At only 18 years old Brooke Vincent is an established actress in the UK prime-time soap Coronation Street. To date, her role as Sophie Webster on the long-running British soap has been the cornerstone of her career. When the actress discovered she’d be making “Corrie” history by taking part in the first ever lesbian story line in the show’s 50 years on the air, she was thrilled. And, as an added bonus, she discovered her love interest on the soap is her childhood friend, 18-year-old Sacha Parkinson.
Both Brooke and Sacha say they hope the way they portray their characters’ lesbian story line will help other teenage girls if they are going through the same, or a similar situation. Neither want the scenes to look explicit. They want to show two teenagers who are in love in a sensitive way. It’s good to know that the girls will be getting up close and comfortable over the next year.
The girls shared their first on-screen kiss a few months back and have since chatted with SheWired about the lead-up to it, how their off-screen friendship made their new on-screen relationship an easy fit and how their characters are feeling about the whole affair. Here's Brooke's interview, with Sacha's to follow later in the week.
SheWired: How did the kiss between Sophie and Sian come about?
Brooke Vincent: Sophie and Sian have grown really close and with what they’ve both been through recently they’ve started to depend on each other more and more. Basically, Sophie and Sian have a massive argument over Ryan (Sian’s boyfriend). He and Sian split up and Sophie’s caught in the middle. But, it’s not until Sophie sees Sian back together with Ryan and it hurts her so much that it clicks in her head that she loves Sian. She has a lot of things going through her head, which eventually lead to the kiss, but I think that’s what makes her crack.
Has Sophie ever been in love before?
She’s never had a serious boyfriend, and she’s never been in love. She kissed Ben when they were together but looking back maybe the reason why it never went any further was because of her feelings for Sian.
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Is Sophie worried about how her feelings for Sian will be perceived?
She’s confused but in her eyes she’s not worried about being accepted because she has her faith in God, who accepts her as her. She’s more worried about her relationship with Sian and if they can continue to still be friends, or not. She’s worried about whether they’ll both be able to overcome it and she’s confused about -- if she’s a lesbian or not. It’s just a really confusing time for Sophie.
Is she sure about her sexuality?
Not yet, as the kiss came as a shock to her. She hasn’t put a label on it but she’s really confused, especially as it’s her who went in for the kiss. She doesn’t know who she can talk to or what to say, she turns to Sunita -- Sophie now works in the corner shop with Sunita -- and tells her she’s got feelings for someone but she doesn’t say who.
Will their relationship become public?
We haven’t story lined that yet. I suppose it will have to come out at some point, but I don’t think Sophie wants to think about that at the moment, she’s so confused and she needs to work through her own emotions first. Right now the story line is more about her emotions and what she is going through and hopefully people can relate to that.
Where you nervous about filming the kiss?
No. We knew it was coming for a long time and it was so easy doing it with Sacha because I’ve known her for so long. We didn’t practice it because we didn’t want it to look rehearsed. It comes out of the blue, and we wanted it to look that way. I felt we should just bite the bullet and do it so it appears as natural as possible.
Are you worried about how the story line will be received?
We just want to get it right for people, as it’s a sensitive issue. Sophie’s really confused and I think a lot of people go through that confused stage. I spoke to a lot of people too about their experiences and I hope we do it justice.
When did Sophie first realize she had feelings for Sian?
They had a big row after Ryan tried to kiss Sophie, then when Sian realized Sophie was telling the truth and finally believed her Sophie felt really overwhelmed with emotion. The kiss was a spur-of-the-moment thing where neither knew what to say but it was one of those overwhelming moments where it just happened. It’s at that point Sophie realizes she doesn’t want to be with anyone but Sian.
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How did you feel when you found out you had to kiss?
I’ve known for a long time so I’ve had chance to think about how we were going to play the story and get my head round it. I knew when they cast Sian so it was great when I found out Sacha would be playing the part as we’ve been friends for years. We were nervous about getting it right but as much as I was nervous about it I was really excited to do it because this story line is such a big opportunity. I was more bothered about it looking natural than actually doing the kiss itself.
How did it feel when you shot the big kiss scene?
We had a fantastic female director Kay Patrick who cleared the set while we ran through it and rehearsed. She took our feelings into consideration; knew that we were nervous, but when we were ready the crew came in and we just did it. Everyone here has been really supportive. We just got on with it.
How does Sophie feel when Sian runs off and says she doesn’t want to be friends anymore?
Sian goes back to Southport and sends their friendship bracelet back to Sophie. She just keeps crying about everything; it really affects Sophie. She loves Sian but she doesn’t even know if they can be friends anymore. At the same time she’s trying to get her head round the fact that she’s a lesbian.
Her family doesn’t really know why she’s upset but are they supportive?
Kevin (dad) knows she’s fallen out with Sian and he’s really sympathetic. He gives her a big hug which means a lot to them both – her because of Sian and him because he’s going through the whole Molly baby dilemma. He’s there for her and it shows a nice side to their relationship. Rosie tries to cheer her up with a makeover!
Note: Dad Kevin has been having an affair with Molly, the wife of his friend and business partner, Tyrone. Kevin believes he might be the babies father.
Rosie is Sophie’s older sister.
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How does she feel when Ryan tells her he might be getting back with Sian?
She’s gutted, Ryan whistles at her and really annoys her especially after his lies. She doesn’t want to believe it but she doesn’t know what to think.
What happens with Lee?
Sian’s gone back to Southport so Sophie thinks she’s got nothing to lose and agrees to another date with Lee. Rosie’s given her this big makeover but she realizes it’s not for her and, it’s not Lee she likes. While she’s on the date all she can think about is Sian. It underlines the fact this isn’t what she wants. She misses Sian and she wants her friend back. In the meantime Sian’s come back to speak to her. She goes on a journey in that episode from being really depressed about the date to so happy that she gets together with Sian.
How does she get together with Sian?
Sian sees Sophie with Lee, gets the wrong idea and goes for a taxi home. But Sophie runs after her. Sian turns and smiles and it’s a big relief for Sophie. She realizes they are still friends and there is hope. Sophie already loves Sian as a friend but when she crossed over the line with the kiss she’d started to wonder if it was a mistake. Seeing Sian again she knows it’s not a mistake, that is what she wants, and she was jealous of her relationship with Ryan. Sophie’s just happy they’re friends again but when Sian admits she loves her it means everything.
Sian admits she doesn’t love girls but she loves Sophie. Does Sophie feel the same?
Sophie’s more sure of her feelings and what she is. She wants to tell everyone about them because she loves Sian and that’s that, whereas Sian’s more unsure. She tells Sophie she doesn’t think she’s a lesbian but she loves her. It’s going to be a lot harder for Sian to get to grips with than Sophie. She wants to be with Sophie but she wants to keep it a secret.
Does Sophie confide in anyone?
She starts working at the corner shop and she grows closer to Sunita. It’s somebody out of the box, who’s not got the family problems to deal with that the Websters have. She still doesn’t tell her everything but she tells her she is in love with someone, without revealing she’s a lesbian. She talks to Sunita about what being in love feels likes and it just affirms that that’s the way she feels about Sian. Sunita automatically presumes it’s a boy but I’ll think she’s one of the first to discover the truth.
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Do Sophie and Sian agree to have a proper relationship/are they going out?
Yeah, but at first they will keep it to themselves. They’re only young and they’ve both got a lot going on with their families. They want to keep it quiet at first, which makes it more exciting. No one thinks any more of it because they are best friends.
Does Sian move back to Weatherfield?
Her mum agrees to let her stay at her dad’s while she does her exams, which makes Sophie really happy because they can spend more time together.
Does Sophie accept she’s a lesbian?
Sophie accepts it and decides, ‘I’m a lesbian and that’s the way I am.’ She’s quite a strong, determined character and I think that’s what the writers wanted to keep. There’s nothing different about her, it’s just that she’s attracted to girls. She’s still herself; she’s just a lesbian.
Is she worried about telling her family?
There will be hurdles along the way for them and this will be one of the hurdles they have to get across together.
Have you done any research into this story line?
I’ve spoken to a friend who just happens to be a lesbian and a few people at work about their experiences of coming out. It’s different for everyone but I think the main thing we’re trying to get across is that there’s nothing wrong with being a lesbian. Sophie’s not that stereotype of a lesbian with a shaved head and dungarees, and she won’t change. She’s just the same normal girl who happens to be a lesbian. The story is a love story like any other, it’s just between two girls.
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