EastEnders and Hollyoaks star Carli Norris admits she has tried being good. It just wasn’t much fun.
“I have tried the good side but it just didn't suit me,” says Carli who is promising a wickedly-fabulous Malevolent in this year’s panto Beauty & The Beast at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre from Friday, December 8-Sunday, January 14.
“I have tried the good side but it just didn't suit me,” says Carli who is promising a wickedly-fabulous Malevolent in this year’s panto Beauty & The Beast at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre from Friday, December 8-Sunday, January 14.
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00:00 Yeah.
00:01 Good afternoon, my name is Phil here at Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers.
00:05 Lovely to speak again to Carly Norris, who is back in Panto in Eastbourne.
00:10 Now, Eastbourne, Carly, is a venue that you adore, don't you?
00:13 You love Eastbourne. There's something about it for you, isn't there?
00:16 Absolutely, a huge part of my life.
00:19 I've performed here quite a few times, and really many, many, many happy memories.
00:25 And I've come to know not just the people who work in the theatre on the stage,
00:31 but the backstage guys, the people on the stage door, and everyone at the box office.
00:37 Everyone is so friendly. So I look forward to this every year.
00:41 And it's a good place for Panto, isn't it?
00:43 It's the best place for Panto.
00:46 Having a matron theatre like this, with all the glory of the beautiful red drapes and the gold
00:52 inside, beautiful ceiling, and a raked stage.
00:56 It's a proscenium arch theatre. I love a modern theatre, don't get me wrong,
01:00 but this is the reason I went into acting.
01:02 So you've got a beautiful theatre, glorious theatre, and yet again, you're insisting on being evil.
01:08 Why?
01:10 I can't help it. It's just one of those things.
01:12 I've tried being good, and you know what? I've come to the conclusion it's good to be bad.
01:19 I can have a nice interaction with the parents.
01:24 The children hate me. The parents kind of like me, but they don't want me to know that.
01:28 And I can be quite naughty with them. So it's my ideal part to get my teeth into.
01:34 That sounds fantastic. But you're not total queen of darkness, are you?
01:37 It's important to throw in the humour as well.
01:39 Well, I think this is what I have said before.
01:43 My first ever time I played a baddie, I took it so, so seriously.
01:47 I was so dark that there were children crying left, right and centre.
01:51 But I got nominated for a Panto Award for Best Baddie.
01:55 So I thought, well, I'm doing something right. I'll do this, you know.
01:57 And then I got hold of Chris Jordan's scripts, and I thought, actually,
02:02 his baddies are really wonderful because there's a little
02:04 something under the layer that could be turned into ridiculousness.
02:08 So, you know, I'm very vain. I'm very sure of myself.
02:13 I know everything. I know I'm right, in the right all the time.
02:16 But I make ridiculous mistakes, silly faux pas,
02:20 and the audience can then laugh at me, which I absolutely love.
02:24 I love comedy. I'm a comedy actress. So I think it is for me, it's one of the best.
02:29 It sounds brilliant and slightly surprising.
02:31 It's only fairly recently that you've come to Panto, isn't it?
02:34 It's only the what, sorry?
02:36 Only fairly recently that you've come to Panto, isn't it?
02:39 Yes. Well, yeah, no. 2017 was my first baddie.
02:43 I did do one Panto years and years and years ago, about 20 years ago,
02:48 and I didn't really understand the concept of Panto.
02:51 And I think that's where some people trip up sometimes
02:54 because there are certain rules that you have to stick to.
02:56 There's the rule of three if you're going to do something.
02:59 Like, for instance, if I was doing a call out, "Oh, no, I won't,"
03:02 they'd come back, "Oh, yes, you will. Oh, no, I won't. Oh, yes, you will."
03:06 If you do it more than three times, it's not funny,
03:09 but you can always change it slightly on the third time.
03:12 And also, you know, the rules of Panto,
03:14 there are only certain people who can talk to the audience
03:17 or look at the audience and acknowledge them.
03:19 So, yeah, and every single character has got a different relationship
03:24 with the audience and a different job to do.
03:25 And the girls are going to love coming to see Beauty and the Beast.
03:31 Beauty's costumes, her ball gowns are incredible.
03:35 - Oh, yes, that's fantastic. - It's a really stunning...
03:37 One of the funniest actors I've ever worked with, Lewis.
03:40 They all are. It's the dream team.
03:42 Best cast I've ever worked with.
03:43 And it's so odd, isn't it, when you think about it.
03:45 There's so much in our lives changes, doesn't it?
03:47 But Panto just comes back year after year after year,
03:51 and it's a great constant, isn't it?
03:53 Absolutely. And I think the year we came back,
03:57 we couldn't have Panto when we were, you know,
03:59 obviously we were all on lockdown.
04:01 There was a massive relief when we could get back out
04:04 and enjoy theatre again, but particularly Panto,
04:07 even though we asked everyone in the audience to wear a mask
04:10 and we were all being very, very careful,
04:11 there was still a bit of COVID going round.
04:14 And we ended up down to, I think there were three
04:17 original cast members in the end at one point.
04:20 But luckily by the end of the performance,
04:23 by the last show, we were all back together again.
04:26 But the audience got it.
04:28 I mean, there was a moment in that where I walked on stage
04:30 with my surgical mask on by mistake
04:32 because we were supposed to wear it backstage.
04:34 And, you know, all this kind of shenanigans went on,
04:37 but they were kind of there
04:38 because they were going through it too.
04:39 We're only human beings as well.
04:42 We're not just magical actors that appear.
04:44 - It's just such a great way of bringing people together,
04:46 isn't it, Panto?
04:47 - Absolutely, 100%.
04:49 And it's a way of families celebrating together.
04:51 Families who don't see each other throughout the year,
04:53 they can all get a ticket to Panto, come along,
04:55 have something to eat, have an amazing night.
04:58 Maybe that's the only night that they do all get together,
05:00 but it's worth it.
05:02 And I just love it.
05:04 Christmas starts the day I get in my car
05:06 to drive down to the first rehearsal.
05:08 - Brilliant.
05:08 Well, thank you so much.
05:09 You are a fantastic ambassador for Panto.
05:11 Thank you.
05:12 It was really lovely to speak to you again.
05:14 Have a great Christmas in Eastbourne.
05:15 Thank you.
05:16 - Thanks.