EastEnders actress Gillian Wright has opened up about her decision not to shave her head for real while portraying Jean Slater’s ovarian cancer battle. The star ultimately wore a bald cap, enduring three hours of stillness in the make-up chair to achieve a realistic look.
Speaking on Lorraine, Wright explained two main reasons for not shaving her hair off. Logistically, Rob Kazinsky’s (Sean Slater) availability meant the storyline was filmed early in the year, while later scenes—including climbing the O2—required her to appear with hair. “I would’ve had to have worn a wig to look like me – which I thought it was a bit risky at the top of the O2! It’s a bit windy,” she joked.
However, a more poignant reason influenced her choice. “I’ve got dear friends and family who are going through, or have gone through treatment for cancer, some of whom have lost their hair. It didn’t sit right with me to do this as a game of pretend,” she added.
Wright’s character Jean was recently reunited with her son Sean in emotional episodes focusing on mental health. Jean, who has bipolar disorder, helped Sean with his depression as he considered suicide. A powerful episode saw Jean talk him round after a day of bonding, following an accident that left her bleeding heavily.
In a touching moment, Sean shaved his mother’s head as she continued to lose her hair to chemotherapy. Wright spent five hours in the make-up chair for that scene. The storyline encouraged actor Rob Kazinsky to open up about his own mental health battles.
