Suranne Jones has opened up about her experiences with fame in the early 2000s while starring as Karen McDonald on Coronation Street.
Vigil and Gentleman Jack star Suranne Jones has opened up about her struggles with fame during her time on Coronation Street. The actress, who played Karen McDonald on the ITV soap from 2000 to 2004, shared her experiences on the Table Manners podcast with mother and daughter duo, Jessie and Lennie Ware
Karen arrived in Coronation Street in June 2000 and had many prominent storylines, especially involving her various flings, and was best known for her relationship with Steve McDonald (played by Simon Gregson), whom she was planning to marry for a bet.
She admitted that while her rise to prominence was “huge”, she didn’t find it “fun”. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
Suranne explained: “The paps were chasing us – it was just a different time… It was not fun, not when you’re young.
“It was around the time of people needing to look a certain way, and all of that ring of shame, that’s the era that we’re talking about.”
She further revealed: “I had people outside my house. I was being followed. I do think it was a particular time. Everyone was so young, we were all mid-20s. I didn’t go to university, so that was my university.”
Suranne saw critical acclaim for her role as Karen, and spoke about the numerous awards she had won at the time. She said: “I won quite a lot of awards then, because people loved Karen, because she was kind of feisty, people thought I was maybe like Karen. So I think the press loved the character and wanted something interesting for me.”
The star also noted that the weekly episode count increased during her time on the show, a “huge shift” that resulted in her being on screen more often.
She explained: “We were just in more episodes and [spent] more time in people’s living rooms.
“And like I said, Karen was really wild. So people just thought that I was.”
The actress will soon be appearing in Netflix’s upcoming thriller, Hostage. In this gripping drama, she will portray a fictional yet fierce British Prime Minister who is thrust into a high-stakes scenario when her husband is abducted.
The show’s writer Matt Charman told Tudum: “I’ve been dying to find the right story to tell with Suranne and I honestly believe what she’s done with this character is going to blow the Netflix audience away. An embattled British PM in the middle of a fight for her country and her family — she’s fierce, ruthless, and you can’t take your eyes off of her.’
Speaking on the the new TV series Suranne said: “I’m thrilled to be on Netflix, in something I’m really proud of. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. We’d talked about projects previously, but for me, it was about finding the right thing. Hostage was perfect — me and Matt together, backed up by this brilliant, supportive team. I loved it.”