It's the end of an era for the Beale family on EastEnders next week as Lucy is killed after an eventful few days.Following tensions with a number of Albert Square's residents, Lucy heads off alone one evening after receiving a mysterious email. Not long afterwards, Lucy's lifeless body is left on Walford Common - marking the beginning of a dark new chapter for the Beales.
Here, Hetti Bywater - who played Lucy - speaks about the shock storyline for the first time and reflects on her two-year stint with the BBC soap.
Lucy's fling with Max came as a surprise! Does she have real feelings for him?
"I think she's just a bit unsure about everything. Lucy has got to a point in her life where she's having a bit of a breakdown and nothing is really certain in her head. She's just in a really muddled place with everything that is going on at the moment. She's following her instinct rather than figuring out if something is right or wrong or figuring out what her true emotions are, which is why she is getting herself in more and more trouble.
"Lucy has a lot of problems with her dad and feels that her dad does not believe in her and isn't supporting her, so in a weird twisted way, it's almost as if Max is giving her that fatherly support.
"From Max's point of view, I think that the fact it's a secret makes it more exciting, but on Lucy's part I think it's excitement at the beginning and it's a rush, but the excitement goes away very quickly. She doesn't know what her emotions are. The excitement goes when the guilt comes."
Does Lucy see the letting agency as a fresh start in life?
"Definitely. It's something to aim towards. She wants to grow up quickly and she hasn't really had a childhood. She has her dad constantly telling her that she can't do things because she's too young and naïve, and she just wants to prove everyone wrong and be a person that other people can look up to."
Lucy takes a chance on Lee, even after she spots him kissing Whitney behind her back. Why does she do that?
"Because she feels that everyone in her life lies to her and they can't be trusted. She has a lot of trust issues with her friends, obviously with everything that's going on with Max and her family, so she's not getting on with anyone.
"This boy comes along who is a little bit cheeky, he's from the army and very confident, but isn't afraid to tell her how it is and be honest with her with everything. With Whitney he's upfront and when Lucy asks him what is going on, he tells her straight and makes a joke about it, and she likes that. Yes he might be kissing Whitney on the side, but he's honest about it and that's refreshing and is almost endearing about him."
Next week we see that Cindy knows one of Lucy's secrets. Is Lucy worried that she knows the truth?
"It's a weird relationship. I don't think she trusts her 100%, but I think she hopes that Cindy would be almost afraid to tell anyone her secret and wouldn't cross Lucy in that way."
Lucy's final week on-screen also sees Peter overhear Ian telling her that she's the child he's most proud of. Why does Lucy get so upset on Peter's behalf?
"The twins were always really close in the past - they would bicker but they were a unit and where there was one, there was the other. But now the relationship has drifted apart. Even though they are not as close anymore, that connection is still there - Peter is still her twin. They always say that if one twin is upset the other one instantly knows - they share the same emotions.
"It's not so much that Peter is upset - it's the fact that Ian would even say that he has a favourite. He's obviously trying to tell her nice things - but I think it's just sad to see, more on Ian's behalf, that he would do that."
How would you describe Lucy's relationship with Ian?
"It's complicated! It's just a general fatherly daughterly love/hate relationship, although it's actually more like a motherly daughter relationship. Lucy can hate him so much, but then if he sheds a tear or is upset, she can't help but feel sympathy. It's really difficult for her - to have all that hatred that can go away in a second if he breaks down. That's what she's about and that shows that she does have a heart and she can be emotional.
"That's a really nice part to their relationship - it does work both ways. In their heart-to-heart next week, she's being so harsh at the beginning and as soon as Lucy breaks down, it's reciprocated and he does exactly the same. It's love/hate. She loves him but she thinks he can be an idiot!"
We learn a lot about Lucy next week. Is there still more to learn?
"Yes definitely, there's going to be a lot to learn about Lucy!"
What does it mean to you to have such a big exit storyline? Did you expect it to have such a big response when it was revealed?
"When it was announced it really did go everywhere! I think it's such a big deal for viewers because not only is Lucy an iconic character because she has been in the show for 20 years, but also the whole Beale clan is so iconic and that's why it makes such a big impact. And splitting twins up is so horrific.
"It's going to be a great story for the Beales and start a new dark chapter for them. That's what the focus is going to be on - it's not going to be so much about the death, it's going to be about afterwards. It's going to be about the implications of it and everyone's journey.
"It's a bit scary and overwhelming, and the fact that it's going to go on for so long. I am ecstatic that I got given this opportunity, because it's amazing and challenging and great to be part of such a big storyline."
How do you think viewers will react when they see it on-screen?
"You see deaths on soaps quite a bit and often they tend to be older characters or they tend to be characters with bad sides to them. What's so sad about this is that Lucy is having all these troubles and she's trying to build her life back up and get her stuff together, thinking this isn't how she's going to live her life and she's going to start a new chapter, and that's when it all goes wrong."
Do you know who killed Lucy?
"No. I thought I was 100% sure and that I had it sussed out in my head, but after talking to everyone else on the cast I'm not sure anymore. Everyone's having little bets and coming up with their own theories."
What was it like to have to keep the storyline secret?
"It was so difficult! I'd known for about five months before it came out. It felt like as soon as I knew, suddenly everyone was coming up to me and asking me what my storylines were and where our characters would be in a couple of years' time. I had to make up things in my head! It was hard. The hardest person to keep it from was Jacqueline [Jossa, who plays Lauren], as we always talk about what we're going to do in the future."
What are your favourite moments from filming?
"What I'm doing right now - the stuff leading up to Lucy's murder. I've had good storylines in the past - throwing the money out of the window was fun. It was odd to hold that much money in my hand! But definitely the stuff I'm doing right now. I don't think I've been challenged as much as what I'm doing right now.
"Working 12 hours a day every day has been draining, but that's almost helped me do the scenes and getting into that character. I was the most grumpy person on set and that really helped me! It was fun to have to really think about my character and I'd read my scenes weeks in advance and really cared about what I was doing. The end storylines have been the best, they are great scripts!"
Who are you going to miss seeing every day the most?
"Jacqueline definitely, and Himesh [Patel] - he's the most amazing person in the world. I'll miss Adam [Woodyatt] as he's like an embarrassing dad, giving me advice about money and everything. I'll miss Ben [Hardy] as well, as we get on really well. And Shona [McGarty] obviously!"
Are you going to watch the episode where Lucy is murdered when it airs?
"I don't know. I will watch it in a corner on my own! No one else is allowed to watch it with me. You have to, don't you?!"
What's next for you? Is there a dream job you would like to have?
"I wouldn't do musical theatre. People tell me I've got an alright voice but I don't like the sound of my own voice, so definitely no singing. I wouldn't mind doing a serious play - that would be nice for something a bit different.
"Ideally if I lived in a dream world I'd do a period drama. I love period drama. One day I would love to be in a period feature film, but that's dreaming! But that would be amazing. I'd also love to do something gritty."
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