| CLAIRE RUSHBROOK PLAYS KAREN DONNELLY
Claire Rushbrook says she managed to conquer her phobia about blood before stepping into the role of a road crash victim in Collision. As a woman prone to fainting even at the sight of fake blood, Claire admits it was a daunting prospect to see the graphic re-creation of a multiple vehicle pile up. But thanks to playing a pathologist in ITV1 drama Whitechapel, last year she has overcome her fear of blood. “I have fainted before at the sight of blood, even when it is pretend blood. I have a vivid imagination even though I know it is pretend gore if it looks truthful and the acting is good I get upset for the victim. “I am really squeamish with blood and gore and given the choice, would rather not watch horror films. Playing a pathologist in Whitechapel I found myself literally up to my elbows in the fake intestines of these horrendous mutilated poor women who were victim of the Ripper. “It was up to my character to describe in painstaking detail the wounds and get really mucky, but it was good! It cured me! “So coming onto the set of Collision and seeing victims of the crash was a breeze! Nothing would be as bad as routing around in the abdomen of a butchered prostitute!” Claire plays Karen Donnelly who is embroiled in a potentially explosive plot to expose her boss and the malpractice of his company in the press. She is on her way to deliver the damning evidence to a journalist when she is involved in the horrendous crash. “Karen Donnelly lives on her own, and I don’t think there is much excitement in her life. A rather charming debonair young journalist makes her feel special and persuades her to collaborate with him in exposing damning evidence about her boss and his company,” Claire explains. “She is driving to meet the journalist with this very incendiary evidence in the back of her car driving to meet the journalist when she is caught up in this horrendous pile-up. “Her mission was almost complete but then she’s badly injured in the crash and is taken to hospital. “Karen is badly hurt; her ribs are broken and she is in great pain, she loses consciousness after the crash but absolutely all she is concerned about is the evidence on the back seat of her crumpled car. “She knows that the consequences for her will be dire and her worse case scenario is happening. Apart from being confused and physically out of control she is mentally out of control because her plan has fallen apart. “The crash scene was made to look very real and unpleasant. It has made me feel a lot more aware of things when I am driving on the road. You can drive as carefully as you can but someone else might mess up and then you see the terrible consequences.” Claire’s recent credits include Mutual Friends, Ashes to Ashes, Linda Green, The Sins, Secrets and Lies and Carrie and Barrie. |