Cindy Beale is ‘a woman on the edge’ in EastEnders special – Michelle Collins
Actress Michelle Collins described her EastEnders role, Cindy Beale, as “a woman on the brink” while sharing her thoughts on the dramatic events that unfolded on Christmas Day.
Collins, who plays a key role in the holiday episodes, mentioned that her character Cindy faces turmoil after a USB recording surfaces at a Christmas party, revealing her confession of cheating on Ian Beale. She commended the show, stating it was directed exceptionally well.
During a presentation for the holiday special, the 62-year-old remarked, “Creating a Christmas scene is quite challenging. The opening moment with Mo and Billy, along with Cindy appearing in her fur coat, was captured so beautifully.”
"It was way better than EastEnders, it really felt like a genuine movie, didn't it? Everything about it was fantastic."
Collins mentioned that she had been eager to portray “bad Cindy” once more, especially after a rather ordinary beginning to her comeback on Albert Square.
She mentioned, "Her actions are quite unpredictable; I can never anticipate what she'll do next. I'm grateful to Simon Ashdown, the EastEnders writer."
"She brings a unique excitement to the game; it's interesting how many people enjoy despising her. I'm not sure how feelings will change after this—it's possible that they could end up truly hating her and wishing she was out of the picture."
Her co-star Harriet Thorpe, who portrays Elaine Knight (formerly known as Peacock), shared with Collins that she found it to be a “touching moment” when Cindy acknowledged her mistakes by saying, “I mess up.”
Collins remarked, “This is likely the first instance where she has been completely truthful. It's difficult to gauge her true nature when she makes statements like, 'I want to jump off a cliff' and refers to her 'self-destruct button.'”
"I believe you have a better understanding of Cindy during those festive episodes than you ever did before. She reveals more about herself because she's feeling quite vulnerable."
"This is a woman who is about to lose her composure; she truly is teetering on the brink. Which actor wouldn't want to take on such a challenging role?"
In the EastEnders holiday special, Cindy Beale finds her Christmas taking a turn for the worse (Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron/BBC/PA).
When I returned, everything felt wonderful, and Ian welcomed her back, for which I was really grateful. However, I couldn’t help but wonder, where’s Cindy? We missed the old Cindy.
"I recall Chris (Clenshaw, the executive producer) reassuring me at the Christmas party last year, saying, 'Don't fret, Michelle. Everything will be fine; she'll return.'"
The discussion also shifted to what Clenshaw plans to do to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary next year.
He said, "I can’t reveal too much, but I’ll tell you this: it’s going to be thrilling. Aside from the live episode, we’ve filmed nearly all of it, and it looks fantastic. Get ready for anything!"
Adam Woodyatt, who portrays Ian, the character who has been on the show the longest, mentioned: “Be ready for anything, and even a little extra.”
"The week of the anniversary is absolutely wild! I think I can confidently say that we all had the same reaction when we read the script: just pure shock and disbelief!"
"We were completely shocked, wondering how on earth we were going to pull this off, but somehow, we managed."
"We haven't reached the live part yet, but we've accomplished everything that comes before it, and it was truly fantastic."
