EastEnders star Harriet Thorpe never uses her own voice for acting roles
Harriet Thorpe realised that she never uses her own voice in her acting roles after putting on an accent for her portrayal of Elaine Peacock in the BBC soap EastEnders.
Harriet Thorpe never uses her own voice for roles.
The 68-year-old actress portrays Elaine Peacock in the BBC soap EastEnders and explained that she explained how her character's voice was inspired by her great-great-grandmother, who hailed from East London.
Harriet – who has also appeared in sitcoms The Brittas Empire and Absolutely Fabulous - told the Very Very Sherrie podcast: "I went to drama school in the 70s, late 70s, beginning of the 80s, nobody was allowed accents.
"But three generations back, my great great-grandmother, she was a washerwoman from down Mile End. So I talk like this, as Elaine.
"And I realised I never used my own voice for anything. In The Brittas Empire (as Carole), it was trying to cry all the time. In Ab Fab (as Fleur), she's (posh accent) 'Really, really.'
"So I never do me."
Harriet explained that he loves getting to share EastEnders scenes with Colin Salmon, who portrays her alter ego's ex-husband George Knight.
She told host Sherrie Hewson: "Working with Colin, I mean, he is just beautiful, and a fabulous actor.
"But what's hysterical, darling, as always we're now divorced, darling. You know, and he's with someone else. And I don't need a man at the moment, thank you."
Thorpe explained that she is grateful she gets the chance to do more light-hearted storylines on EastEnders, such as Elaine's dispute with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) regarding her Peacock Palace boutique in Albert Square.
She said: "There's really important, like we know on soaps, drama that tells stories, whether it's abuse or whatever, they matter.
"And then joyously, I get to do, like the street app that we all have, it's the petty dramas that I'm able to play out.
"You know, who's not done their flowers in the front of their garden properly, or you know, so I get the chance to do drama and a bit of, you know, petty drama, which is heaven.
"I'm so grateful and lucky to be able to do the facet of characters that we all know."
Harriet is approaching the third anniversary of her first EastEnders appearance and claims that it is a "different vibe" from other projects she has worked on.
She said of her Walford experience: "It's been the most glorious, amazing time and you've (Sherrie) had so much more experience in that arena than I have. But it's that thing of, it's such a different vibe."
