ThisisBigBrother.com - UK TV Forums - The Hollyoaks thread!

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Hollyoaks' outrageous glamour girl Mitzeee returns to the forefront of the soap this week as she begins blackmailing Brendan Brady following her recent discovery of his secret relationship with Ste. Seizing an opportunity in her typical style, Mitzeee orders Brendan to start managing her modelling career in return for her silence - and it's clear that she won't take no for an answer. The action builds up to the landmark 3,000th episode of Hollyoaks this Friday, which sees Mitzeee vying for centre stage at an important gig for Guy Candy. DS recently caught up with Rachel Shenton - who plays Mitzeee - to find out more.

How did you feel about Mitzeee playing such a central role in the 3,000th episode?
"I was really thrilled that Mitzeee could be involved - and also thrilled that she's involved in the way that she is, which is just typical Mitzeee style! The 3,000th episode is a great milestone for Hollyoaks, so it was just really nice and a big honour to play a part in it."

As the 3,000th episode is such a big milestone, was there a different atmosphere on set when you were filming it, or was it just a typical day at work?
"We filmed a lot of it quite late at night and it was quite cold, so that was one main difference! But the main thing was that everyone just wanted the episode to go with a bang, which was the desired effect. I'm not sure that the atmosphere was any different, but everyone definitely wanted to make sure that it was extra special."

3,000 episodes of a show is a fantastic achievement - what do you think is the secret of Hollyoaks' success?
"I think it's that Hollyoaks is quite different from the other soaps - the audience is different. We target a younger audience, which is great. It's brilliant that we've got to 15 years and 3,000 episodes, and hopefully it can keep going and getting stronger."

We've heard that Mitzeee pulls off a big publicity stunt in the 3,000th ep - what is she up to this time?
"It's true Mitzeee style, this! She turns up at a big gig for Guy Candy - the band that Lee has put together - and her plan is to upstage them. She desperately wants to steal their thunder because she's heard that the event is going to be quite high-profile, which is right up her street! And the way to upstage them - of course - is to arrive on horseback Lady Godiva-style! So that's what she does!"

Brendan is reluctantly helping Mitzeee with her career by this point - is the horse stunt his idea?
"It's a collaboration! You'll see that, actually - Brendan plants the seed but then Mitzeee runs with it and takes over! It's the two of them teaming up."

Were you pleased when you heard that Mitzeee would have a storyline with Brendan?
"Yes - I'm really, really excited about it. Myself and Emmett [Scanlan] were talking about this the other day, actually - the dynamic between the characters is so interesting because they both love to be in control, and they both are in control of most situations that they find themselves in. So it's really interesting to see what they're like together. On paper, it shouldn't really work - but bizarrely it does!"

Have you enjoyed working with Emmett?
"He's brilliant - absolutely brilliant to work with. He's a fantastic actor. We've had a great time on set and I've really enjoyed it. Hopefully we've got some more good scenes coming up!"

As Mitzeee is blackmailing Brendan, there's obviously a rivalry there - but is there a chance they could become friends?
"Maybe! I know the answer to that, and I'm not allowed to say it! Just keep watching because it'll become really apparent. All I'll say is that it's really, really interesting. We've had a great time filming it so hopefully everyone will enjoy it."

Obviously Brendan is very insecure about his sexuality - do you think this storyline could eventually show him that it's not so bad to have someone know the truth?
"I'd like to think so, and it'd be nice for that to happen, but I think that Brendan's insecurities are quite deep-rooted - he's this tough 'bad guy' so I think that, sadly, it'd be the worst thing in the world for him to reveal who he is at the moment. So unfortunately I don't think that's what he wants to do at this point."

It sounds like the plan is for Mitzeee to be a much more prominent character this year - has that been a noticeable change and have you been busier at work?
"Yeah, it's been really great for me. When you're an actor, it's really great to be busy - that's what we all want! I've been really pleased. The storyline with Emmett is one that's kept me busy, and I've heard that there's lots of exciting plans for 2011. I'm really excited."

You've mentioned in the past that you're always keen to show the hidden depths to Mitzeee, which we did see in Hollyoaks Later. Is there more of that on the way?
"Yeah, I know that there is definitely more of that stuff to come. I was really pleased with the response that had in Hollyoaks Later, because I really wanted people to see that side to Mitzeee. As I've said before, Mitzeee is a normal person, she does have feelings, and nobody is one-dimensional. I know that there's definitely more of that to come and I'm looking forward to it!"

In some ways, Mitzeee has been quite an isolated character in the village because she doesn't have many friends - will that change?
"I think so, because I think Mitzeee is a really human character. She always looks out for the underdog, sticks up for them and voices her opinion. We've seen that in the Jason and Jasmine transgender storyline - Mitzeee has been really sensitive and supportive towards Jasmine. I think people will start to see that Mitzeee is human and she does have feelings. Hopefully she'll get some friends - that would be nice!"

We've heard that Mitzeee has got some interesting stuff on the way with Warren - can you tell us anything about that?
"I don't think so! (Laughs) I think all I can say about that one is that it'll be unexpected…"

Given her connections to the Costello family, will Mitzeee have any scenes with Silas, the new serial killer character?
"I don't know at the moment, but I would imagine that at some point she will do. Obviously I do have a link to the family because I'm related to them. I'd love to as well - I think that Jeff Rawle, who plays Silas, is brilliant. It's a really interesting storyline that one, isn't it?"

Will Mitzeee and Nancy's friendship continue on the show? They seemed to end up with some mutual respect for each other in Hollyoaks Later!
"Yeah, they did, didn't they? I've definitely got some more scenes coming up with Jess Fox, who plays Nancy. I don't know much more about that, but I definitely hope that their friendship can continue because I really enjoyed that. I thought all that stuff was really interesting between Nancy and Mitzeee - they shouldn't have really got along, but they did as time went on!"

Hollyoaks Later also showed that Mitzeee is a real Twitter fanatic - are you the same?
"I have a Twitter account but I'm terrible - I never use it! I just forget to use it, but I'm going to try to do that more in 2011. Maybe I should add that to my New Year's resolutions!"

Is the Mitzeee and Carl storyline over now?
"I don't know what might happen in the future, but I think that in Mitzeee's mind, it's 100% over. For Mitzeee, I don't think it was about Carl or wanting to be with him at all, I think it was more about the personal vendetta between different sides of the family. Mitzeee was looking after her mum's best interests and wanting to get revenge, as she and her mum felt quite bitter towards Heidi and Carl. It wasn't Mitzeee going out to get her man - it was all for her mum, really."

Paul Marquess has now left Hollyoaks and he did create the character of Mitzeee - were you sad to see him go?
"I think we all were. Paul Marquess has done great things for Hollyoaks in the past year and I'm sure that he'll go on and do great things in the future for other shows - as he has done for all his career, really. We're just really excited that he has created some of the characters that he has and some of the plots that he has, and we're really keen to carry it on and do well with them."

Have you had much interaction with Hollyoaks' new producer Gareth Philips yet?
"I haven't yet, because I haven't been in work much since Christmas. Since the break, I've only really been in for a couple of days - but I'm about to become really busy again. Hopefully I'll get to meet Gareth and have a chat."

Mitzeee has become really popular among the Hollyoaks fans - are you aware of the positive feedback she's been getting?
"I get quite a few letters and I've had lots of nice things said about Mitzeee, and that's really lovely to hear. I'm glad that people are enjoying her because when she first came in, I'm not sure people knew what to make of her! Like I've said, hopefully people see that she's human and that there is a real person in there somewhere."

Finally, what's been the highlight of your time at Hollyoaks so far?
"Probably the late-night episodes, actually - they were a really big highlight. I really enjoyed doing them because I had quite a lot to do, and it's really nice to get a good run of themes to get your teeth into. I was really, really pleased with the scenes!"