Young actor Luke Bailey joined CASUALTY at the beginning of Series 19 and has already been involved in a major storyline for his character – receptionist Sam Bateman – who suffered a mental disorder. Luke talks to holby.tv about his role…
You’ve been in Casualty for nearly a year now. Do you enjoy playing your character?
Yes. The good thing about Sam is he changes, so I get to play a lot of different things.
Your first storyline involved Sam’s mental health problems – was this a challenging storyline to play? Did you have to do much research for it?
Yes I did a lot of research into the bi-polar disorder. But I tried not to delve into too much the character wouldn’t know. I tried to keep it as real as possible. I think all storylines are challenging depending on how you tackle them.
Have you had much response from viewers regarding your character?
Yes, most people say things like ‘Your that nutter!’ Not the desired response but I’ve had a few people who work in hospitals or mental health professions be very encouraging of my performance.
How do you build yourself up for emotional scenes? Do you find it hard switching off after filming?
Switching off is fine. I’m sometimes tired and drained. Building up – I play it as real as I can so tears and emotions come from what the character would realistically be feeling.
Would you like to see Sam get a love interest? Who would you like to see him pair off with in Casualty?
Who would I like to see Sam with?! ooh, Selena maybe, wouldn’t that be cool!! What about Harry? You could be pre-empting something there…
If you weren’t playing Sam, what other character on CASUALTY would you like to play and why?
Will Manning. He gets all the saucy stuff! To be honest, Woody, because he’s good as gold and up for a laugh.
Who are your closest friends on Set?
Suzanne Packer (Tess). And also Elyes Gabel (Guppy) eventhough we don’t get many scenes together. We are all mates, cast and crew, don’t forget there’s a lot of guys you don’t see.
Have you got any memorable/ funny moments that have happened whilst on Set/ filming?
Loads! One episode I was on a scooter and stacked it right over the handle bars during a take! Much to everyone’s amusement. Not so long ago me and Will Thorp (Woody) had the giggling fits – I had to do the shot by myself!
Would you be a good person to have around in an emergency? Do you have any first aid knowledge?
Not really. I’m aware of the basics so I don’t think I’d do much harm – I hope!
Are you looking forward to running the half-marathon in Bristol this October with co-star Georgina Bouzova (Ellen)? What made you decide to do it?
The decision wasn’t difficult. It’s not much to do really and it’s for a worthwhile cause. Yes I am looking forward to it actually, it will be a good laugh.
Did you use to watch CASUALTY before you were in the show?
Truthfully, no.
Which actors/ actresses do you admire?
In general or on the show? I like people who give the character a little more like Tim Roth or Gary Oldman, Ethan Hawke and Denzil Washington. I also like Quentin Tarrantino. On the show, Suzanne Packer and Matt Wait.
What are your tastes in music? What was the last CD you bought?
I have an eclectic music taste. Last CD – In Your Honour by The Foo Fighters – BUY IT!!
What are your favourite sports? Do you support any teams such as football?
I like football and right now I’ll watch tennis and athletics. I support West Ham – up the Irons!
Do you like travelling? What’s your favourite holiday destination?
I don’t mind travelling. I want to go to Cairo and New Zealand. My favourite holiday was in Kethelonia.
Nice talking to you guys. See you soon x
