Ask James Alexandrou transcript
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| This event took place Thursday 19th December 2002 |
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James Alexandrou
EastEnders' tearaway Martin Fowler filled us in on life in the Square!
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Angie: Your surname doesn't sound English. Where does it come from?
James: I'm half Greek, my dad's a Greek Cypriot. I've got relatives in Cyprus but lots of
relatives in London too.
Andy: What's it like to act a scene which involves hitting someone with a car?
James: It wasn't as great as it looks on screen. We were shooting for a week and you shoot
little bits and pieces of it. It was good fun though, getting to bomb around Albert Square in the
car! There was a stuntman for Jack and me... they both had dodgy wigs on.
Alex: Have you got any major roles other than EastEnders coming up?
James: Not planned no, I'm happy in EastEnders and I've got some good storylines now. It's
good to be part of it and we'll just see how this goes.
Rebecca: What are you doing at Christmas?
James: I'll be spending it at my house with my family. They tell me off if I don't mention
them. We have a big traditional feast. On Boxing Day we have all the Greeks come around and
that's completely mad. I'll probably watch the Christmas Day episodes. I've heard it'll be hard
not to cry. I advise you to watch it as well.
Lorlababe: Which acting school did you go to?
James: The Anna Scher Theatre in London. Natalie Cassidy went there too. It's not a
full-time drama school, it's more a group after school but it's very respected. I was about eight
when I started. My mum put my name down to get me off the streets really.
Bethy: What has been your favourite scene so far during your time in EastEnders?
James: Apart from the stuff at Christmas, it was the drugs storyline with Nick Cotton.
When you take drugs, you become a different person, so it was nice to get away from Martin a
little bit and do something slightly different.
Laura: Do you live in London? Are you a typical Londoner?
James: I live in North East London. I used to live in Hackney which is proper East London.
What's a typical Londoner though? I suppose I am.
Cleopatra: What's your favorite pop group?
James: I don't know. I've got an eclectic taste in music. Pop groups, rock groups,
everything. Sugababes I've been listening to a lot lately, their album's good. Never tempted to
get into music myself though, I can't sing to save my life.
Hanz100: Are you and your on-screen girlfriend Alison friends in real life?
James: Yes, she's a great girl. We've got mutual friends outside EastEnders and we get on
really well. We've got some great stuff coming up after Christmas.
Anita: What are you like at driving in real life?
James: I passed my driving test in real life and on screen on the same day, which was
weird. I'm all right I think. I've had one little knock and I got a few weird looks when I pulled
up on the sidelines, but I'm taking it easy. I'm a lot more cautious than Martin!
VEZY78: How did you react when you were told you were the person to kill off Jamie?
James: I was really shocked to start with. Jack is a popular guy, and knowing I was going
to run him over was a bit weird. But at the end of the day he's going and it's good that I'm the
one to do it as I get some big storylines. Jack was still there after we'd filmed the crash and I
remember us laughing about it and we got over it, as it's not real you know!
Nimmy: When you first started in EastEnders, did the cast help you with acting tips?
James: I was 11 when I started, and obviously you don't know everything at that age. I had
a lot of advice from Wendy Richard and Todd Carty, mostly about confidence building. Wendy always
looks after me, I call her Mum!
Ash1: How does being in a soap affect your school work? Did teachers give you extra time
to hand work in?
James: I finished school about a year ago. I tried to go to college but it proved too
hard. It meant lots of extra homework. I was taking homework in to EastEnders. I had a tutor for
a while, but you have to do it.
Dunkan: Who's your closest friend on the cast? And who's the funniest?
James: Closest friends... there's a lot of younger ones in it now and we've all bonded
very well. Chris (Spencer) can be funny sometimes, we go to the gym a lot and he's always
complaining about his muscles.
KrazyKatLucy: Do you like playing the bad boy in EastEnders?
James: Yeah, it's always fun being the bad boy. You get to run over people and smash car
windows and break into the Vic! Better than standing at the veg stall handing out apples. A bit
more interesting.
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