Verona Rose
Category: Press Pack ArticleInterview with Verona Rose for The Real Dirty Dancing
Articles using this interview must credit The Real Dirty Dancing starts Monday 21st February at 9pm on E4 and All 4
Why did you sign up to the Real Dirty Dancing?
You know what, I think I signed up to it mainly for a few reasons. One would definitely be because when I was younger, we used to have sleepovers, me and my friends, and we'd try and do the dances, try and do that iconic lift. I was the biggest out of my female friends so I was always the one that had to be Johnny! And I think it was just almost bringing a childhood dream to reality. Also, I'm a terrible dancer, and I wanted to try and learn, just try and do something a bit different, try and learn some dance moves.
So you are a fan of the movie then?
Yeah, we used to watch it as kids. My sister that I'm 16 years older than, she's not a fan of the film like we were but she's definitely someone that knows the quotes and stuff from the film. So, yeah, definitely she must have got that from me!
When you were watching the movie with your mates, who did you all fancy?
It's weird because I think definitely it would've been Johnny back then, but when I watched it again recently I was like, “he is so horrible!” I just don't remember thinking that he was horrible when I was younger, as in not a nice person. He was so mean to Baby! So when I got older I was like, “Johnny's horrible. Why would you want him?” I think Robbie is handsome!
Do you have a favourite scene or dance?
My favourite song was that one when she's crawling along the floor, it's like they're about to have a dance session and it's the first time that we see them let their guards down. We see Johnny let his guard down and they're a lot more relaxed with each other, and I love, love, love that scene and I love the song and I got to do the crawl as well when we did it on the show!
Can you relate to Baby in any way?
I definitely related to her in the growth that she made in her character. So, at first she was very unsure of herself, unsure of who she was, very shy, very reserved, and that was always me. And then the growth that she made where she came out and she became this sexy swan almost. I could relate to that. If there was a hot boy when I was younger, I'd not want to go near them and I'd be able to look at anyone but that person, you know, looking past them.
Ashley and Keith throw you in the deep end on the first day, pair you with Lee Ryan and told you to do some Dirty Dancing…
Oh my God, yes. Do you know what? I remember that moment, everyone was really, really nervous! I was a bit nervous because I was with Lee Ryan, oh my gosh, I just remember thinking we're going to have to bump and grind! But it actually really did break the ice, it made us all feel, from that minute, we were family, we were friends. And we dropped our guard and kind of anything goes, if that makes sense? And Lee lifted me up. No one has ever lifted me up, so I was like, “oh my God, what is going on?” I was an absolute mess about Lee Ryan lifting me up! I had to just play it cool like, “Yeah, I've got to dance with Lee Ryan, yeah, fine, it's nothing”. You've got to have your poker face on, but I was like, “Oh my God, my friends are going to go wild when they see this and hear about this!”
When you were watching the others, who impressed you the most?
Chelsee and Bobby just went for it, and they were first as well. They just went for it like no one was watching, they really just set the bar high and it was like, “Okay, they've done it, we've all got to just get in and do it now”.
Was it liberating in any way?
Definitely, definitely, liberating. I just kind of went with it. I'm from a Caribbean background, so this is the kind of dancing we do, you know? I'm always first on the dance floor at parties. I can't dance very well but if I hear music I have to move! I think sometimes people are like, "What is wrong with her? Why is she in the middle of the floor dancing on her own?" But if I'm with my sister, if I'm with my mum, we'd be dancing. So, yeah, I think it definitely has something to do with my background. Even with my cousins, any family members, if there's music playing, we're dancing!
Part of Dirty Dancing is bringing that chemistry, how did you find that side of things?
Do you know what, I have to say, I'm an actor, so I didn't find it really difficult. I think I found it most easiest with Arg, he was just cool, he has got this natural swagger and coolness about him, so, yeah, I found it really easy with Arg. I think being an actor, in front of the cameras, we just found the chemistry.
Did you create a character in your head to get you into the mood?
You know like Beyoncé has Sasha Fierce? I feel like I was like that, who could I be? I was Shonda Fierce! It was great, having to hold the eye contact and stuff. I found it really awkward with Tom, we got on really, really well behind the scenes and stuff, but I found it the hardest with him, maybe because I think he was the youngest. I felt like his auntie!
Were there any dancing mishaps?
I had a moment, I've still got the little mark to show it, when I was dancing with Darren, and his nail cut me. I'm pretty sure there was some hands and faces ended in the wrong place by mistake. We were being lifted, and I've never, ever, even my partner of 15 years, I'm like, "You can't lift me because I'm so awkward," even though I know he's strong enough to lift me. So when I was working with one of the trainers and he lifted me, I just felt like a feather and I felt amazing. I just want to keep being lifted now. Actually, I've not been lifted since, I'm going to have to get someone to lift me tonight!
Apparently Bobby and Arg were obsessed with Anthea?
They literally were! When I got paired with Arg, I felt so bad because I knew he wanted to be with Anthea! So, yeah, they were, but I was obsessed with Anthea. Anthea is an absolute queen, and she taught me so much, so much in front of the camera, so much behind the camera, she is just a doll. Everyone was obsessed with her, but, yeah, specifically Arg and Bobby, they were like, "I want to be with her.” She’s a woman in her 60s that just looks incredible and I was going crazy for her as well!
Did you do the bungee jump?
Yeah, I feel sick thinking about it! I've dived with sharks, I've taken a selfie with a shark. I've abseiled down the sheer face of a mountain. But doing that bungee jump, I feel sick, oh my goodness, I feel sick thinking about it. I had to do it with Bobby and it was weird because some people were really freaking out when we got told to do it and I was just like, “yeah, whatever, it is what it is, we've got to do it”. I don't like to worry myself before the fact, do you know what I mean? So we got into the crane, and we're going up, waving, saying bye to everyone, I was like, okay, let me take a moment to just look at the view because it was stunning and the grounds we were on were just amazing. So I looked at the view, I was like, wow, what a blessing. And then all of a sudden, my legs just started shaking and I was like what am I doing? Why am I doing this for TV? But Bobby was really sweet, he calmed me down and then we dropped! I thought my head was going to explode!
What was the location like?
It felt like being in the movie! Even when we were arriving, they bought us in the car and I was with Saffron singing along, and this for me was the most magical experience I've ever had. I'm never going to have that experience again. I'd love to relive it.
Was there a particular scene you had to recreate that sticks in your mind?
The log scene was incredible, I had to do that with Darren Harriott. I barely got up on the log, I had to drag myself along because it was too high. But everyone else did it, and everyone else did a little dance on there too, poor Darren got lumbered with me! The Hungry Eyes performance was all about the connection and being sexy and sensual with your partner, I was with Arg for that, and he just made it so easy. We didn't rehearse loads, but when it came to it, we pulled it out of the bag. I'm not saying we won, but we pulled it out of the bag. We tried our best!
Did you have fun off camera as much as you had fun on camera?
Do you know what, everyone was incredible. Bobby is literally my best friend now. We just clicked straight away. Everyone was just incredible, someone like Saffron, she's such an inspiration, her determination, her hard work. Both on camera and off camera, she just wanted to do well within it. I love Darren Harriott, we get on really, really well…now.
Did you clash?
When we were rehearsing together we had a little lovers' tiff, but we were doing long days, we were training, we were hungry! So we had a little lovers' tiff but we get on really, really well, I really, really like him. He's one of my favourites. They're all my favourite. And we had movie nights, we had some dancing, singing along with each other. And some nice meals. We've been out already together and we're going out again, so it's like friends for life. And you always say that when you meet people on a job, but so far we've all kept in contact and we're still doing stuff, which is beautiful!
Did it feel competitive during filming or were you just having a laugh?
It definitely felt competitive. Because I can't dance, I was like, “Yeah, I'll just be there for the laughs, I'll just make them laugh because I'm rubbish”. But everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to do their best, I was like, “Okay, Verona, fix up, pull your finger out and just try”. So I started, after a couple of days, I was like, “Okay, let me try and focus”. Especially because I saw everyone really wanted to do well, I didn't want them to be like, "Gosh, I'm with Verona and she's the worst one here." So, yeah, I started trying, but it was competitive.
What was it like working with Ashley and Keith?
Do you know what? They were both so supportive. When Keith saw the growth of some of us, we had tears from him, we even had tears from Ashley. Ashley spent her 40th birthday with us, that says a lot. They were just both absolutely incredible, always encouraging us. Ashley, her outfits were incredible, and the first day we saw her, and the first day we met her, she came out in this red dress and I was like, wow, she is perfect and just stunning! Keith likes to cause a bit of mischief, but so does Ashley! Together they're like a dynamic duo, they make such a great team.
How would you sum up the whole experience?
I'm someone that lives with my head in the clouds, and that was really a fairytale, magical experience that I just wish other people could've got to experience it. I know it's going to look incredible and I think people are going to love it. I really hope audiences love it as much as we enjoyed doing it, because we really, really, genuinely had a great time.
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