Actress Beth Nixon, who portrays the manipulative Megan Walsh on Coronation Street, has opened up about the public reaction to her character's disturbing storyline. Megan, an athletics coach, has been secretly grooming 16-year-old Will Driscoll, played by Lucas Hodgson-Wale, since his arrival in Weatherfield.
Storyline Details
Megan made her debut last year as Will's coach, and it soon emerged that she had been grooming him for months. The pair planned to run away together, and Megan became pregnant with his child. Despite their denials, the truth came out, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case due to insufficient evidence, leaving Will's family devastated.
Public Reaction
Appearing on This Morning, Nixon discussed the feedback she has received. She noted that being a woman has perhaps led to a more forgiving response from the public. "I think because I'm a woman, if it was the other way round the public reaction would be a lot different," she said. "But people, they're not that bad!"
She added: "When it's an older woman, it's kind of seen as a rite of passage for young boys. But obviously that's not the case – it's exactly the same: Will is a child and Megan is an adult and she's in a position of trust. But the public, they've been alright – fingers crossed! It might get worse!"
Protecting the Young Actor
Soap expert Sharon Marshall revealed that a strict rule has been implemented to protect the 17-year-old actor playing Will. "We've never actually seen you kiss because the actor is 17. So you protected the actor on-screen," she said.
Nixon confirmed this, explaining that the lack of on-screen intimacy surprised viewers. "It helps me, it makes it easier for me because there's a level of intimacy we have. And I didn't even know that going into filming," she said. "It's really interesting because when I tell people we haven't kissed, they're quite surprised – they're like 'you have! You definitely have!' And I'm like 'no, we haven't'. It's just kind of implied, and we get creative with how we're going to end a scene where there should be a kiss."
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
