UPDATED:
New article featuring Tiana Benjamin courtesy of the Sunday Mail.
Chelsea will never be a daddy's girl May 18 2008
By Steve Hendry
When Tiana Benjamin walked down the famous purple carpet at the Soap Awards last week, she looked every inch a candidate in the running for the Sexiest Female award.
The 23-year-old EastEnder was graceful and glamorous in red and seemed to take the applause of waiting fans and the attention of an army of photographers and TV cameras in her stride.
It just shows what a good actress she is because inside she was trying desperately hard just to hold it together.
She said: "I felt ill. It's that thing of feeling like a goldfish in a bowl. I'm not very good at that because I'm a private person and it's so manic.
"I still don't know what I make of it all. It's definitely an experience. It feels like you have just walked into your TV set.
"You think you know everyone because they all look so familiar and grin at them really stupidly.
Then you talk rubbish because you are so nervous, you can't relax because you have so much make-up on and you are walking around like a Dalek in the highest heels you have ever worn in your life. It's just a little bit weird.
"I was really tense going in and during the show but I did let my hair down in the end.
"It's fun because you get to see all these people you have watched on TV up close and they are really nice, which is a bit strange.
"And the fans who turn out to watch the stars going in are always great too.
"They wait a long time to see their favourites and you can't help but be flattered that they bother to turn up."
Tiana lost out on the sexiest girl gong to Hollyoaks' Roxanne McKee but she's not overly bothered. She has her eyes on the big prize which, as far as she is concerned, is carrying on playing Albert Square wild child Chelsea Fox.
Two years after joining the soap and notching up conquests including Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky), the North London beauty is still wide-eyed by the fact that she is a part of EastEnders.
She said: "I still drive into work and get really excited by the fact that I'm working on it.
"I've watched the show since I was a little girl so to be a part of it is amazing.
"I really enjoy playing the character because whatever Chelsea is, she is never boring."
Tiana auditioned for the show at the same time as screen step-siblings Carly (Kellie Shirley) and Deano Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) as well as Kara Tointon and Charlie Clements, who play Dawn Swann and Bradley Branning.
All five remain good friends but both Kellie and Matt have been moved on and Phil Daniels, who played Chelsea's step-father Kevin Wicks, has been killed off.
Now she is about to find a new screen family in the shape of Chelsea's long-lost dad, Lucas, played by former 55 Degrees North star Don Gilet, although this being Albert Square it's not going to be a case of happy families.
Having already tracked down and rejected her birth father, his turning up on her birthday - with his son and her half-brother in tow - leaves Chelsea distinctly unimpressed.
It's a major storyline which will run and run, based around an issue which has already provoked a particularly heartfelt response. Tiana said: "I met a guy in a garage the other day and he said, 'I love your character.'
"I got a little bit nervous because when people get into conversation about the character they can sometimes really dissect her and you have this question and answer session.
"But he goes, 'You know when you went to look for your dad? It made me want to go and look for my dad too. I've got his number but I'm too scared to phone him up.'
"I wanted to cry. I cannot believe someone has been even remotely touched in that way. I really didn't know where to put myself.
"I had heard other actors saying that sort of thing happens and I always thought 'as if!'
"I was really amazed by it and feel it's a real compliment to the writers. I'm honoured to have this kind of storyline."
Although she's just turned 23, Tiana has been around a long time. She started acting aged 11 and later went to the famous Anna Scher school.
She turned to dancing when she was 17 and appeared in a number of videos for the likes of Artful Dodger, Dido, Blue and Ms Dynamite - even backing her at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester - before returning to acting.
She picked up parts in The Bill, Rose and Maloney and Dalziel and Pascoe before winning the part of Quidditch player Angelina Johnson in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. It was a small part...so small her teacher mum Janice has told her to stop talking about it in interviews.
Tiana laughed: "It was a very, very, very small part. Angelina was captain of the Quidditch team for Gryffindor House.
"It always comes up in interviews but my mum has told me to stop talking about it because it's getting embarrassing.
"It looks like I'm bigging myself up so much and it's getting a bit cringe-making.
"But I am so proud to have been even a small part of Harry Potter that I can't help going into it."
Tiana could have conjured up some more movie magic if she had reprised the role in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, as she was supposed to.
But EastEnders came along and she was forced to make a difficult choice.
She said: "I was signed to do Order Of The Phoenix when I got offered EastEnders. I couldn't believe my luck. Initially, it looked like the whole thing could be worked around the Harry Potter film, which was being filmed over nine months.
"But the dates kept changing, it all got a bit tricky and my agent told me I had to make a choice.
"I got very upset initially but then I realised I was being selfish and should be grateful for having the choice.
"It was lucky they realised before they started filming or I could have ended up with nothing.
"I did get a bit emotional when I watched the film but I think in the long term, EastEnders and Chelsea are right for me.
"I am really enjoying myself and am grateful to be working here."
But she did have another encounter with the schoolboy wizard when she was asked to add her voice to a Harry Potter video game.
She laughed: "I got to go to EA Games and shout Flipendo and stuff like that all day. It was wicked."
"I've watched the show since I was little and love playing Chelsea.. whatever she is, she's never boring"
Digital Spy has article about Tiana Benjamin, who played Angelina Johnson in OotP.
Spoiler:
Walford star doesn't regret ditching 'Potter' role Sunday, April 27 2008, 11:08 BST
By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter
Tiana Benjamin has insisted that she doesn't regret choosing EastEnders over her role in the Harry Potter movies.
The actress was snapped up to play Chelsea Fox on the BBC One soap in 2006 after she appeared as Angelina Johnson in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Though she had initially hoped to juggle both roles, scheduling difficulties made it impossible and she was eventually forced to pull out of Order of the Phoenix, the fifth film in the Potter series.
"The dates kept changing," Tiana told the Sunday Mirror. "And EastEnders had to say in the end, 'It's us or them.' I didn't have to think too hard. I was very, very lucky to even cough in that film. But I'd grown up with EastEnders. I made the right choice."
Benjamin has just signed a new 12-month contract with EastEnders and has pledged her long-term future to the soap.
"I'd love to stay on the show as long as they'll have me," she explained. "It's not up to me. But I'd love to be Pat Butcher one day - minus the earrings!"
PErsonally, I hate soaps, but I admire the girl for he resolve. The Harry Potter movies, although poorly done, are huge! I would give up just about anything just to cough in one. _________________
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I wish she would have stayed. I hate when they change actors and Angelina Johnson has already changed once, although Tiana Benjamin was a better fit than the girl in the first two. _________________ Amor Vincit Omnia!
yeah i liked her but she should take the role where she'll get more screen time and money. i'd love to be even one of the background people but if someone else offered me a better job id say hell yeah _________________
ha she's right, she was barely in them as it was. though for that reason, I'm surprised there were scheduling conflicts. but hmmmm bit role or a bigger part hmmmm, something with a finite ending or something that could still go on for ages hmmmm _________________ They say home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest. --Captain Hammer
Nothing would stop me from being in a HP film. Her character is barely in it, but she was in a bunch of background scenes. And hey, maybe this helped the decision in making it a quidditch-free movie. Or maybe she was told it was going to be quidditch free so figured she'd be in all of two scenes.... and she said that she'd been a long-time fan of EastEnders. Maybe she feels the way about that show in the same way I feel about HP... nahhhh, lol. _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan
apparently people watch it, and being in there in a bigger part is going to get her more visibility and later more jobs probably. seems like a wise move to me. _________________ They say home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest. --Captain Hammer
ha she's right, she was barely in them as it was. though for that reason, I'm surprised there were scheduling conflicts. but hmmmm bit role or a bigger part hmmmm, something with a finite ending or something that could still go on for ages hmmmm
It wasn't scheduling problems that was the issue, it was rescheduling ad rescheduling. It sounds like this soap opera was working with her, but whoever was scheduling things for the movie was jacking her around. It was probably costing the people who make the soap a ton of money to keep changing things around. _________________
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I wish she would have stayed. I hate when they change actors and Angelina Johnson has already changed once, although Tiana Benjamin was a better fit than the girl in the first two.
yeah i hate that too, they should look for actors/actresses who are willing to come back for all the movies _________________
You are up there!
I wish she would have stayed. I hate when they change actors and Angelina Johnson has already changed once, although Tiana Benjamin was a better fit than the girl in the first two.
yeah i hate that too, they should look for actors/actresses who are willing to come back for all the movies
Agreed. Nothing is sadder than actors not returning to do their roles in a series. (I still miss Richard Harris as Dumbledore, RIP!)
What does it matter ? They constantly change characters anyway. There are even some films where people just magically disappear. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol.
They don't do it because they hate me.
I know Oliver was dropped beacuse they didn't have much for him to do and David Heyman was, like, go do something that is more beneficial to you.. so he did and won a Bafta. Dean... has always been in the film, just not in the major scenes. He averages 1 line per movie. In PoA his one line is cut... it's part of the deleted scenes, lol.
I hate that they dropped Dobby... whats to become of the little guy when he is supposed to be saving Harry in DH? _________________ Blame it on a simple twist of fate. ~ Bob Dylan
Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol.
Well, Oliver wasn't in the third film because there was not quidditch. He was in Harry's year, so it would have been more difficult to use him as filler. Harry's third year was Oliver's last year, so of course he wouldn't come back.
I was perconally disappointed that they didn't have quidditch in the third film, because I wanted to see them win the quidditch cup, but none-the-less the Oliver disappearance in explainable. _________________
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Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol.
Well, Oliver wasn't in the third film because there was not quidditch. He was in Harry's year, so it would have been more difficult to use him as filler. Harry's third year was Oliver's last year, so of course he wouldn't come back.
I was perconally disappointed that they didn't have quidditch in the third film, because I wanted to see them win the quidditch cup, but none-the-less the Oliver disappearance in explainable.
Yeah, but Oliverwood and the quiditch cup were big and they just kinda dragged the whole thing out. Let's not forget thats when everything changed in the movies. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
What does it matter ? They constantly change characters anyway. There are even some films where people just magically disappear.
no, of course it doesnt matter at all, just one more reason among the many of why the movies are so lame
*agrees* Although, I did like the the first two. _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol.
Well, Oliver wasn't in the third film because there was not quidditch. He was in Harry's year, so it would have been more difficult to use him as filler. Harry's third year was Oliver's last year, so of course he wouldn't come back.
I was perconally disappointed that they didn't have quidditch in the third film, because I wanted to see them win the quidditch cup, but none-the-less the Oliver disappearance in explainable.
Yeah, but Oliverwood and the quiditch cup were big and they just kinda dragged the whole thing out. Let's not forget thats when everything changed in the movies.
I wasn't turning this into a debate. I just explained why Oliver wasn't in that film. Stating that I would have liked to see it in the film was an afterthought.
I thought that was painfully obvious. _________________
Please support the Diabetes Walk
Oliver wood & dean Thomas also disappeared in a few films. They totally dropped Dobby. It's like...I honestly wouldn't mind sitting through a 3-4 hour movie and I am sure mostly every other Potter fan would agree. So why don't they just do it ? lol.
Well, Oliver wasn't in the third film because there was not quidditch. He was in Harry's year, so it would have been more difficult to use him as filler. Harry's third year was Oliver's last year, so of course he wouldn't come back.
I was perconally disappointed that they didn't have quidditch in the third film, because I wanted to see them win the quidditch cup, but none-the-less the Oliver disappearance in explainable.
Yeah, but Oliverwood and the quiditch cup were big and they just kinda dragged the whole thing out. Let's not forget thats when everything changed in the movies.
I wasn't turning this into a debate. I just explained why Oliver wasn't in that film. Stating that I would have liked to see it in the film was an afterthought.
I thought that was painfully obvious.
I wasn't making a debate either. =/ _________________ Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through Passion, I gain strength.
Through Strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken.
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