~*~NaTaLiE~*~
Natalie Osborne aka Tiffany Mulherton
How did you first get into acting?
I got into acting when I was younger. I was into youth groups and drama clubs, and I went to a Saturday group as well, so whenever I really had the chance I was always doing it. I got my first part in a BBC drama called Stacey Stone, which ran for two years. I then heard of the audition for HOLLYOAKS, which was actually for the part of Roxy. Her character got killed so I was actually glad I didn't get that part! But they wrote Natalie for me, they deliberately wrote me into the programme. So I only ever came here for one audition, for the part of Roxy. Two weeks later Mersey TV rang up to you've not got the part of Roxy but we're thinking of writing you in. Then just two months later, I was here, starting filming.
What perceptions did you have of HOLLYOAKS before you joined? I thought it was a really cool programme. I thought it was very good, really interesting, with some great storylines - happy, sad, mixtures of this, mixtures of that. I was very very happy I got a part in it. I'd watched it for so many years, since the very early days, up until I got my part.
How did you feel about having your own part written especially for you?
I thought it was a really great thing, because it allowed me, to an extent, to just do totally to what I wanted to do with the character - obviously with the guidance of the directors and scriptwriters. I was really excited by the fact that they'd wanted to write me a part. I suppose I was nervous at first, but now I've got so used to being Natalie. It obviously takes a little bit of time to get used to your character, but I was still really pleased.
Can you empathise with Natalie at all? I think everyone has a bit of their character in them, but I'm not as horrible as Natalie. I do have friends! We are quite like each other in some ways, because you have to bring bits of your personality into your role, so that when I'm angry, I bring bits of my anger out in Natalie. You draw upon past experiences when you're acting. So I'd say I'm probably 10% like Natalie in real life, but I bring experiences of when I have been like Natalie into my character.
How would you compare working on HOLLYOAKS to other programmes?
It's very different, because the programme I did was for Children's BBC and obviously HOLLYOAKS is on at a later slot so you can get away with more. But there are some similarities with the way HOLLYOAKS is filmed: it's not multi-camera, there are a lot of people around you on set, and it moves quite fast like a CBBC programme.
What kind of responses have you got when you're out in public?
I get recognised a lot more than I did when I was on the BBC, probably because of the time that HOLLYOAKS is on. It's a very popular programme, but I can go unrecognised if I put a hat on. I think I handle it well, because everyone's genuinely really polite to me; they give me a wave, and I take that as a compliment. I think it's lovely that people want to be nice to me just because I'm on TV!