Former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh has revealed she would turn down the role of Hayley Cropper if she was offered it nowadays.
The actress, who starred in the long-running soap between 1998 and 2014, explained that she'd be hesitant to play the history-making transgender character again in 2020, as she believes a trans woman would lend a certain level of authenticity to the part.
"I would hope that it wouldn't be offered to me as a cis woman," Hesmondhalgh said in an interview with The Guardian. "I definitely wouldn't take it.
What to Read Next
"I left Corrie because it was time for me to go personally, but it was also time for Hayley – a trans woman played by a cis woman – to go, too."
Related: Coronation Street and Emmerdale backed by government for swift return to filming
She continued: "I was about to become an absolute anachronism, because there were then trans actors to play those parts, and even more now."
That's not to say she doesn't recognise how groundbreaking it was for Corrie to include a trans character back in 1998.
And because of the media attention Hayley's role received, she thinks it would have been too much for a trans actor to deal with at the time.
"There was a really great trans rights group, Press for Change, who were really, really pissed off – and I totally understood why," added Hesmondhalgh, who is now a patron of numerous charities, including Trans Media Watch.
"I met them and said: 'I hear you, but honestly I think the pressure on a trans actor – who definitely would have had a certain amount of vulnerability anyway – would have been unbearable'.
"The way the press was then, they'd have been eaten alive. So I assured them that I was their ally, that I would play the part with as much sensitivity and empathy as I could, that I would listen to them. And, honestly, I think I did a decent job."
Coronation Street currently airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm on ITV.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Coronation Street X Joanie - Gilroy Retro Newton And Ridley Sweatshirt
![The Road to Coronation Street [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568634215-51d4CaKIrCL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Road to Coronation Street [DVD]")
![The Stars of Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1568634418-51we2BNTW1yL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Stars of Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters [DVD]")
ITV The Stars of Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters [DVD]
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
