Jaime Winstone thrilled to reprise ‘iconic’ Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders
Jaime Winstone feels honoured to play the "iconic" Peggy Mitchell again in an upcoming mental health storyline for 'EastEnders'.
Jaime Winstone feels honoured to play Peggy Mitchell again in ‘EastEnders’.
The 39-year-old actress appeared as the formidable pub landlord - who was originally portrayed by the late Dame Barbara Winsor - in a flashback episode for the soap in 2022, and Jaime is thrilled to be taking on the role once again.
Speaking with the BBC, Jaime said: “Peggy Mitchell is so iconic - everybody refers to her still, everybody knows her, and it's such an honour.
"When I knew I was going to be reprising the role, at first, you go, 'Wow, this is really exciting', then you read the context of the script and get into it. We all grew up with Peggy in our front rooms, so it's an overwhelming feeling because she's such a strong, amazing character."
The TV star - who also played Barbara in the 2017 biopic ‘Babs’ - said she “rewatched [Peggy’s] most iconic moments” from the programme to get back into character, and detailed how she had to “separate” the late actress from the pub landlord.
Jaime explained: "To get into playing Peggy, I rewatched her most iconic moments. I had to separate me knowing Barbara Windsor in real life, playing Barbara in 'Babs' and taking on the role of Peggy now twice.
"I think it really all hits home when it's time for the wig. As soon as I put that wig on in the make-up chair, I always feel such warmth and confidence because I feel like Barbara's giving me the go-ahead.
"The moment the wig goes on, everybody is quiet in the make-up room. It happens, and then, all of a sudden, I look at myself in the mirror, and the giggle comes out, and she's just there, she just makes her presence known."
