Lie With Me star Charlie Brooks says she has faced “typecasting” since playing Janine in EastEnders
Brooks is starring in new Channel 5 thriller Lie With Me, which debuts tomorrow.
Former EastEnders star Charlie Brooks said she has faced "typecasting" as a result of her long run on the soap.
Brooks, who has played Janine Butcher on and off since 1999, appearing in over 900 episodes and returning earlier this year, said she thinks the character is so well known that it can be hard for people to see her in anything else.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about her role in new Channel 5 thriller Lie With Me, Brooks said, "Janine was kind of, is it fair to say a bit iconic as a character? And so it’s hard for people to see you in anything else."
She added, "I think I’m A Celebrity probably helped with that because they’re like, 'Oh! Charlie and Janine are very different,' thank God! Although I’m sure there are some similarities in there somewhere, there has to be doesn’t there? It scares me to say that!
"So I think definitely there is typecasting that happens, for sure."
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Asked whether that typecasting is frustrating, or whether it simply makes her think she's done such a good job on EastEnders, she responded, "It’s two different thought processes, isn’t it?
"I can either choose to go, 'Oh, s**t, I can’t do anything else, am I only ever going to be seen as that?' or you can go, 'It means she was brilliant.'
"And it’s given me the opportunity to explore other things that I’m doing outside of acting, which has been really exciting over the last couple of years, which has definitely kept me sane and been really important for me to explore – what other things I can do outside of acting.
She concluded, "I don’t know if it’s got in the way; probably I’d say yes, a little bit but Janine was brilliant and awesome to play."
Brooks plays Anna Fallmont in the Australian series Lie With Me, which kicks off on Channel 5 on Monday 12th July and is described as "a chilling tale" with "deadly consequences."
Lie With Me airs on Channel 5 nightly from Monday 12th July at 9pm. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide.
