Elinor Lawless, who portrays Dr Stevie Nash in the BBC medical drama Casualty, has opened up about her character's recent 'reckless' behavior, acknowledging that viewers may find her actions 'frustrating.' Lawless, who joined the show in 2021 for the 35th-anniversary specials, has played Stevie for five years, watching her evolve through explosive storylines.
Stevie's Reckless Affair and Its Fallout
In recent months, Stevie has engaged in an ill-advised affair with trainee doctor Matty Linlaker (Aron Julius), risking her career and her close friendship with Dylan Keogh (William Beck), Matty's long-lost father. When Dylan discovered the affair, he reported her, leading to further tension. Lawless remarked: "There's a recklessness in everything that she's doing at the minute that must be incredibly frustrating as an audience member to watch. But I like the fact that she's human, and I like the fact she has the propensity to f**k people off, because she's not a saint."
Underlying Motivations: Guilt and Cancer
Despite her erratic choices, Lawless insists Stevie means well. "I think the thing that I will always say for Stevie is, ultimately, I think she would like to think of herself as always trying her best. But she's got a lot of growing up to do. She carries a guilt, and for me that guilt is rooted in a lot of childhood stuff for her, and this is stuff that we don't play on screen. But it's stuff that we [actors] get."
A key factor driving Stevie's recent actions is her womb cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Lawless explained: "I think Stevie's experiencing a huge amount of shame and a huge amount of guilt and a huge amount of confusion over her femininity and her viability as a woman. I think just purely from the fact that her womb was taken away without her knowledge or permission... She hasn't really dealt with the cancer stuff."
Future Character Growth
Lawless hinted that Stevie's turbulent behavior may persist, as the character has yet to learn from her mistakes. "She hasn't learned anything yet. And I think for any good story arc to be successful, characters have to learn something at the end. Stevie has a lot of learning to do which is what keeps it interesting... It's fun to try and work out what might motivate her. That's the challenge," she said.
Casualty airs on BBC One on Saturday nights, with episodes available on BBC iPlayer. The show continues to explore Stevie's journey as she navigates her personal and professional challenges.
