| June 2004 - Interview |
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| with www.crossroads2001.co.uk |
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| C2001: How did you get the role of Sarah-Jane? |
| JF: I auditioned at Carlton, Portman Square, London on 27th September 2000 and was offered the role on 13th October. My agent called to tell me whilst I was on my way to the Royal Albert Hall to sing in a concert. I was so excited I could barely sing! |
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| C2001: With such a strong musical background why did you decide to go into a soap? |
| JF: I'd always wanted to be in a soap and fancied the challenge of a long running character on television. The idea of a 'New Crossroads' sounded like fun. |
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| C2001: Did you audition for other roles? |
| JF: Not in Crossroads, no. |
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| C2001: Had you worked with any of the cast previously (or since)? |
| JF: No, but I see Colin Wells occasionally as we are with the same agent. |
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| C2001: Do you have any memories of the original series of Crossroads? |
| JF: Only the theme tune! |
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| C2001: The original press release claims your character was a "Meg Richardson" in the making and that Sarah saw the hotel as her "birthright" so did you originally play Sarah as the genuine daughter of Jill? |
| JF: Yes |
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| C2001: How long were you in the series before you found out that you were playing Louise Dixon? |
| JF: I found out at the end of May but had to keep it a secret. |
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| C2001: Who did Louise really want - Jake or Mark? |
| JF: Jake at first. Then Mark. |
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| C2001: Many fans wanted to see Louise Dixon return to Crossroads. Would you have returned if asked? |
| JF: Probably, yes. I loved it. |
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| C2001: Tony Adams says that he enjoyed working with you. What was it like working with soap legends? |
| JF: Fantastic! It was quite unnerving at first but Tony and Jane are so cool and we had a great time. |
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| C2001: What was your favourite storyline or scene? |
| JF: Definitely the fight between Sarah-Jane and Adam Chance when he chased her all round the hotel. |
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| C2001: Did you spend any time talking with Holly Newman when she took on the role of Sarah? |
| JF: Once in the make-up room! |
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| C2001: Can you give us some idea of a typical filming schedule? |
| JF: For me, it was make-up at 7am, on set at 8am, somewhere between 30-50 pages of dialogue, then finish at 7pm. |
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| C2001: Do you have any amusing stories about Crossroads? |
| JF: On my first day I had a scene with Jane Rossington where Sarah Jane visits Jill at her hospital bedside. I was quite nervous with it being my first scene. I started speaking and waited for Jill's reply...and waited...and waited...and Jane had fallen asleep. I was hysterical with laughter, as was the director and the crew! |
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| C2001: How would you sum up your time on the series? |
| JF: Hard work and incredibly good fun. |
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| C2001: The show did recieve some criticism from the press and some fans. In your opinion - did this have an effect on the actors/production staff? |
| JF: Yes. The whole team was really proud of our show, so I guess we all became even closer and even more supportive of each other. |
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| C2001: Can you tell us something about your work since Crossroads? |
| JF: I've just finished filming a new series for ITV about the fire service. It's set in Middlesborough and I play a firefighter called Nicola Higgins. The working title is "Steel River Blues" and it's due out later this year, Prior to that I played "Sandy" in "Grease" in the West End and was in Sky One's "Dream Team" before that. |
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| C2001: Finally, on your site you say you enjoy bingo....Have you had any good wins lately? |
| JF: Not at Bingo, but I did win at Ascot last week! |
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