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An EastEnders star has opened up for the first time about when she auditioned for a major character on Gavin and Stacey
EastEnders legend Natalie Cassidy, who has played Sonia Fowler since 1993, has revealed that she once auditioned for a significant role in the popular BBC comedy Gavin and Stacey. However, she missed out on securing the part.
The 40-year-old actress made the confession during an episode of her Off The Telly podcast, which she co-hosts with Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page.
Natalie's revelation came as she discussed the hit show ahead of its final episode, which airs on Christmas Day, with fellow BBC stars Adrian Scarborough, Robert Wilfort, and Christine Gernon. The group were also treated to a surprise appearance from James Corden.
As they chatted about the beloved comedy, Natalie shared her little-known connection to the show, admitting: "Can I tell you a secret? Not about me, but I've got one tiny link to Gavin and Stacey. I auditioned for the part of Smithy's sister."
Natalie confessed that she had previously told co-host Joanna about the audition, but this was the first time she had spoken about it publicly. She explained: "I told you [Joanna] but I've not said it out loud. I went up Oxford Street into Baby Cow. Did all my read with James and didn't go to plan, unfortunately," reports the Mirror.
The role of Smithy's laid-back sister Ruth 'Rudi' Smith eventually went to Sheridan Smith of The Royal Family fame. Sheridan, 43, is set to return to our screens as Rudi after a gap of more than a decade.
Although she missed out on appearing in the 2019 Christmas Special, a source close to the show told The Sun that she is "over the moon" to be back, adding: "She is an incredible actress and stepped straight back into Rudi's shoes." The source continued: "Sheridan was over the moon she could go back into the fold and her scenes are brilliant."
On the podcast, actor Robert Wilfort, who plays Jason West in the comedy, raved about how there's no need to improv any lines in Gavin and Stacey thanks to the top-notch writing by Ruth Jones and James Corden.
Their scripts are so good, we don't need to," he admitted. "What's unusual is we have rehearsals, a lot of shows don't have time for rehearsals, we always have a week's rehearsal."
"Sometimes you throw a little bit in and James and Ruth go 'I like that' but they're so good. You can tell they act it out themselves, and they know the characters so well... You know they've sat around the kitchen table and acted it out, and they're so good."
Gavin and Stacey: The Finale airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day at 9pm
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