At only 18 years old Sacha Parkinson is an established actress now starring in the UK prime-time soap Coronation Street. But the young star of "Corrie" has been in the limelight for years, having starred in the BBC school drama Grange Hill and with appearances under her belt in Doctors, Waterloo Road and The Royal, among others. But with Corrie, she is making history by taking part in the first-ever lesbian story line in the show’s 50 years on the air. And, as an added bonus, her love interest on the soap is her childhood friend, 18-year-old Brooke Vincent.
Both Brooke and Sacha have said 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 Sacha's interview:
What happens when Sian and Sophie first kiss?
When they first kiss Sian is just really confused because Sophie is her best friend and she’s never felt anything like this before. Sian has been concentrating on Ryan, whereas Sophie hasn’t had a boyfriend and has had the time to think about her feelings, which is why it comes as more of a shock to Sian. Also the kiss kind of feels right, which is what makes her more confused.
What happens after the kiss?
She runs away to her mum’s in Southport, and when Sophie goes to visit to try and sort things out Sian is a bit off with her. Sian doesn’t like admitting her feelings and is more bothered about what people think of her, how she’s going to tell people, and what people will say.
Do they talk about the kiss when Sian returns to Weatherfield?
When Sian returns to Weatherfield it is her chance to tell Sophie how she feels, but there are obstacles. When Rosie tells her that Sophie has gone out on a date she is annoyed because she now has feelings for Sophie and thinks, ‘Why is she doing this to me? Why has she got me all confused?’ as Sophie is now going out with a lad. She got herself ready to talk and now she’s back to square one and thinks that Sophie is doing this on purpose.
Even though it’s hard for her to admit, Sian tells Sophie what she wants. She’s wondering what’s happened with Lee. Speaking as a friend at first Sophie explains she did it because she thought Sian didn’t want her and she’s trying to get over it. Sian’s the one to say, “Well actually I’ve missed you.” And Sophie says it back. It’s a really nice moment. It is a love story, like any relationship would be with a boy and girl, where both people are nervous and unsure. Sian then has to leave and realizes that she is really going to miss Sophie. I don’t think the boy situation is totally out of Sian’s system though, so it could end in disaster.
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How do you think the other characters will react to the situation?
It will be interesting to see how Rosie will react to the situation. I think Ryan would be really shocked and would never have imagined this to happen and people like Norris would think it’s disgusting. Sunita will be a big part of the story, as she is the one that Sophie eventually turns to, so some people are supportive. It’s all new for them, so they don’t know how to go about it. They don’t know how to tell people because they haven’t been through it before. They believe it is their business and that they don’t need to tell people at this point, so they are trying to keep it quiet for a while.
How do you feel about the story line?
The story isn’t designed as a scandal just to get viewers. it’s a really well-written, touching love story. I’m very comfortable with the story line, and we tried to make it as believable as possible. One of the Writers told us about her gay relationship and gave us advice which was great and really helped us. At first, with the kiss, we thought it would be harder knowing each other so well. We are really good friends in real life and have grown up together, but this actually made things much easier.
Where you nervous about the lesbian story line?
Not so much nervous because I’ve known that this story line was coming since I first started on the show. We always knew that it may happen as it’s been spoken about, but then it came all of a sudden. We were more nervous about pulling it off as opposed to doing it really. I was more worried about making it look right and making the kiss appear natural rather than the actual kissing.
How does the kiss come about?
I think the kiss comes out of nowhere, especially on Sian’s part. She’s with Ryan and she really loves him. Yes, she and Sophie have a really strong friendship but she’s never thought it was anything more than that. Sophie is kind of more aware of her feelings towards Sian, like it’s more than friendship. Sian has a huge row with Ryan when he makes a move on Sophie and it all comes out at first she blames Sophie but, when she discovers the truth, she runs to Sophie for comfort and this spur-of-the-moment kiss just happens.
How does Sian react to the kiss?
At first Sian’s really taken aback because for her the kiss comes from nowhere. She’s confused and she runs back to her mum’s in Southport where she has time to think about it when she is alone. She decides she wants to work things out by talking about it with Sophie so she comes back to the street. But, Sophie’s gone out, and it’s not until down the line they get to speak. There are lots of obstacles in their way, things don’t run smoothly and I think they’ll face a lot of challenges before they can be together. It feels like something will always be in their way.
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Is Sian worried about people finding out about her and Sophie?
We’ve not got to that yet but it will come out. Both families will be shocked but they’re totally different and will deal with it differently. Sian’s family is very strict and I think Sian’s more bothered about what people will think and what her family will think about it. She finds it difficult to talk about it with them. Sophie’s a much stronger character and I think even though her family will be shocked they’ll be much more understanding.
How did you and Brooke prepare for the kissing scene?
We went through the scripts then we just came and did it; we didn’t really think about it. It helped that we’re such good friends, Brooke and I have known each other for years now since drama class. We just wanted to pull it off and look natural.
Were you nervous about the kiss?
I was actually more nervous when I did my first screen kiss with Ben Thompson -- Ryan -- than with Brooke. We know each other so well and we didn’t want to be selfish to the story line. We just focussed on getting it right and making it look natural.
How did you feel when you were told you were going to play this story line?
I was really excited. It’s not been done before on Coronation Street and I’ve never done anything like this as an actress before. Brooke and I are really pleased and grateful to be given the opportunity to do it.
What research have you done for this story line?
We got together with one of the writers behind the story line who explained the importance of the scenes and the characters’ feelings. I’ve also spoken to a family member who’s been through something similar. It was good to get someone else’s take on it and understand how they handled it.
How do you think Sian deals with her feelings for Sophie?
I think Sian’s really confused, as it’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to her. She was totally oblivious to any feelings that were developing between her and Sophie until the kiss happened. She thought she was loved up with Ryan and had a good friend in Sophie. I think Sophie had noticed she was having stronger feelings for Sian than normal. Sian hadn’t but when the kiss happens it feels right. But, Sian’s more bothered about what people will think so she takes herself out of the situation and runs back to Southport. She’s bothered about her strict dad, what people will think of her and she’s just really confused.
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How does Sophie cope with it all?
Sophie is such a strong character and although she’s confused I think at the back of her mind she knows it’s what is right for her. I think it will take Sian a little while to understand that. The kiss came much more out of the blue for her. Sian’s got a lot of thinking and a lot more growing up to do.
Who does Sian turn to?
It’s really hard for her and she feels she doesn’t have anyone to talk to. When she’s had rows with Ryan and her dad in the past she’s always run to Sophie for support. Now her confusion is about Sophie and suddenly she’s got no-one to turn to.
Are you worried about how the viewers will react to the story line?
I’m more worried about how it comes across than what people will think of me. I want people to think it looks natural and real; hopefully it will come across as believable.
Is it more than just a lesbian kiss?
Yes! Definitely! It’s a love story between two characters about something that happens naturally. It’s not just a throwaway kiss it’s a love story that’s just between two girls rather than a boy and a girl. I hope we can get that across. I also hope people can relate to the story line; one of them is sure about their feelings, one is confused and there’s a variety of feelings there.
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