Talia Grant has joined ‘Hollyoaks’ – becoming the first female actress who is autistic to land a mainstream role on British TV.
The actress will play teenager Brooke Hathaway, who is autistic, in the Channel 4 soap and the star is "really looking forward" representing people with the lifelong, developmental disability on the small screen.
She said: "I am so excited to be joining ‘Hollyoaks’. I have met some of the cast and being on set was fun and everyone was super-nice and made me feel welcome.
"For a long while there has been no representation on screen of autistic women, especially autistic women of colour, so I am really looking forward to developing the character of Brooke and representing something that perhaps people are unaware of."
‘Hollyoaks’ executive producer Bryan Kirkwood has praised Talia – who identifies as having high-functioning autism – for her "joyful" audition process.
He said: "We are delighted that the search for Brooke uncovered brilliant new talent Talia, whose auditions were joyful.
"She will bring a new different voice into the show and we are very excited about her arrival into the Osbornes where she will bring a secret from the past."
Brooke will arrive in the Hollyoaks village in June and will be fostered by the Osbornes, and Bryan has hinted she could be set to face some bad times at school.
He added: "Brooke is a strong, independent character who has a solid handle on what it means to be a teenage girl with autism and we have worked with Talia on developing her character.
"The best way to describe Brooke’s autism is to say that she experiences the world a hundred times more intensely than other people. Every light shines brighter, every smell is stronger – and every word she takes to heart that little bit more.
"Happy times like going out for ice cream with Nancy become cherished experiences for Brooke that she will never stop talking about … but a rude, snappy remark from a teacher will cut Brooke to the core."
Talia Grant joins Hollyoaks
