ROSE Ayling-Ellis has slammed EastEnders for creating “unrealistic scenes” for her as a deaf actress.
The star, who plays Frankie Lewis in the soap, said that while she was grateful to the show for giving her an opportunity and making the set accessible, she was “frustrated” by scripts written from the view of a non-deaf person.
Rose Ayling-Ellis has slammed EastEnders for the way they wrote her scripts
The deaf actress has filmed her final scenes on the soap
In a passionate and honest speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Rose admitted she was fearful of sharing her experiences in the industry publicly.
But she stayed true to herself and went on to highlight how she has been made to feel a ‘burden’ by pushing for fair and realistic representation for deaf people in TV dramas.
Revealing how the ‘lazy’ director of an unnamed programme refused to bring in deaf consultants to help shape Rose’s character, she said: “Just hiring a deaf actor is not a job well done. I was made to feel like I was difficult, that I was a burden.
“If they had just listened and worked with me, it would have made everyone’s life much easier. It was such a missed opportunity to create something beautiful, if only they had been willing to put in the work.”
And lifting the lid on shortcomings behind-the-scenes at EastEnders, Rose said: “I often receive a script that it is not quite right. They will write my characters who are in a room with a big group of people arguing with each other, following everything that is being said and even repeating things back to them.
“Or they will write my character as lipreading someone from impossibly far away – like I have a superpower, which is not realistic at all! I am playing a deaf character that is either written as a hearing person, or as a deaf stereotype.”
The errors meant Rose often took it upon herself to help edit scripts, however, her suggestions didn’t always make the cut.
“Even though I am not paid to do the extra work on top of my job, I try to fix the problem on set and a lot of the time people are very supportive and make changes based on my advice,” she said.
“But the problem is, it doesn’t get added to the script. So, when it comes to editing, the editor follows the original script and the changes I make are left out of the final cut.
“This isn’t a one off, it happens to me every week. I’m constantly fighting to have my deaf identity represented but end up being made to feel like my voice isn’t heard – I end up feeling torn. Torn between representing the deaf community and telling our
story but wanting to have a career with good working relationships.”
The actress said she asked repeatedly for a deaf consultant to be brought in to help with scripts but the pace of production often meant it didn’t happen.
Despite this, bosses did encourage her to have a greater input in the writing process, which she said was ‘small’ progress.
She continued: “By allowing me to make changes to the script means my ideas are portrayed in the final edit. But it shouldn’t have taken me two years of repeating my frustrations, using up my time and energy, to get to a point where I feel able to demand that my needs are met.
“It is another job on top of being an actor and it’s not
optional; if my deafness is badly represented, it’s me that ends up getting the blame. You must remember, I am the only deaf person in the whole company and the only regular deaf actor in any
returning drama on British TV. My one voice amongst so many in the company means I can get drowned out and truthfully, it can be lonely.”
Rose, who has filmed her final scenes on the BBC soap which will air later this year, was keen to stress her concerns were more industry-wide than a specific issue with EastEnders.
She said ‘change at the top’ was needed to reform the way the industry views actors with impairments.
Rose did speak positively of her time on Strictly, which she went on to win with Giovanni Pernice last year.
The show gave her full autonomy over her narrative and allowed her to be her authentic self, resulting in a Bafta win for a must-see moment.
Her success on the dance floor made her even more of a flag bearer for the deaf community, and the pressure of that can be immense.
She said: ” It came with new pressures that I’d never experienced before. For instance, I have heard about programmes developed with a view to exploring deaf culture, being cancelled because I decided not to be a part of them.
“This attitude of ‘if Rose isn’t doing it, we don’t want to do it’ puts massive pressure on me. It’s normal for actors not to say yes to everything they are offered and to choose work and projects that are right for them.
“For me, saying no meant other deaf people lost opportunities too and it leaves me feeling guilty and conflicted.”
Rose plays Frankie Lewis in the Square
