Juliet Nightingale

Juliet Nightingale (also Quinn) is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Niamh Blackshaw. Blackshaw made her first appearance as Juliet on 21 November 2018. Juliet is the half-sister of Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) and the daughter of Donna-Marie Quinn (Lucy-Jo Hudson), and was brought into the soap as part of the decision to expand the Quinn family. Juliet is initially portrayed as an aggressive, harsh character, but throughout her tenure, her vulnerable and emotional personality has been explored.

Juliet Nightingale
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed byNiamh Blackshaw
Duration2018–
First appearanceEpisode 5032
21 November 2018 (2018-11-21)
Introduced byBryan Kirkwood
ClassificationPresent; regular
Profile
Other namesJuliet Quinn
Occupation
  • Student
  • Drug dealer

Her storylines in the programme have included bullying Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant), her relationship with Sid Sumner (Billy Price) which led to the realisation that she is a lesbian, being groomed into selling drugs and having an attraction to friend Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell). For her portrayal of Juliet, Blackshaw was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2019 Inside Soap Awards.

Casting and characterisation

The character and Niamh Blackshaw's casting details were announced on 4 September 2018. The reasoning behind Juliet's introduction was stated to be due to a decision to expand the existing Quinn family.[1] Juliet is introduced as a new Year 11 student at Hollyoaks High School, placing her in direct scenes with established characters Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana), Oliver Morgan (Aedan Duckworth) and Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant).[2] She is billed as a "damaged and vulnerable young girl who lashes out at the world by bullying others". Actress Blackshaw expressed her excitement at joining the cast and said that she was "extremely grateful" for the chance.[3]

Prior to her debut appearance on the soap, Blackshaw stated that Juliet will bring "a whole lot of drama", that she is "set and ready to bring disruption to Hollyoaks High and make her presence well-known", and that "her mum has always taught her to be the one on top, in order to survive". In regards to Juliet's effort at school, she stated that Juliet is "not interested in being a student", and that she "doesn't see how it's going to help her get to where she wants to be in life", so rather than being studious, Juliet will be "procrastinating and disrupting in as many ways as she can think of to keep her school life interesting", and hinted that her behaviour will have effects on other students. Blackshaw concluded by saying that "Juliet has a lot to learn, and she's going to make a lot of mistakes before she starts settling down".[4] After Juliet's character is explored further, Blackshaw stated that she loves portraying her vulnerable side, and said that Juliet's "cockiness, feistiness and aggression is just a façade".[5]

Storylines

Juliet arrives in the Hollyoaks village and enrols as a student at Hollyoaks High, in the same year group as Imran, Oliver and Brooke, and she begins to bully Brooke. After Donna-Marie informs her that that Mac Nightingale (David Easter) is her biological father, she becomes distressed and has a breakdown in the village. Unable to bottle her emotions, she angrily throws a brick through the school window. Juliet is then found out and is given repercussions for what she has done; her half-brother James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), however, realises what's happened, and the reason behind her behaviour, leading her not to be expelled from Hollyoaks High. Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) learns of the events, and gives Juliet advice and attempts to cheer her up. Juliet misreads his actions, and forms an attraction to Darren, and is convinced he feels similarly. When his child with partner Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) is being born, Juliet rushes into the hospital to say that Darren wants to be with her, to which he negates her claims. Juliet continues taking every opportunity to belittle and embarrass Brooke, including making her miss an important exam, causing her to collapse from sensory overload caused by Brooke's autism and trying to sabotage her relationship with Oliver. After Mac is murdered, Juliet learns that James has framed Donna-Marie for his murder, and that the everyone else in her family knew. Feeling betrayed, she plans on leaving the village with Donna-Marie, until it is revealed that Mac was murdered by Breda McQueen (Moya Brady).

Juliet begins a relationship with Sid Sumner (Billy Price), and after Sid gets drugs from his cousin Jordan Price (Connor Calland), the pair are eventually manipulated into selling and delivering drugs for him. Juliet repeatedly tries to get herself and Sid out of the operation, but each time, she is forced into continuing by Jordan. Juliet begins to doubt their relationship when she does not want to have sex with Sid, who questions why she does not want to do anything sexual, and calls her frigid. Upset by his comment, she ends their relationship. Despite the pair being broken up, Jordan sends Juliet and Sid on a weekend trip outside of the village in order to sell more drugs, and while they are there, Juliet reveals to Jordan that she is a lesbian, and states that she has feelings for his foster sibling, Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell). Juliet purposely breaks ties with James and grandmother Marnie Nightingale (Lysette Anthony) in order to focus on her drug selling, and moves in with Peri, Sid and Leela Lomax (Kirsty-Leigh Porter). When Juliet learns that Jordan has a secret relationship with Peri, she warns her that he is not a good person, but Peri continues to date him. However, after Jordan is arrested for drug dealing, Juliet confesses her romantic feelings to Peri. Peri says that she does not feel the same way, and sees her as a little sister. Hurt by her comments, Juliet sets out to prove she is mature by working directly with Jordan's boss Victor Brothers (Benjamin O'Mahoney).

With Jordan in prison, Victor gives Juliet his "patch", and instructs her to recruit young children to deliver drugs. She reconciles her relationship with James and Marnie, and moves back in with them. She then recruits Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan) and Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer), but begins to feel pressured when she cannot meet Victor's targets. When she attends a party, Brooke asks Juliet to watch over Oliver and ensure he does not get drunk. Knowing she is a dealer, he asks Juliet for ketamine, to which she initially refuses. However, after Peri suspects she is selling drugs and insults her, she shares a bag of ketamine with Oliver and the pair have sex. Peri finds out, and tells Sid, who assumes she lied about being a lesbian, but she explains that she is still gay, but had sex due to the drugs. Marnie later oversees her talking to Victor, and begins to suspect something bad is happening to her.

Development

Family issues

In January 2019, Juliet was revealed to be the daughter of Mac, linking her to the established Nightingale family.[6] After learning that James framed Donna-Marie for Mac's murder, Juliet makes plans to leave the village. Explaining her character's reasoning, Blackshaw stated: "Juliet is really angry, upset and very unforgiving. She's not happy at all! She doesn't like that she's been lied to by the people that she thought cared about her, like Romeo, James and Marnie. They all knew and she didn't. Also, I think she's a bit confused about Sid as well, so everything's just not great in the village. She just wants to get out, hoping it will solve a few problems."[7]

Fixation on Darren Osborne

After the events of her troubled family life, Juliet is seen to form an "inappropriate fixation" on Darren. She forms a crush on him, believing that he feels the same way. Dawson, who portrays Darren, stated Darren "genuinely thinks he's helping" by becoming involved with Juliet, adding: "She’s having problems and he’s been through family problems so he thinks he can help her. Her mum's a prostitute, and she didn’t want her in the first place so he is genuinely trying to be a friend and just a nice guy. As far as he’s concerned there’s no problem there, he going out of his way for her and he doesn’t realise what’s happening." He also stated that Juliet had the potential to ruin Darren's life with accusations, since she is "a messed up little kid" with "all the power".[8] Blackshaw agreed with his comments, adding that the reasoning behind Juliet's obsession with Darren is due to not having a primary caregiver whilst growing up, meaning that when Darren gives Juliet advice and cheers her up, she "latches" onto him. She also commented: "Darren is the first guy outside of her family that’s put himself out there and made himself available to her emotionally so she has latched on to that and taken it the wrong way completely. She genuinely thinks he likes her back, she really does. It just shows how naive she is and she genuinely has no doubt. His reaction is such a shock. I don't even think Mandy's on her mind."[9]

Bullying

Juliet begins to target Brooke, who is autistic, in a bullying storyline. Blackshaw explained that Juliet's motive is not to hurt Brooke, but to make herself feel better about her life. Blackshaw stated that due to be being bullied herself, it was "therapeutic" to switch the narrative and play a bully. She also noted that it was important for Hollyoks to show the vulnerability of autistic people, and praised co-star Tylan Grant, stating that she loves working with them. Blackshaw promised that Juliet would "learn from her mistakes" and "grow", as well as "develop a sense of right and wrong", and that viewers would "sympathise to an extent".[10] The storyline climaxes when the teenagers go to a festival together. Juliet's intention is to drink alcohol and have fun in the crowd, but due to Brooke having autism, Blackshaw explained that it "isn't Brooke's scene at all". Juliet bullies her into joining her, and the scenes see Brooke collapse due to sensory overload. Blackshaw commented: "Juliet is used to being mean and spiteful to everyone. She's messing up all the time and she keeps going back to the Juliet she was before, which means bullying the easiest target she can find."[11]

County lines

In November 2019, it was announced that Juliet would be involved in a long-running county lines drug trafficking storyline, alongside Sid and his cousin Jordan. Blackshaw stated that the reason she thinks Jordan targeted Juliet is due to being "very confident and witty", and "very easy to manipulate". She added that "because of her childhood, she’s very experienced and informed". As the storyline intensifies, Juliet is forced to distance herself from the Nightingale family, to focus on selling the drugs. Blackshaw stated that Juliet "thinks she's in control, but she's not – she's very vulnerable and naïve".[12] During the storyline, Juliet is arrested when she is found to have drugs in her possession. Blackshaw stated that her arrest is the turning point for Juliet, where she begins to "ask questions" and "make some decisions" about whether she wants to continue delivering drugs. She stated that due to her growing up around risks, Juliet is not worried about going to prison, as she "knows she will be able to get through it", but that the arrest does leave Juliet "feeling awful", and wanting to quit the drug delivering, unbeknownst to Juliet how deep into the operation she is.[13]

As part of the county lines storyline, Juliet was given a makeover. In the first two years of her tenure on Hollyoaks, Juliet was known to keep her light brown hair in a tight high side ponytail, which Blackshaw stated made her "feel like a young teen".[12] In an episode broadcast on 31 December 2019, it showed Juliet a year in advance, on 31 December 2020, with dark brown loose hair, and wearing street style clothing.[14] On making the decision, Blackshaw said that she did not mind dying her hair darker, since she had dyed it before, but joked that she was glad to "get rid of the side ponytail", and that she was excited for herself and her character to have a change.[15] She noted that the dark, loose hair would make Juliet "look a bit older", and that people would treat her differently, as a reflection of the storyline.[12]

Sexuality

Another exploration of Juliet's character that was featured in the New Year's Eve "flashforward" was her sexuality, when scenes showed her confessing her love for Peri, and kissing her. Duncan Lindsay of Metro confirmed that the scene would be explored further in a year-long arc that would show her switching from her feelings from Sid to Peri.[16] Blackshaw stated that it was a "surprise" for both her and viewers, as prior to the scene airing, it never been suggested that Juliet liked women romantically. She was told about the storyline "a few months" prior, and was glad that it was not "sprung" onto her so that she could prepare accordingly for the storyline. She added that she has numerous non-heterosexual friends, and that it is "great to represent the LGBTQ+ community."[17] Four months later, scenes were aired showing Juliet coming out to Sid as a lesbian.[18]

Relationships

Blackshaw stated that Juliet's relationship with the rest of her family is "complicated". She stated that Juliet loves half-brother Romeo "more than anything", but that their relationship changes as the pair get older, due to Juliet realising that Romeo is "busy living his own life", which isolates Juliet and makes her feel "very lonely". Blackshaw also stated that despite Juliet loving mother Donna-Marie, she "finds it hard to cope with her when she puts her addictions above her children". Despite Donna-Marie constantly letting Juliet down, Blackshaw said that Juliet "never loses hope that one day her mum will stop taking drugs, get a job and look after her".[12] Juliet is exposed to more family after she becomes linked to the Nightingale family, forming bonds with Marnie and James. However, when it is revealed that James framed Donna-Marie for Mac's murder and that everyone in the family knew but her, she loses her trust in them, especially Romeo. Blackshaw explained that his betrayal hurt her the most, saying: "He's been her rock and now she's been betrayed by him as well. It's like the final loss in her life, and it just drives her down a dark path, because she's got no-one left."[7]

When Juliet joins Hollyoaks High, she is in the same year group as Imran, Oliver and Brooke. Blackshaw stated that upon their initial interactions with each other, they do not like each other due to Juliet's "attempt to prove that she's tough and not to be messed with", which leads to people disliking her. She also noted that Brooke is an "easy target" for Julet, who "naps up any opportunity she has to put Brooke down". Blackshaw explained that Juliet's intention is not to hurt Brooke, but rather to make herself feel better due to her issues at home, and that Juliet "does really like Brooke as a friend, but her main problem is that she doesn't know how to treat friends because she's never had them before."[11] Imran and Oliver see the way that Juliet bullies Brooke, and in turn do not want to be associated with her, until she redeems her behaviour.[4] Scenes in April 2019 see Brooke attempt to set Juliet up with Imran, sending the pair on a date where Juliet attempts to kiss Imran. Blackshaw stated that Imran is "not Juliet's type" and that Juliet does not know enough about Imran, nor is Imran interested in her romantically, but that Juliet only tries to kiss him due to liking "the idea of having someone". Blackshaw added that she "just wants to grow up with knowing the concept of actually liking someone."[9]

Ruby O'Donnell portrays Peri Lomax, Juliet's onscreen love interest.

Juliet's first romantic connection is with classmate Sid, with whom she begins a relationship with. However, when Juliet does not feel ready to have sex with him, he labels her frigid. This leads to Juliet questioning their relationship and her sexuality in general, and the pair break up. Sid confesses that he still loves her, and she confides in him that she is a lesbian. Blackshaw noted that at that point, their dynamic changed from a romantic one to that of a friendship. She stated that Juliet and Sid have a "really good friendship", and are "soul mates rather than lovers", with "no romance between them".[5] Blackshaw added that their breakup was inevitable as "it's very rare that the first person you love is the person you end up with", and that rather than people continuing to ship them together, they should "be happy because Juliet is finding a new love, even if it's not in the place they expected".[17] When the pair became involved in the county lines storyline, Blackshaw stated that without Sid supporting her, Juliet would "crumble", adding: "It's only because the two of them work as a team that they're able to go to a local party, and they manage to do what is asked of them."[19]

In December 2019, it was confirmed that a relationship would develop between Juliet and Peri. Blackshaw stated that at the point of filming their first romantic scene together, she did not know the exact details of how the pair got together, but she knew that a relationship would eventually develop.[5] She added that she loves working with Ruby O'Donnell, who portrays Peri, and that the pair enjoy filming together.[17] O'Donnell echoed Blackshaw's comments, stating that she "loves" their storyline, and that the pair had "both already seen loads of fan accounts for Peri and Juliet".[20] After the pair were involved in a second kissing scene, Digital Spy confirmed that their relationship will continue to develop.[19] The couple have since been referred to by the portmanteau 'Jeri'.[21]

Reception

Upon the announcement of her casting, Johnathon Hughes, writing for the Radio Times, thought that the character's name was unsurprising.[2] Blackshaw stated that upon her arrival in the soap, Juliet was "not particularly liked" due to her brash characterisation. Over time, viewer opinion began to change which Blackshaw owed to scenes showing her family life and "nice moments with Marnie". She stated that Juliet "deserves some bad feedback" after the bullying storyline, adding: "if you do something bad, you deserve some repercussions". She stated that some viewers would question Blackshaw on why Juliet is bullying Brooke, but said that "it was nice" that other viewers could see it was due to Juliet being bullied herself.[11] For her portrayal of Juliet, Blackshaw was nominated for two awards at the 2019 Inside Soap Awards; Best Newcomer and Best Partnership alongside Lysette Anthony, who portrays grandmother Marnie.[10]

See also

References
  1. Lindsay, Duncan (3 September 2018). "Hollyoaks spoilers: Juliet, the daughter of Donna Marie and sister of Romeo, is cast as the school re-opens". Metro. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. Hughes, Johnathon (4 September 2018). "Hollyoaks: meet Romeo's sister – Juliet!". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  3. "Hollyoaks casts Coronation Street actress Niamh Blackshaw as Romeo Quinn's sister". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. "Hollyoaks newcomer Niamh Blackshaw reveals all on Romeo Quinn's sister Juliet". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  5. "Niamh Blackshaw | Danger Ahead". Inside Soap. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  6. Chase, Stephanie (30 January 2019). "Hollyoaks features a big exit and a shocking revelation for the Nightingale family". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  7. Kilkelly, Daniel (24 January 2020). "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw explains Juliet Quinn's shock exit plan". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  8. "Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson warns that Juliet Quinn could ruin Darren's life". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw speaks out on Juliet confessing her 'love' for Darren". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reveals Juliet Quinn's comeuppance in bullying story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  11. "Exclusive: Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reveals more bullying drama for Juliet". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  12. "Interview with Niamh Blackshaw". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. "A risky decision will lead to THIS shock Hollyoaks character's arrest". What's on TV. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  14. "Hollyoaks teases transformation for Juliet Nightingale in new images". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  15. "Niamh Blackshaw looking forward to Hollyoaks hair change". Female First. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  16. "Hollyoaks spoilers: Juliet Quinn declares her love for Peri Lomax in shock twist". Metro. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  17. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reacts to Juliet and Peri revelation in flashforward episode". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  18. "Hollyoaks' Juliet Quinn faces new drugs trouble after confiding in Sid Sumner about her sexuality". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  19. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reveals details of Juliet and Peri kiss scene". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  20. "Hollyoaks star Ruby O'Donnell teases Peri and Juliet romance gossip". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  21. Hollyoaks [@Hollyoaks] (23 August 2020). "Jeri! Jeri! Jeri! 😍 Is this your favourite pairing of 2020? ❤️ #Hollyoaks" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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