It seems like a long time since we first announced that Rita Simons, well-known for EastEnders, had joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Marie, a character she describes as 'vulnerable, matriarchal and slightly loopy', like many great soap characters.
Famous for her role as Roxy Mitchell, Rita sat down with Metro.co.uk to talk about Marie and what's coming next and also shared some major life changes, including a big move to Liverpool.In our in-depth interview, she also reflects on
the state of the soap genre overall , and discusses her hopes of providing representation to viewers, along with significant achievements in another recent project.The announcement of your joining Hollyoaks was met with great excitement from fans. However, it's taken a while for you to finally make an appearance!
Indeed! I was announced in July. I was supposed to appear earlier – as part of the big New Year's Eve stunt with a major car crash. However, I had prior commitments for a pantomime, which I couldn't back out of.
So they had to adjust everything, removing me from the stunt to start fresh after the pantomime. I had already moved to Liverpool earlier than planned, which had been leaked to the press by then. Since July, people have been asking 'When are you coming?' But I'm here now.
How was the relocation? Are you settling in well?
It's been a wild ride, but an amazing one. Everything just fell into place. We couldn't commute, so we decided to move, and within eight weeks we were here – sold the house and everything. It's been amazing, but busy, as you can imagine.
It's been a busy time both personally and professionally for Rita (Picture: REX/ITV)
Moving has been great, but my kids are still in London, and that's the only part that's not perfect for me. But they'll be off to university soon, so I'm reminding myself that I'll be an empty-nester soon enough.
In addition to the pantomime and preparing for Hollyoaks, you were also involved in a film?
Yes! I filmed a movie in the summer, not long after recovering from a hysterectomy I had a year ago. It was a favor for a friend who wrote the script, Paul Hendy, a great producer I've worked with before. When I read the script, it was amazing, and the filming was beautifully done. To our surprise, it has been accepted into the Manchester Film Festival, Beverly Hills, and San Diego.
We even won an award for it, the Award of Excellence, and I received the Best Leading Actress award. It wasn't a big deal initially, but it has turned into something quite significant. It's really nice.
How would you describe Marie? Is it fair to say she’s a matriarch?
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Yes, I’d say it might be my first grown-up, grown-up role. But every role I play can’t just be a regular person, can it? Luckily she’s really not Roxy. She’s got elements of Roxy but that’s because Roxy has elements of me and so I bring them to every role.
She is a kind matriarch, hard worker – but she’s a bit crazy. She’s got big issues and clearly hasn’t dealt with them. She’s been in lots of abusive relationships and been through some really, really hard times.
There are going to be some very dramatic times for Marie (Picture: Lime Pictures)
She’s made huge mistakes with her kids. Because of the abuse she’s faced, she has drug issues, drink issues, because she’s always running away from herself and the things that she’s done.
She starts by annoying people. Who does she upset?
She comes in and I did say between takes to Jen Metcalfe, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’ve done to me but apparently I hate you!’ I think she just comes in on the back foot because she’s got this big secret, and the big secret is she’s looking for her little boy who’s gone missing.
She’s come out of prison straight into the village to the point where she’s got no clothes apart from her prison scrubs so she takes Mercedes’ dress off the washing line – which, may I add, looks nicer on Mercedes than it does on me [laughs] I had to suck that one up!
I think she’s really on the back foot when she comes in. Joel really doesn’t want anything to do with her, she’s been in prison, she’s missing her son. She’s not been drinking or anything because she’s been in prison so she’s straight on the booze as soon as she comes out.
Starting as she means to go on, Marie is a force to be reckoned with (Picture: Lime Pictures)
I think a strong woman like Mercedes just rubs her up the wrong way because she’s got, in her mind, way bigger problems to deal with. Even though she’s just totally crashed Mercedes’ gender reveal, which is why Mercedes is not happy with Marie.
How much do you like Marie and how much fun is she to play?
She’s really good fun to play, she has some amazing one-liners, they’ve written so well for me. It’s a dream role. I get all the fun, I get all the grit, I get all the emotions.
I get to roll about on the floor in wheelie bins in the middle of the night because I’m so drunk but I get to do some really heart-wrenching things as well. The reason she’s so fun to play is there’s a lot of therapy this woman needs that she clearly hasn’t had.
When you’re playing a character like that there’s loads to play with because everything is a trigger for her. Everything is her protecting herself, trying to survive, but also trying to love her kids – which she does.
Marie's children mean everything to her, but she's unsure how to handle parenting due to her own difficult past.
Do you hope that audiences will see parts of themselves in Marie and feel represented?
Certainly. People are often triggered throughout the day. I recently read a quote I really liked that said if you're constantly triggered, it's like carrying a loaded gun – it's rude and inappropriate.
Rita has hinted at some challenging times for her character and wants viewers to see her complexity.
We may not always realize we're carrying emotional pain and just live in the moment. It's important to see any type of emotional trauma represented and to understand that a character has a heart beneath it all.
We haven't filmed much about her past yet. We've touched on it with a storyline about Abe, my son, and my other son Arlo, who is missing.
This ties in with Arlo's father and the abuse I endured with him. We'll get to see his true nature. Interestingly, I didn't have any scenes with him, it was all between him and two of my three sons.
I think there is a lot of potential for Hollyoaks to delve into the reasons behind Marie's current behavior.
Do you enjoy the role which combines comedy and drama, and do you have a preference for either?
If the comedy is well written, which it has been for me, I enjoy it. Equally, I find joy in the gritty stuff. As long as the lines have depth, I love it, and Marie's character has a lot of depth. I always have a subtext to play.
Even if others aren't aware, I know what I'm thinking in my head. I find equal joy in portraying gritty drama and comedy. I have always loved doing comedy, and I have performed a lot of comedy on stage.
Working on TV is very different from stage. I'd say I enjoy both equally.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the soap genre?
It's hard to predict what will happen. TV is changing rapidly, and viewing habits are evolving significantly. I believe the strategy Hollyoaks has adopted is very clever, and other soaps may follow suit. Soaps are a fundamental part of British culture, so I think they'll be okay.
Known for her role as Roxy in EastEnders (pictured with Glynis Barber as Glenda, who is now also in Hollyoaks), Rita has a strong connection to the soap genre.
I have friends who make TV in different areas, like documentaries. The situation is really unstable and everyone is having to change and try to become more digital.
If they don't, everyone is afraid of becoming outdated in the industry because of changes in how people watch things.
Will you watch your first appearance as Marie?
I dislike watching myself! I don't want to watch it. Also, I really didn't like that red dress so I would just sit there and think, 'I look terrible.' Eventually, I will watch it because it's actually really good. I think it's really important to watch and learn from yourself when you have a new character—things you don't like, mannerisms you're not happy with, the way you're coming across.
I think it's really important. However, I really hate watching myself and probably won't watch it tonight. I'll even cringe when people send me all the Instagrams and tweets and I see myself, I'll probably be like, 'Oh no!'
It's strange, after all this time on TV I still just… I walked in the other day from work and I walked past the living room and I was on TV on Antiques Road Trip and I just said, 'No, no! I don't want to see it.' I'm just strange like that.
There are important secrets and dramatic changes for Marie, and Rita, who is known for her role as Roxy Mitchell, has changed her life to be part of the show.
I think it’s really important. However, I genuinely absolutely hate watching myself and probably won’t watch it tonight, no. I’ll even cringe when people send me all the Instagrams and tweets and I see myself I’ll probably be like, ‘Oh God!’
It’s weird, after all this time on telly I still just… I walked in the other day from work and I walked past the living room and I was on telly on Antiques Road Trip and I just went, ‘No, no! I don’t want to see it.’ I’m just weird like that.
