| Rae Wilson | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Alice Barlow | ||||
| Created by | Lucy Allan | ||||
| Duration | 2009–11 | ||||
| First appearance | 5 October 2009 | ||||
| Last appearance | 9 September 2011 | ||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||
| Spin-off appearances | Hollyoaks Later (2011) | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Date of birth | 25 June 1992 | ||||
| Home | 28 Fern Street | ||||
| Occupation | Waitress (2010–11) DJ (2010–11) Barmaid (2011) |
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Rae Wilson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alice Barlow. She appeared in the series from 5 October 2009 until 9 September 2011. Actress Helen Russell-Clark – who went on to play Jem Costello – originally auditioned for the role, but the part was awarded to Barlow, fulfilling her dream of starring in a soap opera. Producer Lucy Allan said Barlow was her favourite addition to the cast during 2009.
Initially portrayed as an imaginary character in a schizophrenia storyline, Rae was later revealed to be real when she arrived to study in Hollyoaks. She was central to a controversial suicide storyline, and was part of a love-triangle with Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) and Brendan Brady (Emmett J. Scanlan), which left her pregnant by Ste. She miscarried during an argument with Brendan and subsequently fueded with him; Barlow praised her character for being one of the few who dared to oppose the Hollyoaks villain. Originally characterised as a chav with a feisty persona, Rae underwent a transformation which saw her attempt to embrace domestic life with Ste. During series four of the post-watershed spin-off Hollyoaks Later, Rae was murdered by serial killer Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle). The late broadcast slot allowed for an explicit depiction of her death. Barlow hoped that Rae would be remembered for her strong-willed nature, and that her exit would be considered one of the best in the programme's history.
In 2011, Barlow won an All About Soap award for Rae's love triangle storyline. AfterElton criticised the lack of character development Rae received, and they, along with the Sunday Mercury, bemoaned the dearth of realism exhibited in Rae staying with Ste despite knowing him to be homosexual. Readers of the soap opera magazine Inside Soap indicated that they did not want Silas to murder Rae.
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At a July 2009 Hollyoaks press day, series producer Lucy Allan announced that there would be a "big stunt" involving schizophrenic character Barry "Newt" Newton (Nico Mirallegro) in October of that year.[1] It was later revealed that a new character, Rae, would join the serial as part of a "shock suicide plot" involving Newt, which would see the two characters jump off a bridge.[2] Alice Barlow's casting as Rae was announced in October 2009.[3] Barlow stated that she was "absolutely on top of the world" to receive the part, particularly as one of her childhood dreams was to appear in a soap opera.[3] Helen Russell-Clark – who went on to play Jem Costello in the serial – also auditioned for Rae, and reached the final stages of casting.[4] Allan deemed Rae one of her favourite additions to the cast in 2009. She expressed her pride in Barlow's performance, as, "to introduce a character as somebody and then to completely change the character six weeks later, while still delivering the performances that Alice does, is a testament to a young actress."[5] In early 2011, Barlow decided to leave Hollyoaks to pursue other projects. Her departure was kept a secret until her exit scenes aired. Barlow described her time with the programme as "the perfect end" to her teenage years and said she could not "have asked for anything better."[6]
| “ | In her corporeal state, Rae has gone through a series of transformations. Initially a rather angry chav, she relaunched herself as a DJ. Entanglement in a Stendan love triangle then saw her embrace life as a housewife and carer of small children, but when that didn't work out she opted to re-relaunch her DJ career. | ” |
During her initial appearances as a figment of Newt's imagination, Rae was depicted as a goth with an "emo persona". Upon her reintroduction as a real person, it emerged that Rae was actually more akin to a chav.[8] The character later underwent a "transitional period"; she retained her strong personality, but displayed a "weaker side" resulting from the setbacks she encountered.[6] Barlow found the role challenging, as her own personality is entirely disparate from her character's.[3] She described Rae as someone who always makes her opinion known, and hoped she would be remembered for her "strong-willed" persona.[6]
Rae was introduced as Newt's imaginary friend. They made a suicide pact, and jumped off a bridge together into deep water. The stunt was filmed at Stanley Dock in Liverpool, where a 45 ft (13.75 metre) tower was erected for them to jump from. Although stunt doubles were available, Barlow and Mirallegro both elected to perform their own stunts, and spent up to four minutes filming underwater.[9]
The storyline became prominent in the media days before the scenes were due to air, after two young girls in Scotland died in a similar suicide pact, jumping from the Erskine Bridge into the River Clyde.[10] Channel 4 decided to broadcast the Hollyoaks scenes as planned, and released a statement which explained: "We feel it is appropriate to continue with the transmission of these episodes as this is not a one-off programme but an established and long-running series. The audience will be familiar with the character of Newt and this plotline, which has been both trailed and promoted, has been developing over a number of weeks. Hollyoaks has a strong track record of dealing with sensitive issues, and the transmission will be followed by a programme support announcement directing viewers to a 24-hour helpline."[11] The care home in which the two deceased girls had been housed criticised the decision, and deemed the broadcast "likely to cause further distress."[12]
Allan named the underwater sequence following the bridge jump her favourite scene of 2009. She said, "It was a beautiful moment on screen and it was the moment that the audience realised that Newt was trying to kill himself. For me, that moment of realisation made that scene so powerful."[5] Once the suicide storyline had concluded, Rae was revealed to be a real character in the series.[13]
Following Newt's departure from the series, Rae began dating Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson). A love triangle formed between Rae, Ste and Brendan Brady (Emmett J. Scanlan), who wanted Ste for himself. Scanlan said that Brendan's actions – paying Veronica (Lynsey McLaren) to try and split Ste and Rae up, and giving Ste money to stay away from Rae – demonstrated his willingness to use "power and manipulation".[14][15] Unaware that Ste and Brendan had begun an affair, Rae discovered that she was pregnant. All About Soap magazine wrote that Rae was "knocked sideways" by the discovery, and noted her uncertainty at "the prospect of becoming a teen mum." Brendan and Ste decide to end their affair for Rae's sake,[16] but soon resumed their relationship.[17]
Rae ultimately learned of the affair; Richardson characterised her response as being "shocked and angry",[17] and Barlow told Inside Soap magazine that the revelation left her character "more torn than ever." The discovery prompted Rae to consider having an abortion,[18] but she was convinced not to by Brendan, who revealed that he once lost a child of his own. Barlow called the scenes "really heartfelt stuff". She explained that Ste did not perceive a problem with Rae having the baby, as he already had a son and considered himself a good father, whereas it constituted "a bigger deal" for the childless Rae. Discussing Rae and Ste's relationship, Barlow assessed that her character truly loved him, and that they had a "special connection" formed through the hardships they had faced together.[18] Despite this, Rae rebuffed Ste's attempt to rekindle their relationship. Barlow explained that her character could not return to him knowing that he was gay. She said that Rae was "determined to keep the baby", and wanted to prove that she could be a good single mother.[19] However, during an argument with Brendan, Rae suffered a miscarriage. Barlow found the filming of these scenes difficult.[20]
As the storyline concluded, Rae resolved to remain friends with Ste and support him through his difficult relationship with Brendan. This resulted in a feud between Brendan and herself. Barlow explained that Rae had "a handle" on him and was "one of the few characters [able to] stand up to Brendan."[20] She enjoyed portraying this dynamic, and assessed that Rae "always felt like she had the upper hand" as she knew the truth about Brendan's sexuality.[6]
Rae was involved in a relationship storyline with Ethan Scott (Craig Vye), who was already romancing both Liberty Savage (Abi Phillips) and Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter). Viewers were initially unaware that Rae was seeing Ethan, but knew that he was cheating on Theresa and Liberty with a third "mystery woman". Porter said her character Theresa was unable to believe it when she saw Ethan kissing Rae.[21] Barlow herself was surprised at the twist, as she had not expected Rae to be involved.[6][22] Once the three females discovered the truth about Ethan's infidelity, they decided "the best revenge is humiliation" and exposed his lies and poured gunge over him infront of the entire village.[21] Vye described the storyline as a "classic case of wanting what you can't have".[23] He explained that Ethan was not ready to "settle down" and so would end up alone.[24]
The actors involved made an effort to give the storyline a comedic tone, to keep it from becoming too serious. Porter felt that it reflected real life, as there are men in society who behave as Ethan did.[22] The storyline proved popular with viewers, and both Barlow and Porter received a high volume of messages via the social networking website Twitter, from viewers expressing their surprise at Rae's involvement.[6][22] Digital Spy showcased Rae being exposed as Ethan's lover and her subsequent revenge plot in their "Pic of the day" feature.[25][26]
Barlow decided to leave Hollyoaks in early 2011, as she felt she had given "all she could" to the role. This prompted the producers to devise a "memorable" exit storyline for Rae. Barlow was informed of their plans in March 2011, but her exit and details of the storyline were concealed from viewers. Speculation arose that Rae would become the next victim of serial killer Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle); Barlow attempted to discredit these rumours, and denied that she was leaving Hollyoaks as she wanted viewers to be "surprised and shocked" by her exit.[6]
In August 2011, a leaked clip of Silas preparing to attack Theresa was posted on YouTube. This led viewers to believe that Theresa would become his next victim.[27] It was then confirmed that Thesera would become Silas' next target in the fourth series of Hollyoaks Later. Porter said that it was "scary and worrying", however would not confirm whether Silas killed her character.[28] Emma Smithwick, the programme's producer, confirmed that the late night episodes would feature the death of a regular character.[29]
"It was very emotional, because when you've played a character for two years, you really get to know them inside and out - and Rae has been through so much. It's come to an end now with this Silas twist, but because she's been murdered, it does make it very emotional!"[6]
When the episodes aired, Silas was angered by Rae's attitude – her desire to use men for casual flings – and realised he could frame Brendan for her murder. He then beat her and strangled her to death in an alleyway. As Hollyoaks Later airs in a late night timeslot, Barlow explained that there were "no limits" on the storyline, allowing them to "do whatever they wanted with it." She described Rae's death scene as "absolutely incredible" and loved the chance to work with accredited actor Rawle.[6] She explained that Rae's death had been kept a secret to shock viewers, in the same way the death of fellow character Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley) did previously. Barlow said she was happy and grateful with the nature of her exit storyline, as the opportunity to "go out with a bang" was better than Rae leaving quietly in a taxi. She hoped that Rae's murder would "go down in Hollyoaks history" as one of the best exits.[6] In the aftermath, Brendan was arrested for Rae's murder after Silas planted evidence on him.[30] Barlow stated that other characters blamed Brendan because he had caused Rae to fear for her life, and that Ste believed him culpable as he knew what the "relationship between Rae and Brendan ha[d] been like and all the problems they'[d] had."[6]
Rae meets Barry "Newt" Newton (Nico Mirallegro) while he is living rough, and teaches him how to survive on the streets. She is disliked Eli (Marc Silcock), an alternate persona of Newt's caused by his schizophrenia.[31] Rae and Newt become close and begin a relationship. After Newt admits to having schizophrenia, Eli takes over his mind and tries to kill Rae, but Newt manages to stop him. They decide to escape their problems by committing suicide together, jumping from a height into water. As they head to the top of a warehouse to jump, Newt's ex-girlfriend Lauren Valentine (Dominique Jackson) and his foster father Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) rush to stop him. Newt pushes Eli into the canal as Rae jumps. Newt jumps in after them, but is rescued by Jack.[32] After recovering, Newt locates Rae's grandmother Lily (Meryl Hampton) and informs her that her that her granddaughter is dead. Rae, however, then arrives alive and well. She does not recognise Newt, and has a different style of hair and clothing from her previous appearances. Newt realises that he had seen a photograph of Rae and created an alternate persona around her, so the girl he thought he had known was another figment of his imagination.
To Rae's displeasure, her school is soon thereafter merged with Newt's. She rebuffs his attempts to talk to her, and after securing employment at the local diner, is further dismayed to discover that Newt is her co-worker. She tries to have him fired, but with time is able to accept that they must work together. After being locked in a cupboard by Lauren, Rae reveals that she is claustrophobic and believes herself to be cursed. She tells Newt that both of her sisters died before their eighteenth birthdays and she believes the same will happen to her. Rae eventually overcomes her fear of the curse with Newt's help, and agrees to move to Scotland with him. However, her grandmother has a stroke shortly before her planned departure, so she decides to stay in Hollyoaks to care for her.
Rae grows close to Ste, her employer at the diner, and they begin dating. Brendan Brady is jealous as he is attracted to Ste, and initially tries to separate them. He and Ste begin sleeping together, at which point he tells Ste to continue seeing Rae, so their own relationship remains a secret. Rae discovers that she is pregnant and Ste promises to support her. She considers having an abortion, but ultimately decides against it. After catching Brendan and Ste kissing, Rae resolves to raise the baby alone, but suffers a miscarriage after a vicious row with Brendan. Rae threatens to out Brendan to the community, so he retaliates by setting her up and having her arrested as a drug dealer. Rae is released without charge after Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) tampers with the substance and it is found to be icing sugar.
Rae briefly works as a barmaid at a local pub, but leaves her job after exposing an affair between Gaz Bennett (Joel Goonan) and her boss Heidi Costello (Kim Tiddy). She begins a relationship with Ethan Scott (Craig Vye), unaware that he is also dating Theresa McQueen and Liberty Savage. When the women discover his infidelity, they plot their revenge together. Rae tells him she has an STD, Theresa claims to be pregnant and Liberty pretends to set a wedding date. They then humiliate Ethan with the truth and throw gunge over him infront of the locals.
When Rae accidentally reveals that Brendan is gay in front of his son, Brendan is furious and threatens to kill her. She later tells Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle) about Brendan's threat, unaware that Silas is a serial killer. Rae also reveals that she is tired of men treating her badly, and vows to use them in future. Silas steals Theresa's phone and texts Rae, asking to meet her outside. When Rae emerges, Silas repeatedly punches her, then strangles her to death. He places Rae's body in the boot of Brendan's car, framing him. The whole village blames Brendan for Rae's death, and Ste arranges a memorial for her.
In 2011, Rae, Ste and Brendan's romance plot won the "Best Love Triangle" accolade at the All About Soap Bubble Awards.[33] Holy Soap described Rae's most "memorable moment" as being locked in a cupboard and subsequently revealing herself to be cursed.[34] Anthony D. Langford of AfterElton suggested that Hollyoaks had no interest in Rae as a character, and no desire to "make her a real fleshed out person". He opined that she had no common sense, because "no woman would regularly leave her man alone for long periods of time with the guy she knows he had an affair with." He added that Rae should have known Ste and Brendan's affair had resumed.[35] Roz Laws of the Sunday Mercury called Rae's interest in Ste "a mystery", noting his violent history and homosexuality as reasons Rae should have avoided him.[15]
Jaci Stephen of the Daily Mail criticised the dearth of drug-related storylines in Hollyoaks, and though she praised the element of humour in the plot which saw Rae charged in possession of icing sugar, she said it was "hardly the Marx Brothers".[36] Inside Soap polled its readers on which Hollyoaks character they most wanted to be murdered by Silas. Rae and Theresa were voted as favourites to survive, while Leanne and Ruby Button (Anna Shaffer) were voted to be his next victims.[37] Langford thought that Rae's murder and the subsequent blaming of Brendan were predictable, but made "compelling drama",[38] and wrote that Rae had been killed in "a rather gruesome and shocking fashion".[39]
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