to show an interest in musical instruments, so they’ll get out the toy ones and we’ll try to have a little jamming session. I hope my love of music passes on down the line!
“Maya works in education. Do you reckon that you would make a good teacher in real life?”
I hope so! I have to say that I have been inspired by many teachers. I did a bit of teaching at my old drama school – and having been taught by some amazing people in my life, I would hope to hold on to what they have all taught me and be able to do it myself.
“What do you think Maya will end up making of her estranged husband Dr Cavanagh copping off with Bernice?”
I reckon that she will probably be very pleased to have him out of her life, to be honest! She’s moved on, so I think she’ll be delighted that he is no longer in the picture.