Outnumbered star Ramona Marquez has spoken about her expertise of rising up as an actor forward of the present’s Christmas particular subsequent week.
Marquez, who’s now 23, was simply six when the BBC One present started airing in 2007. She performed Karen Brockman, the youngest of three youngsters to frazzled mother and father Pete (Hugh Dennis) and Sue (Claire Skinner), and sister to Jake (Tyger Drew-Honey) and Ben (Daniel Roche).
The sitcom ran for 5 seasons, the ultimate season airing in 2014, earlier than coming again for a Christmas particular in 2016. Now, eight years later, it’s again for an additional particular – marking the longest hole between episodes within the present’s historical past.
Marquez was 5 when she started filming Outnumbered and 13 when it ended, however advised The Unbiased that, whereas she might need been within the public eye greater than most youngsters, it felt regular for her.
“I’ve by no means recognized any totally different,” she stated. “I used to be so younger. I do have some reminiscences from earlier than I used to be 5, however not many. I hear about different situations in TV the place younger youngsters had been exploited, and I really feel fortunate that we had been at all times revered.”
Nonetheless, she stated that the media protection might generally be harder for the Outnumbered youngsters as they grew up. About one article from 2021, which stated that Marquez was “promoting off her previous bras for £4 after quitting appearing for uni,” Marquez responded: “I bought a sports activities bra. It wasn’t even mine. I’d by no means even seen it earlier than. It simply should have been my sister’s or one thing, who is aware of, after which it was within the information. And it was such a misrepresentation. It was only a loopy, loopy factor to put in writing.
“It was so on the market that even the readers had been commenting, saying, ‘I learn the story and she or he’s bought like 500 issues on Depop. You’re portraying that to be one thing fairly sinister.’ You generally suppose, nicely, , I could possibly be doing that. There’d be nothing improper with that if I needed to, however I’m truly not, so let’s simply preserve the information straight.”
In 2016, after attending Studying Pageant, Marquez needed to shut down rumours that she’d taken medication, too, writing on social media on the time: “I actually loved Studying and assembly numerous followers and funky individuals it was so lit. It’s fairly upsetting although now seeing individuals posting about me and saying that I’m doing medication and actually horrible issues like that.”
Eight years later, she stated: “That one 12 months at Studying Pageant, that was most likely the one time it’s ever been tremendous humorous or loopy. Fortunately I used to be with an enormous group of buddies and we simply made a joke out of it. Each time somebody requested for a photograph, all my buddies would get in, it’d be like an enormous group photograph. It was fairly humorous. However with out these individuals round me, I wouldn’t be so snug going someplace like that alone. Since you do really feel weak in a method.”
Elsewhere, Marquez admitted that she’d wish to get again into appearing after ending college, calling it her “full ardour and ambition,” whereas she’s additionally been studying to tattoo.
And, as for the Christmas particular, it’s “traditional Outnumbered chaos.” The plot has been stored rigorously beneath wraps, but it surely was revealed that Pete and Sue at the moment are grandparents – and Marquez revealed that it’s Jake who’s now a guardian to a daughter.
The official trailer was launched earlier this week, too, and you’ll watch it under.
Outnumbered is about to air at 9:40pm on Boxing Day (December 26) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
