Charlotte Bellamy, the star of Emmerdale, describes her character’s romance with drug dealer Ray as a car crash.
Blinded by love, widow Laurel Thomas is convinced Emmerdale’s arch villain Ray Walters is the one. Oblivious to his drug dealing, hostage taking and modern slavery, she is convinced he is a total sweetheart.
Even actress Charlotte Bellamy, who has played Laurel for 23 years, is aghast at her naivety. Like the viewers, she knows it’s a question of when, rather than if she discovers the depths of Ray’s depravity.
Charlotte, 52, who has been frantically leafing through her scripts looking for answers, says: “I have been on the edge of my seat! I have literally been getting the script and going ‘oh my goodness, what will happen? Will this last?’
Because the audience has been demonizing Ray’s character, this storyline is brilliant. They suddenly see a different side. I could be mistaken, but I think the audience will start supporting him because he is a lost soul.
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“He is very endearing to Laurel and is truly falling in love with her,” he said. He adores her life’s warmth, tenderness, and security. However, it is mutual. She thinks he is real, and she is falling for him. True love is the case here.
However, Charlotte fears a pending catastrophe will threaten Laurel and Ray’s romance.
She continues, “I think Ray’s mother, Celia, is one of the worst villains we have ever had,” adding, “I have been here for 23 years.”
This love story is like waiting for a car crash, according to the author. Laurel keeps suffering heartache despite the audience’s best wishes.
“Joe (Absolom) plays Ray brilliantly. Celia takes his believable persona to a whole new level once she realizes he is in love.
In real life, Charlotte and Mungo Denison, a former TV producer and current employer, are happily married. She claims that she has never been lied to or gaslitted like Laurel, even though she was 18 years old.
She says, “Well, I bl**dy hope not”!
Sunnie, Sunnie, Sunnie, Herbie, 18, Boo, Boo, 16, and Mungo, Susie, Sunnie, all three of whom live in Charlotte’s home, are a joy to spend there, where she can unwind from her hectic work schedule.
Looking forward to Christmas, she says: “We will be having all the family round, lots of food and I will do lots of cooking.”
“It’s nice when everyone gathers around and the grandparents all arrive.”
Her family will play the racket game Padel, but there won’t be any post-dinner charades.
She continues, “We will have a padel tournament.” “It’s all we adore.” My 85-year-old mother-in-law and I play tennis frequently together, and we also play it frequently together. It will be a lot of fun.
And her children will not be tuning in to watch their mum on Emmerdale on Christmas Day.
She responds, “Oh no, they don’t watch me in the soap!”
It’s all they know, and I’ve been doing it for that long.
Given that I worked while pregnant, they all technically have been in Emmerdale. However, it has never crossed my family’s radar other than once when my eldest noticed my picture on a Sky TV guide screen.
“What’s great now is that younger people are watching the soap on YouTube. Funny skits and edits are also making it on to TikTok. It’s brilliant that Emmerdale can now be accessed on these platforms.”
Despite being a better man-watcher, Charlotte does have some traits that make her more attractive.
Never in a million years did Charlotte, who joined the soap in 2002, anticipate remaining here. Charlotte claims that this is the reason she continues to be so grateful.
She admits, “It’s lovely playing someone who’s so wholesome.” Laurel is addicted to drugs, alcohol, and isn’t perfect, so she deserves happiness. That’s why she is so drawn to Ray.
“But I’m given these storylines, and I’m still a part of the soap. Sometimes you witness it for the first time when you work with new actors like Joe and Jaye Griffiths, who play Celia.
She claims that the soap’s newcomers have helped her appreciate both the joy of eating lunch together as a cast and the beauty of the Emmerdale village Christmas lights. I feel fortunate, she says.
She never takes for granted that she played such a fantastic character for so long, which is also true.
She explains that Laurel could get a tree at any time at the bus stop. This should be kept in mind. It will always roll on because we are just tiny pawns.
Charlotte predicts that as she and her husband’s latest storyline develop, they’ll become closer and have a wonderful Christmas together.
She claims that “they both really fall for one another.” They perform family charades on Christmas Day.
But Ray has no idea how to play and has never known a close family. After witnessing the couple’s intense love, Charlotte declares, “It’s total euphoria.”
She praises Joe for his convincing performance as the villain shows his soft side, but she won’t reveal when Laurel will learn about Ray’s secret life as a drug dealer.
She claims, “We’ve had so much good fortune having Joe come to Emmerdale.” It’s been a pleasure to work with him and he continues to work.
Charlotte apprehensive about how Ray’s real wickedness will be dealt an unimaginable blow to her. She says, “I believe she won’t be able to comprehend it.” Your mind completely jumbles up when you are with someone and feel as though you’re completely gaslit. It’s like being told the truth at the worst possible level. Added to that Rhona, Marlon, and April all had this knowledge.
What will happen next? What will she learn? I’m hoping that the audience will begin asking these questions. They also, in my opinion, want him to be saved. He wants to redeem himself, which the scripts are so clever at.
As well as playing out Laurel’s doomed love affair, Charlotte is looking forward to the forthcoming Corriedale episode in January – when there will be a crossover between Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
There are many characters with a lot of history, she says of Emmerdale.
The way the stories are woven into them is like a puzzle because people are really invested in them.
“But what I enjoy most about Emmerdale is how constantly it finds new ways to tell its stories. I firmly believe there is a place for soap, and Emmerdale’s great thing is that it never fails to ask, “How can we move with the times?” ‘”.
Source: Mirror
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