Jorgie Porter - Loaded Magazine April 09

Jorgie Porter - As Theresa McQueen, she made a memorable first appearance in Hollyoaks back in November 2008; her character is only 15 but she ended up sleeping with someone completely unaware of her age. Theresa is Jorgie's first television role.

She had been a member of the Francine Gorton school of dance, and studied at The Hammond prior to this. The 20-year-old beauty, who recently joined the soap as Teresa McQueen, has revealed she loves her job and can't wait to see her first appearance on the Channel 4 soap.

She said: "I love being a McQueen. I think I'm working with the best people. I've learned so much from Nicole Barber-Lane who plays Myra and Claire Cooper, who plays Jacqui.

"My mum still can't believe I'm actually in the show.

It's my first television role, so I think we'll have a nice family gathering and watch mydebut episode
together. I'm having such an amazing time - and I'm dying to know what sort of mischief Theresa will be getting up to.

Theresa, the cousin of McQueen sisters Mercedes, Jacqui, Carmel and Michaela, is dropped straight into a juicy storyline, after having an intimate encounter with Tony.

Jorgie explains: "I've been dropped into the deep end storyline wise, It kicks offin Theresa's first week when she seduces Tony! She's a saucy wannabe WAG - but he has no clue she'sonly 15 years old.

"Theresa falls head over heels in love with Tony. But he dismisses their nighttogether as a one-nightstand, and she's devastated... Jacqui's outraged and frog-marches her to the guy's flat, that's where she realises that Teresa's mystery man is Tony.

"It was a great scene to film and good to watch. I was standing there in awe of Claire, because she's amazing as Jacqui. And then I'd snap back to reality and think 'Oops, it's my line.' "

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Theresa first appeared in The Loft during their 'School Disco' night, and ended up sleeping with Tony. Little did he realise Theresa is only 15 - and related to the McQueens! Theresa is a McQueen girl through and through, from her love of make-up and chav glamour to a knack for thieving and trickery...

The part of Theresa is Jorgie's first television role. She had been a member of the Francine Gorton school of dance, and studied at The Hammond prior to this.

Jorgie Porter (Theresa) - Interview

A cheery Jorgie Porter chats to us about her first few weeks on the Hollyoaks set playing Cutie Theresa McQueen, and reveals what it was like kissing Nick Pickard (Tony) in her first scenes...

How did you feel when you got the part of Theresa?
Ecstatic, I didn't actually believe it. I still actually don't believe it now! It doesn't make sense at all. I watch it and think that's not me!

How did it all come about?
Through casting. I was with an agency and was told a part was coming up so I went for it.
There were loads of other girls there auditioning on the day but I wasn't really nervous. I had no nerves whatsoever throughout the whole time. It was just me on my own with a screen and the casting directors. When they rang me up I couldn't believe it I just swore!

Did you ring and tell everyone you knew?
No, I didn't want to tell anybody. I told my mum not to tell anyone, and I think she told a few people so I was like 'oh mum!' I told my close friends, and it ended up sort of creeping out a little bit.

How have your first few weeks been?
Absolutely amazing, everyone is so nice. I'm like waiting for someone to be nasty but there's no one who's even the slightest bit uninviting. I've quite surprised myself with learning my lines, I'm usually really bad at remembering things but I do remember my lines. Getting up early in the morning is always hard.

What time do you have to get up?
Me personally about five o'clock, because it takes me an hour to sit in bed and just sort of realise I'm awake! Then I have to get ready and stuff, and then book a taxi an hour before in case they don't arrive on time, just to make sure I'm not late on set.

What is it like joining the McQueen clan? Do you get on with the other girls off-screen?
I absolutely love the McQueens, I'm so glad I'm in that family! They're dead inviting, and they look after you. They took me under their wing, and they've taught me loads as well. I've been working closest with Nicole and Claire (Myra and Jacqui) and they are just really good at giving me tips and stuff because it's my 1st TV job. I just stand there and watch all the McQueen cast and I think 'this is amazing'!

Do you watch the show?
I don't watch it because I don't like seeing myself on screen. I've seen it before and I just cringe because it's not really me, and also because I sort of analyse myself.

Your first scenes were with Hollyoaks veteran Tony Hutchinson. What was it like working with Nick Pickard?
He's like the don of the show isn't he! I was actually dead glad that I got to do a kissing scene with him because I think if it was someone like me who had only just started working it would have been really awkward kissing. But Nick was really good, he was so professional it wasn't awkward at all. He made it so easy. We had to kiss about a million times as well so every time it was like 'OK, right, this is what we'll do'.

Did you feel awkward with all of the camera crew being there or was it ok?
I just blocked it all out, you have to block it out. At first I thought 'oh my God, how am I going to kiss someone intimately in front of all these men?' because on a lot of the shoots the crew is mainly made up of men. But no it was all ok!

How would you describe the character of Theresa?
A sort of a temptress, a Lolita type. She thinks she knows everything, and she's just your average teenager who is full of attitude. But she also has a good heart, and she is clever so she does realise what's right and wrong and stuff. She can also not lose her temper, but act quite aggressive a bit.

How exactly is Theresa related to the McQueen's?
She's their cousin, and she starts off living with Nana McQueen but doesn't really like it there.

Would you say there are any similarities between you and Theresa?
Well I'm more of a geek! I'm a bit immature whereas Theresa puts on a front that she's mature, and she tries to act a lot older than she is. She just wants to be loved, whereas I do too of course, but not in an 'everyone love me' kind of way, if that makes sense? Theresa looks up to the McQueen girls, but she's also not scared to give them a bit back. It's sort of a sisterly relationship with them, and I don't have any sisters in real life so I can't relate to that at all.

You're also quite a bit older than your character Theresa, do you find it hard to play somebody younger?
Not really because it's just going back to school days, it's just putting the uniform back on again! I loved school, I really loved school, but Thersa doesn't like school so in that sense we're not very similar. I went to school for friends and everything whereas Theresa can't stand it, she'd rather be out having fun. Just plenty more mayhem I think!

In your backstage video we saw you working with Saira (who plays Anita), which other characters will you be working with?
There's Nico who plays Newt, and Dominique who plays Lauren. That's Theresa's kind of friendship group that is forming. Actually that's probably all I could say so far. I've got some really good storylines coming up with various other characters but I can't say anything more about that at the moment!

What do you think of your costume as Theresa?
She's very extreme, and my style is sort of more mature like wearing pashminas and things like that. Theresa wears corset dresses and has a big bouffant and always wear bright colours. I absolutely love getting dressed up as her because it's so not me.

Have you been recognised in the street by anyone yet?
Yeah! This weekend was the first time I've ever been recognised, and people were taking pictures of me and asking for my autograph. I was like, 'are you sure, it's only me!?' I was shocked because I actually think I don't even look like her, I forget that my hair is this colour and stuff, and people would just smile at me from across the room and I'd be going 'I don't get this!'. I sort of get a bit paranoid because you don't know whether they actually recognise you or not