Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe has opened up about playing Mercedes McQueen, saying it's "easy" to step into the role she's held for nearly 20 years. Arriving on the soap in 2006, Metcalfe has been involved in a number of hard-hitting storylines, including the recent who shot Tony Hutchinson plot. Mercedes' time in the village has included seven weddings, multiple tragedies and a bowel cancer diagnosis.
Speaking about her role on the soap, Metcalfe said that she loves going to work on Hollyoaks, adding that it doesn't feel like a job.
"Playing Mercedes is easy for me. I love it. I don’t feel like I’m working. I feel like I go in every day, see people I love and piss around," she said (via The Daily Star).
"Then I get money in the bank for doing it. I always think, 'Well, that’s alright, isn’t it?' This is all I’ve ever always wanted to do," she added.
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On tackling the darker storylines, Metcalfe said: "When you’re doing something dark, it can take its toll. That happened when I did the bowel cancer storyline earlier this year.
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"But the reward you get is so great. When the scenes start airing, you realise how much awareness you’ve raised and how much you’ve touched people. I get so much joy out of acting. I get to be creative every day."
Describing what she did before landing the role as Mercedes, the soap star said she was working in a gym, saying it gave her "a real sense of reality" and helped her to appreciate her life.
Related: Hollyoaks announces Theresa McQueen’s return after surprise late-night twist
Despite loving her job, Metcalfe said that life as a soap actor has its downsides, saying: "Being a soap actress is a job where you don’t have much control. If somebody wants to kill you off because that works for the storyline, then that’s what will happen.
"But I don’t dwell on that. Whatever will be will be. If it happens, I will figure something out. The nature of the job is that it can all be there one minute and not there the next."
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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