Corrie airs at 8.30pm on ITV1
Mollie Gallagher will make her professional theatrical debut as Clarice in The Silence Of The Lambs in March 2027. This sadly means after 7 years Nina is saying farewell to Corrie in scenes that air on Sunday 30 August.
This week Nina says farewell to Weatherfield. Why does she leave?
Nina is kind of at a point in her life where she just feels like everything is a bit mundane, and nothing is really going on. She’s still working at the cafe, but she hasn’t continued with any of her fashion projects. She sees her friends moving on, like Asha with Sienna and feels like everyone is moving forward except her. Then, she has this conversation with friends, and one of them is going to these cool gigs and really living life. She wishes she had something like that going on and the friend mentioned a job opportunity at an art gallery. She went for it, and then she got the job. It feels like the right thing to do.
Are you pleased with her exit story?
It feels true to her character. It is a really positive move for Nina, there is no tragedy and she was able to go off happily to this new life? She is sad to leave Roy and her friends but she knows it is the right thing to do.
Talk to me about how the theatre job came about and how difficult a decision it was for you to make?
It was a casting call. When they got in touch, I thought it was a great opportunity to tape for a great casting director and Nikolai Foster, who is obviously big in the theatre world. I didn’t expect to get the part; I just thought it would be a good experience.
Then, when I got the part, it couldn’t work around Corrie. I would have loved to have done both as I wasn’t actively looking to leave Corrie. But it wasn’t feasible and I suddenly had a big decision to make. As an actor, it’s never easy to get a job, and when an opportunity comes your way, it’s hard to turn down because you never know if it will come again.
Corrie was really your first major acting job. To suddenly have the opportunity to do something in theatre, which is a different genre, were you excited, or were you scared?
I haven’t really auditioned much before Corrie, I think it was just a commercial and one other little thing. When you’re doing a professional job for TV, it’s one thing, but getting your first professional job in theatre is different again. Casting directors have to trust you when you haven’t got much to go on. As for how I felt?
The first three days after I told Corrie I was leaving, I was like, “Oh my God,” I felt like I was losing my mind. I thought, “What have I done?” You always wonder, “What if I’m not good? What if I’m terrible?” It’s hard to step out of your comfort zone because I’ve got to know Nina so well for seven years. It wasn’t like I was actively looking to leave; it came out of nowhere.
As it got closer to your actual last day, how did that feel? What was that day like?
It was obviously very sad, but everything was happening so quickly. I’m not the kind of person who usually compartmentalises things, everything in my life usually happens at once, but for the first time, I actually did put things into compartments. I had to, otherwise, I’d be too emotional. Three days after my last day at Corrie, I was moving to Leicester. I just had to focus so I wouldn’t be crying in rehearsals at my new job!.
Emmerdale’s Oliver Farnworth, EastEnders John Partridge, Sam Jackson (Skins) alongside Mollie Gallagher (Image: charleshutchpress)
What was your last scene, and who was it with?
The last scene I filmed was actually just a really nice, casual scene. I had two lines, and it was with Sally Carmen, Tony Maudsley , Gareth, and a few others. There were quite a lot of people there. It was a nice goodbye.
What did David Neilson say to you when you were leaving? I imagine he was very supportive.
I had spoken to him about it anyway, and he told me to go with my gut. He’s an intuitive person, and he agreed it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want to leave, so it was a difficult decision but he said I had to do what I felt was right for me.
What was it like, two days after finishing Corrie, to start inhabiting a completely different character in Clarice?
She is completely different. She’s training to be in the FBI in a male-dominated world. Nina is a really quirky, expressive character, she does everything her way and is free to do that. Clarice is in this world with all these men, trying to prove herself and trying to get on with the job and use her skill set. Clarice is very grounded, which is the opposite of me, not that I’m not a grounded person, but physically, I’m not very earthy. I don’t stand still for very long, whereas Clarice is all about that stillness. Her feet are placed firmly on the floor. Because they are so different, it actually made it easier to switch.
Is it good to be doing a different accent?
Yes I am learning so much, it’s a West Virginia accent, and if I used my usual head voice with that, it would sound like a 1950s housewife,really airy. I have to bring the voice right down for Clarice. I have only ever used my own accent up to now so it is a new challenge.
Corrie was your first acting job and you related very much to Nina, did you find anything you can relate to in Clarice?
The writing is brilliant, but specifically, the character’s personality. She’s from a working-class background, she’s an underdog, and I think that’s what I always relate to, being the outsider and the underdog. That’s why those parts work for me.
Often, when people leave, they take a piece of costume or jewelry as a keepsake. Did you take anything of Nina’s with you?
I kept her coat, my favourite coat of hers, but I hope it isn’t the end of Nina and I didn’t want to take her best things in case I ever get a call back. I don’t have any mementos other than Nina herself. I felt like the way I developed Nina, a part of her came into me, and I think that’s what happens when you play a character for a long time. You genuinely change.
(Image: ITV) Nina’s time on the cobbles has been fraught with heartbreak and drama
Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits to Corrie, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube.