Julie Hesmondhalgh hopes to be remembered for more than her role in ‘Coronation Street’.
The 47-year-old actress – who starred as Hayley Cropper in the ITV soap before leaving in 2014 – has recently appeared in ‘Cucumber and ‘Broadchurch’, and Julie is determined to make a success of her post-‘Coronation Street’ career.
She said: "There’s always a list of people that I would eventually like to join when they say, ‘Oh, how will it be for them when they leave [Coronation Street]? It’s only a handful that have done well…’ They always say, ‘Suranne [Jones], Sarah [Lancashire] and Katherine [Kelly].’ Maybe one day they’ll add me on to this list."
Despite her lofty ambitions, Julie admitted her career success has still exceeded her own expectations.
The actress told The Radio Times: "I never expected I’d be here in a million years. I was happy just to do regional theatre, a little bit of telly here and there – I just wanted variety and scope – but I couldn’t have imagined this."
In fact, Julie – who plays a sexual assault victim in ‘Broadchurch’ – revealed she has been a little intimated by some of the company she’s been mixing in recently.
Julie shared: "The first day [on ‘Broadchurch’] I was a little bit overwhelmed by it. We did a photoshoot the other day and it was like being in Madame Tussaud’s! I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’
"I had breakfast with Lenny Henry this morning. It’s like I’m living in a parallel universe where my daughter is off to secondary school and I’m FaceTiming her and then I’m like, ‘So how are things, Lenny?’ It’s just kind of weird – but I think that would be weird for anybody."
Julie Hesmondhalgh reveals her post-Coronation Street ambition
