Anya Lawrence

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Not to be confused with Anna Lawrence.
Jessica Forrest
Born2004 or 2005 (age 20)
OccupationActress
Years active2017–
TelevisionHollyoaks
Height175 cm (5 ft 9 in)

Anya Lawrence is a British actress. Lawrence took part in various projects before guest-starring in an episode of Creeped Out in 2017. In 2022, Lawrence was cast as Vicky Grant in the British soap opera Hollyoaks, which she was nominated for a British Soap Award for.

Life and career

Anya Lawrence was born in September or October 2004.[1] Lawrence and several of her family members are part of Ology Kids Casting, a specialist children's casting agency.[2] In 2017, Lawrence was involved in a project regarding Manchester Tourism Board TVC.[1] That same year, 12-year-old Lawrence portrayed Naini Ramona in Trolled, the third episode of the CBBC anthology show Creeped Out.[3][4] Lawrence had three auditions for several roles in the show and was eventually cast as Naini, which was the role that she really wanted.[4] Lawrence spent several days filming for the episode and had to be chaperoned on set.[4] Lawrence felt lucky to be part of the show and really enjoyed her experience, saying that she learnt a lot and made new friends.[4] In 2018, Lawrence was involved in projects for Lidl, TUI and Awkward World Photographic, as well as appearing in Channel 4's Class of Mum And Dad.[1]

Lawrence was close to her co-star Ross Adams (pictured).

In April 2022, it was announced that Lawrence had joined the cast of the British soap opera Hollyoaks as Vicky Grant, the new foster daughter of established character Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams).[5] One of Lawrence's family members, Gabriel Lawrence, had previously appeared in Hollyoaks as Max McQueen.[2] Anya Lawrence described Vicky as being a "whirlwind", "fierce" and "vulnerable" and enjoyed playing her, saying that she had come to "love" the character and was excited to see her "develop and grow".[5] Lawrence later described Vicky as being the opposite of her, as she considered herself gentle in comparison to Vicky being feisty and sassy, and joked that she would be too scared to be friends with her in real life.[6] Lawrence's debut on the soap aired on 2 May of that year.[5] Lawrence was 17 when she began working on the soap.[7] Vicky briefly left the soap in February 2023 but she returned to the soap two months later.[8][9][10] Her brief exit made some viewers upset due to their love of the character.[11] Lawrence revealed that she felt so happy when she returned to set and that she felt very bored and did not know what to do with herself during her two months off, although she did take her mother on a trip to Budapest, which she enjoyed.[8] Lawrence also called Adams the "best thing ever" and revealed that they ran to each other screaming when she returned from her break.[8] Lawrence revealed that she loves Vicky's wardrobe and that the clothes help her get into character.[12] Lawrence revealed in 2023 that she was closest to Adams and Ellie Leach (who plays Freya Calder) in the soap, and she hoped to work with Jamelia and Ruby O'Donnell, who play Sharon Bailey and Peri Lomax respectively.[13]

Vicky's storylines on the soap have included being her relationship with Scott, having a romance with DeMarcus Westwood (Tomi Ade), being an abusive relationship with Joseph Holmes (Olly Rhodes), collapsing after taking drugs, developing a feud with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) over their love triangle with Ethan Williams (Matthew James-Bailey), the introduction of her biological father Donny Clark (Louis Emerick) and her half-brother Andre Clark (David Joshua-Anthony), a relationship with Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham) and having an affair with his half-brother Freddie Roscoe (Charlie Clapham).[11][14][15][16][17] Lawrence felt grateful to have Emerick play her onscreen father as he had a lot of experience of being in the industry and she felt grateful to be learning from him.[16] Lawrence believed that Vicky was the happiest during her relationship with DeMarcus and added that she missed working with Ade, who had left the soap.[12] The actress revealed that she was surprised that Vicky had a brother, but she enjoyed working with "bubbly" Joshua-Anthony and helped him when began working on the soap.[13] Lawrence revealed that she has had difficulties doing kissing scenes with Wernham due to being much taller than him and joked that she got a "bad back" from leaning down.[17][18] In 2024, Lawrence told Manchester Evening News that she felt grateful that Hollyoaks trusted her with the storylines and revealed that she was on set more than at her own home, which she was grateful for.[14] The actress also wanted to explore Vicky's backstory and how being in the foster system had affected her.[14] Lawrence told Inside Soap that she felt like Vicky was growing up with her, as the character had gone from being "innocent" to a "complete nightmare", and that she felt flattered when viewers called her the "new" Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe); she later added that whilst she was "obsessed with the character, she would not want to be her.[7][12] In late 2024, Lawrence revealed that she had filmed the "heaviest thing" that she had done on the soap, which she called challenging but a privilege.[12]

For her role as Vicky, Lawrence was shortlisted for the British Soap Award for Best Newcomer in 2023.[19][20] That same year, Lawrence attended a charity lunch for Fortalice Bolton, a domestic abuse charity.[11]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2017 Creeped Out Naini Ramona 1 episode (Trolled) [4]
2018 Class of Mum And Dad Herself — [1]
2022– Hollyoaks Vicky Grant Regular role [5]

Awards and nominations

List of acting awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2023 British Soap Awards Best Newcomer Hollyoaks Nominated [20]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Anya Lawrence". Ology Kids Casting. Archived from the original on 13 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Lawrence Family". Ology Kids Casting. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Creeped Out - Series 1:3. Trolled". BBC iPlayer. BBC. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e "CBBC Creeped Out: Anya Lawrence!". Ology Kids Casting. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Harp, Justin (25 April 2022). "Hollyoaks casts Anya Lawrence as Scott Drinkwell's foster daughter". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  6. ^ Hughes, Johnathon (6–12 April 2024). ""I'd be scared of Vicky if I met her!"". Inside Soap. No. 14. pp. 48–49.
  7. ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (26 October – 1 November 2024). ""I'm flattered to be called the new Mercedes!"". Inside Soap. No. 43. pp. 46–47.
  8. ^ a b c Murphy, Steven (8–14 April 2023). ""It's so good to be back at Hollyoaks!"". Inside Soap. No. 14. pp. 48–49.
  9. ^ Sarrubba, Stefania (23 February 2023). "Hollyoaks airs surprise return for Vicky Grant in post-credits scene". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  10. ^ Sarrubba, Stefania (25 February 2023). "Hollyoaks star Ross Adams officially confirms return for Vicky Grant". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Fitzpatrick, Katie (11 February 2023). "Hollyoaks star makes first appearance after tearful soap exit as upset fans complain and make demand". Manchester Evening News. Reach plc. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d "Self Portrait: Vicky Grant". Inside Soap. No. 49. 7–13 December 2024. pp. 48–49.
  13. ^ a b Hughes, Johnathon (9–15 December 2023). ""Vicky's shocked she has a brother – and so am I!"". Inside Soap. No. 49. pp. 48–49.
  14. ^ a b c Laurie, Dan (9 October 2024). "Hollyoaks' Vicky Grant star breaks silence on future in Channel 4 soap after Ethan Williams' death". Manchester Evening News. Reach plc. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  15. ^ Denby, Laura (1 February 2023). "Will Hollyoaks' Vicky survive as teen camping trip leads to drugs collapse?". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  16. ^ a b Baalla, Sara (7 April 2024). "Hollyoaks' Anya Lawrence responds to Brookside star's casting in show". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  17. ^ a b Soni, Divya (8 December 2024). "Hollyoaks star Anya Lawrence reveals "heavy" new story for Vicky". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  18. ^ "Party time!". Inside Soap. No. 41. 12–18 October 2024. pp. 59–63.
  19. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (2 May 2023). "British Soap Awards 2023 announces full shortlist and broadcast change". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  20. ^ a b Barrett, Kerry (6 June 2023). "The British Soap Awards 2023: winners, preview clips, ITV air date, new host and everything we know". What to Watch. Future plc. Archived from the original on 12 April 2025. Retrieved 12 April 2025.