A chat with Naz from 'EastEnders: E20'

Over the past week, we've published chats with three of the four new main EastEnders: E20 cast members, and today it's the turn of Emaa Hussen to complete the set. Emaa plays the role of feisty Naz Mehmet, who's always been known as a daddy's girl at home, but comes to life as a fun-loving party fanatic when she's out with her friends. When family trouble leads to her sharing a flat with Stevie, Asher and Solomon as she searches for an escape, Naz is determined to focus on having a good time. But how long will it be before her home life catches up with her? Our Q&A with Emaa follows below…

How would you describe the character of Naz?
"Naz is a family girl, but she's also at a point in her life where she just wants to have fun. She's going through some bad times at home as there's certain things that she doesn't want to do…"

Naz is a bit of a party girl as well, isn't she?
"Yes - she's confident and she knows that she can get whatever she wants! So she goes out and tries to have fun. Because of a situation that she's in, she thinks it could be the last time that she can have fun, so she's trying to make the most of it. You'll definitely see that as the series develops."

Naz has a bit of a romance with Solomon - what is it that attracts her to him?
"Solomon is quite a shy person so she likes the fact that she can take him under her wing and show him different things. It's a case of opposites attracting - they really like the differences between them."

How does the relationship between Naz and Solomon develop over the course of the series?
"I'm not allowed to say too much! All I can say is that they both met at the right place at the right time. You'll have to wait and see how they meet and what happens!"

Naz seems to be living in two worlds, as she's both a party girl and a daddy's girl. Which does she feel most comfortable with?
"I think she feels most comfortable in her party girl persona! She is a home girl and she does love her family, but her family just don't seem to be understanding what she wants. I think she would stick to being a home girl and a good girl if her family just understood what she wanted, but as they don't, she's going off and having the party girl lifestyle."

What kind of a journey does Naz go on over the course of the series?
"I'd say that, for Naz, her development over the course of the series is less of a journey and more of an adventure! It's what she does best - she's confident so she doesn't need to change too much, and nobody could ever tell her to change because she would not have that! We always see her being herself around the people that she cares about."

Is Naz involved in any big cliffhangers?
"Yes, I think I had the most 'duff duffs' because I had about three or four! They were actually some of the most difficult moments to film as well, because you have to hold your face for about 20 seconds! (Laughs) It was really difficult!"

As this is your first professional acting project, what was it like to start your career on EastEnders?
"It was brilliant. It's a really good thing to start on - in fact, the best thing to start on because I can't think of anything better to start my career. It's been an amazing experience and I've learned so much. I'm definitely going to make sure that I take things further after this."

Did you watch the first series of E20?
"Yes, I did! One of the great things about E20 is that you can watch it at any time, so when I found out I'd be going for the audition, I did watch it then. But I'm a big fan of EastEnders - I watch it every day without fail, apart from Wednesdays and Saturdays as it's not on! (Laughs) I think the first series of E20 was really good, and the second series has longer episodes, so I think that's even better."

Did you receive any advice from the regular EastEnders cast?
"Everyone has been great - the whole cast have been really good with us. Members of the cast gave us advice and made sure that we fitted in and felt comfortable."

What kind of projects are you hoping to do next?
"As this is my first professional project, I'm currently concentrating on seeing what my future might hold. E20 has been a great thing for me to start out on, and I think that it could open so many other doors. I'm actually keen to test myself and see what I can and what I can't do."

The second series of EastEnders: E20 launches on Tuesday, September 7 at 8pm, with the second episode following on Wednesday, September 8 at the same time. After that, new episodes will become available for viewing on the show's official site every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm, while 30-minute omnibus editions will be screened on BBC Three on Monday nights.

> Meet the new EastEnders: E20 cast
> A chat with E20 producer Deborah Sathe
> Emer Kenny talks EastEnders: E20
> A chat with Stevie from EastEnders: E20
> A chat with Asher from EastEnders: E20
> A chat with Solomon from EastEnders: E20

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