Elle Mulvaney may have young shoulders to carry such a gritty storyline as her Coronation Street character being raped and then sued for naming her attacker online.
But the 20-year-old actress, who plays Amy Barlow in the ITV soap, has more than risen to the challenge of tackling such a timely and emotive issue.
Not only has she received her first nomination for best serial drama performance at the National Television Awards, Elle is also helping to open up frank discussions among families across the country about sexual consent.
“I am so pleased conversations have started to happen since this story first aired,” she says.
“The response on social media has been insane and a lot of people have confided in me.
“They have come forward about their own experiences, saying, ‘This has happened to me too,’ and I’ve been really touched they have. At the same time, I find it horrifying it is so common.
“Mums have told me it has made them want to have a conversation with their son about consent.
“The more teenagers that know about this, the less it is likely to happen.”
Admitting she is relieved her friends can be open with each other, the actress, who worked with the Schools Consent Project charity, adds: “It’s the stigma of, ‘Oh gosh, I can’t say anything, it’s too formal’. It isn’t too formal and we should all openly talk about consent.
“Within my own friendship group, nobody is afraid to have those conversations about sexual consent.
“People often say ‘soaps are too dark’ but these things do happen.”
The actress has grown up on Weatherfield’s famous cobbles over 13 years after she joined the show at the age of seven.
For some young actresses, the pressure of being in the limelight, let alone portraying her character’s ordeal, could have proved too much.
But the support of her family, friends, and TV star boyfriend has kept her calm, determined and level-headed.
Laughing, Elle admits if she let the fame go to her head, her parents Simon and Carla, who are retired business owners, as well as her sister Georgia and her two brothers, would move swift and fast to get her back on track.
“My parents are very quick to keep me on a level playing field,” admits Elle, who still lives with her family in Manchester.
“They’re proud but keep me grounded, and no, they definitely wouldn’t let me get too above myself!
“When people say, ‘Thirteen years in Corrie’, you go, ‘Wow’. But then you go, ‘I’ve aged so much!’”
Elle doesn’t feel she has missed out on the teenage life that many of her friends outside TV have enjoyed.
“I guess I have grown up quicker than others because I am always around adults,” she explains. “But I don’t think I’ve missed out.
“I’m doing a job I love and one I’ve always wanted to do. What more can you ask for than being in one of the most iconic families in the soap? I wouldn’t trade that for all the parties in the world.” Best friends with co-stars, including Harriet Bibby, Elle is dating Waterloo Road actor Liam Scholes, 20.
In December, the couple revealed they were dating and, five months later, the romance is still going strong.
“We’re really happy,” she says. “We do nice things together and don’t talk a lot about work because we like to keep our private lives separate.” Going out to the cinema, theatre or for a meal has also been the perfect way to switch off from filming the biggest storyline of her career.
In March, Amy woke up to discover she had been raped by her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Sandford, during a drunken evening.
Furious he would not accept responsibility nor would the police act, she published an online blog slating Aaron, prompting him to sue the Barlow family for libel. Her performance has duly been given an NTA nod.
“Being nominated is huge and I’m so excited!” she admits. “I feel like it shows huge recognition for the work that me and James [Craven, who plays Aaron] have put in.”
She describes the cast, including Simon Gregson and Kate Ford who play parents Tracy and Steve, as her “surrogate family” and praises them and the crew for their support.
“There have been a lot of crying scenes involved and it can take its emotional toll but everyone is so supportive. People are always coming up saying, ‘Let’s have a hug and a cup of tea’. I am lucky because I get to work with my best mates.”
As she chats, Elle, who won Best Young Performer at the British Soap Awards in 2017, comes across as an incredibly mature, likeable and intelligent actress, worlds apart from the tearaway character she plays who got pregnant at the age of 14.
“I can be fiery but I think Amy is a lot fuller on than me,” she says, laughing. “Amy is also a lot wilder, more argumentative and bossier too! But I love playing her.”
So, with 13 years under her belt, is she looking to follow in the footsteps of legends like Bill Roache, who plays her on-screen grandfather Ken Barlow, and stay for many more years?
“Who knows!” she says. “I work in a great place and I’m happy – that’s all that matters. I still have ‘pinch-me’ moments.” She pauses and poignantly adds: “And I really hope this story might make someone think twice about it happening again. I’d urge anyone suffering to talk to someone. You don’t have to live with something like this on your own…”
* To vote for Elle and Corrie at the NTAs, go to www.nationaltvawards.com. Vote for the soap in the British Soap Awards at www.britishsoapawards.tv
