Janine Butcher’s flirtation with landlord of the Queen Vic Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) will see some fairly outrageous behaviour over Christmas in EastEnders as Janine tries every trick in the book to get Mick to fall for her and reject Linda (Kellie Bright).
Charlie Brooks, who plays Janine, reveals that her character can’t comprehend why Mick insists on choosing Linda over her as he plans to bring his family back together again at Christmas.
‘She feels rejected and confused as to why he’s staying with [Linda],’ says Charlie. ‘For her, it’s very black and white. All she sees is the evidence of what the last few years have been like and what Mick’s told her.’
She says the problem for Janine is that ‘she’s not privy to their relationship and how deep it is.’ All Janine can see is that Mick and Linda’s relationship ‘is not in a very good place, so she’s trying to help him see that in order to get what she wants – which is him!’
But how far would Janine go to get her man? Charlie thinks Janine does have a conscience and thinks more about her behaviour as she gets older. ‘But she also goes too far,’ she laughs. ‘She’ll definitely go too far, but as she gets older the interesting thing is that she’s more considered about what she’s doing and the effects her behaviour might have. Maybe it doesn’t feel as reckless, but just misplaced.’
Janine’s flirtatious behaviour definitely attracts the attention of Shirley (Linda Henry) and Nancy (Maddy Hill), and Charlie says that Janine tries to kid herself that she doesn’t care what people think of her – but deep down she really does.
‘[Nancy and Shirley] haven’t been very welcoming or very nice to her. She is on the attack from them from the get-go really. I can’t see it ever being plain-sailing. There’s part of her that would really love people to like her. There’s a desperate need. She’s quite deep into her own insecurities and self-loathing but she masks it as fake confidence and a kick-ass attitude.’
Reflecting on Janine’s years in Albert Square, Charlie says, ‘There’s usually fights and she usually gets herself into trouble. It’s never a happy Christmas for Janine. They are usually full of drama and tears!’
Will Christmas 2021 be any different?
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