Coronation Street star Mollie Gallagher talks about the shock attack on Nina and Seb, and why it’s a story that needs to be told… ‘This breaks my heart
I HOPE IT SENDS OUT THE MESSAGE THAT WE SHOULD BE FREE TO BE WHO WE WANT
TO BE
Nina Lucas certainly made an impact when she arrived on the cobbles in 2019 with her Gothic look and prickly demeanour giving people plenty to talk about.
But almost 18 months on, her individuality and honesty mean the locals have taken her to their hearts. Who’d have thought she and uncle Roy Cropper would have so much in common!
Sadly, not everyone in Weatherfield is so tolerant of young Nina, and there’s trauma in store for her and boyfriend Seb this week when they’re attacked by teen Corey and his mates, purely because of how she looks.
Corrie have worked with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation on the shock storyline – Sophie tragically died in 2007, aged just 20, when she and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were set upon by a group of youths in similar circumstances.
We caught up with Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina, to talk about her heart-wrenching plot, and find out about her journey from Corrie fan to Corrie star...
We know a lot about Nina but little about you. How did you get into acting?
I grew up in Swinton, Manchester – I don’t live far from where Corrie is filmed. I have always wanted to be an actor; I think it started from enjoying being creative and having a big imagination. When I was younger, I was always playing with a doll’s house and I’d give the dolls their own personalities and flick between performing as them. My favourite doll was always the one that was going to go off and be an actor, and of course that was the doll I called Mollie. I did GCSE drama and after that, I went to college and then drama school – the Academy of Live & Recorded Arts in London. I was really lucky that when I graduated, I got the part of Nina, so I moved back to Manchester. My family love Corrie, so they were over the moon.
What is the first role you remember playing?
We did Blood
Brothers in high school, and the year after that, we did Annie. I played Miss Hannigan, and absolutely loved it. After that, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything other than performing. I loved the character so much that I chose to play her when we did solo singing at drama school as well. I’m not a singer, but I love character-singing and acting through song.
Have any members of your family been involved in the performing arts?
My mum has always enjoyed singing in her spare time, and we would have little karaoke nights in the living room when I was growing up – she was definitely always better than me! She loves the fact that I am doing something that she would have loved to do.
Were you a fan of Corrie growing up? I grew up loving Corrie, and one of my favourite characters was always Carla Connor, so when I found out I was going to be working alongside Ali King, I was really excited and nervous. I’ve watched all these people on telly, and now I am working with them. When I found out I was going to be Roy’s niece, I was so happy. I thought, ‘Wow, what an amazing person to work alongside.’ I still can’t believe it. Even now, I think, ‘Wow, I’m actually on the set of Coronation Street!’
Viewers seem to have really taken Nina to their hearts. What sort of comments have you had?
I’ve definitely had comments about how the character is a good role model, which I agree she is. The response on social media has been lovely, and I enjoy reading it.
I love that Nina is well liked and understood by the other characters on the show, too. She has so many layers and I love that different sides of her come out with each character she interacts with. I love it when I’m reading a scene and I’m like, ‘Right, what side of Nina do we have today? Okay, we have a sarcastic Nina,’ or, ‘We have a sassy
Nina,’ and so on.
Off-screen, your hair is very dark and you have several piercings – a look not far away from Nina’s. Have you ever faced any pressure to have a more ‘mainstream’ look?
No, I suppose I have just been who I am and always followed my intuition. I guess I knew that being authentic would hopefully lead me to the right path. I have always liked being creative and just like whatever I like, I guess. I’m a very expressive person, and I love fashion and physically expressing myself through what I wear. I love music and lyrics and I think that’s always influenced my style, because I love the stories that songs tell. Music has always stimulated my imagination and creativity.
Nina is well liked by other Corrie characters, but this week, she is attacked because of how she looks. How did you feel when you were told about this storyline?
Obviously, what happens is absolutely awful and so sad. I was told about the connection to what happened in real life with Sophie Lancaster, which was absolutely heartbreaking. From the get-go, I did lots of research, and we have been working with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. I was so grateful to be doing this storyline on an issue which is so important to highlight – I wanted to do it justice. Knowing that this has happened and does happen
breaks my heart.
What do you hope the storyline achieves?
I hope it raises awareness and educates. I hope it sends out the message that we should be free to be who we want to be, and that we should all be accepted in society for being ourselves, and shouldn’t feel like we have to hide for being who we are. Everyone should feel free to express themselves.
ALISON SLADE