Interview
INTRODUCING
AMY CONACHAN
Actress Amy Conachan first rose to fame laughing off her disability in X-rated theatre comedy Wendy’s Hoose. Now having moved from stage to screen, the Hollyoaks newcomer is ready to tear up the script on disability all over again
“AS LONG AS it’s a challenge I’m happy.” That’s the mantra of 26-year-old actress Amy Conachan. Born with a condition that means her legs don’t function, Amy tried her hand at everything from dance to singing before she discovered her love of acting. “I have a twin sister and she did a lot of dance when we were younger but I didn’t really get that much out of it,” says Amy. “But once I started going to drama classes, something clicked. I immediately fell in love with it.” After acting at Paisley’s PACE Youth Theatre, famed for working with talented youngsters like James McAvoy and Paolo Nutini, Amy went on to graduate from Reid Kerr College with an HND in acting and performance. But her ultimate goal was always to attend the prestigious Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. RISK TAKER After five years of auditioning, Amy was finally offered a place on their acting
14
the truth behind the disappearance of her cousin Lockie. And her persistence has murderer Cameron, played by Cameron Moore, feeling worried.
“Once I started going to drama classes something clicked. I immediately fell in love with it” programme in 2012 – making her the first disabled student on her course. Not that she let that put her off. Amy admits she is always ready to take on new challenges – something that has come in very handy in her new role in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. “In TV there is very little build up,” explains Amy. “In theatre you have the whole story leading you along. But in TV they say ‘action’ and you just have to be there – you might just need to start crying on the spot!” Amy is currently on our screens five nights a week in the popular soap, starring as science teacher Courtney Campbell — who is in town to uncover
BEHIND THE SCENES “From the onset, Cameron and Courtney have a really frosty relationship. There’s no warm and fuzziness,” laughs Amy. But she promises the tricky atmosphere disappears as soon as the director shouts cut. “There are lots of laughs on set,” she says. “Especially after we’ve just been really bad to each other in a scene, we get to turn round and say, ‘Sorry, I love you really!’” While Amy says she’d love to return to her theatre roots eventually, right now she is happily settled in her new job – and enjoying her new hometown. “I was so excited to move to Liverpool,” admits Amy. “I’d had some plays here before and all my family were super excited about it. It was a really cool feeling, it felt like a big step forward.” As for the future, Amy’s excited to see what new adventures it brings. “Maybe I’ll still be in Hollyoaks in five years’ time. Who knows?” says Amy. “As long as I’m still acting, that will be just a joy for me. As long as I keep progressing and trying new things, I’ll be delighted.”
i Catch Amy in Hollyoaks, weeknights at 6:30pm on Channel 4.
www.enablemagazine.co.uk
014_EN_ND16_Hollyoaks.indd 14
31/10/2016 17:46