Anthony Quinlan Interview - Part Two

For our final interview about the Hollyoaks rape trial, I recently had a chat with Anthony Quinlan to hear things from the point of view of his character Gilly Roach, who stands accused of sexually attacking Jacqui McQueen.

To catch up with the first part of the interview, click here and don't forget to also take a look at our chats with Claire Cooper and Andy Moss if you haven't already.

Read on here, though, for the second part of our Q&A with Anthony…

Has it been a relief for Gilly to have Frankie and Jack's support throughout this ordeal?
"Yeah, definitely, because obviously his best friend Rhys is the person who you'd expect him to get the support from, but he's not getting it in this case. Although, obviously Gilly has slept with Rhys's girlfriend and he's definitely in the wrong there - it's something you just don't do. So Gilly does need support from people and Frankie and Jack have been brilliant throughout the whole situation. I also feel sorry for Rhys in a way, because he's stuck in the middle and he's known Gilly nearly all his life. For Rhys to hear that Gilly has been accused of rape by his current girlfriend must be a complete ordeal for him and I have a lot of sympathy for him being in that situation."

When you were filming the trial scenes, did the knowledge that the real-life jury would be watching and judging your performance affect the way you played the scenes?
"Not at all. Myself and Claire Cooper had just been told to play the scenes as if our characters were completely adamant that they were telling the truth about what happened on that night. Gilly says that he and Jacqui had sex and that was the end of it, whereas Jacqui's story is in complete contrast to that and she says that he raped her. We just had to stay true to our sides of the story and play it out that way."

What does this storyline mean for your own future at Hollyoaks?
"Regardless of the outcome, Gilly will be around for a bit longer. But we just have to wait and see - nothing is set in stone yet and there's so many different things that could happen during the trial or even after the trial. I think we'll all just have to watch this space, but this is a long-running storyline so there is a lot more to come - the verdict is just the beginning."

What's your reaction to your British Soap Award nomination?
"I'm totally flattered and I think it's an absolute honour to be up there with the calibre of people in the category. We've got some great nominations from our show as well - I think Emmett Scanlan has made a massive impact on the show, and Kieron Richardson has been outstanding as well. It's my first nomination for 'Best Actor' so I'm truly grateful and I really appreciate it."

Has Hollyoaks felt much different for you since Carley Stenson left?
"Yeah, it was really sad for Carley to leave, because she had such an impact on the show and she was there for so long. I was really close to Carley because I was working with her for such a long period of time, and she's such a lovely girl. It had an impact on everyone, really - everyone was sad to see her leave, but she's on to new pastures and she's doing a great job down at the West End now."

Have you enjoyed working with Hollyoaks' new boss Gareth Philips?
"Yeah, Gareth has definitely got great ideas and he's hoping to push the show forward. We have noticed a positive change since he's come in. Everyone's happy with the storylines that they're getting and he's got a real direction in mind - a real focus of where he wants to take the show. Hopefully we can all stick together and make that happen."

> Click here to read more about the British Soap Awards and how to vote

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