Rose Ayling-Ellis was unsure about lead role in Code of Silence
Rose Ayling-Ellis wasn't sure about taking the lead role in 'Code of Silence' but decided to after reading the scripts and realising the storyline is in good hands.
Rose Ayling-Ellis wasn't sure about taking the lead role in 'Code of Silence'.
The 30-year-old actress - who was born deaf - is now starring as a police canteen worker Alison Woods, who is called in to assist as a lip-reader for an investigation in the new ITV drama, but had reservations about taking the part at first.
During a press Q+A, she said: "Originally, when I saw the pitch and the first thing was lip-reading, I thought, 'Oh no.'
"It's a bit risky because sometimes people can get it so wrong, because it can be like lip-reading from a distance and you understand everything, and it doesn't work like that."
However, after reading the scripts and speaking to the writer Catherine Moulton - who is partially deaf and a skilled lip-reader herself - she felt that the storyline was in safe hands and decided to get involved.
She added: "The fact that it was saying how hard lip-reading is and that it's like a puzzle – and that you're working... in such a speedy time, under massive stress – that's what really appealed to me.
"I had to play this role, and I was involved in this project for three years before, so there's been a lot of talking."
This is Rose's first lead role and previously, the 'Strictly Come Dancing' winner revealed she was always "frustrated" when she couldn't get a central part on the small screen.
She told the Radio Times magazine: "I've wanted to do something like this for a long time.
"I've been acting for about 13 years. When I've done theatre, I've always had a small role and it used to frustrate me because I feel that there's a story out there that's not being told. I needed to show everyone I can do this."
The former 'EastEnders' star noted that there is still "a lot of prejudice" around and sometimes others wrongly assume she isn't aware of what they are saying just because she is deaf.
She added: "There's a lot of prejudice. You're slow because of the environment that you're in. Everyone else is making it slow - it's not yourself. That's why I say I love being deaf. There's no problem with being deaf at all. It's my environment that makes it harder for me to be deaf.
"There's a famous saying, 'I'm disabled because the world disabled me.' What makes this script and plot so exciting is how Alison plays with that to her advantage. Everyone will assume she's 'just' a deaf girl. It happens to me a lot. I have people talking about really uncomfortable situations in front of me, assuming I won't hear them."
