Sienna Blake
| Sienna Blake | |||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Anna Passey | ||||||||
| Duration | 2012–present | ||||||||
| First appearance | 21 November 2012 | ||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Bryan Kirkwood | ||||||||
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Sienna Blake (also Bradley) is a fictional character from the British
Casting
The character of Sienna was announced on 7 October 2012, with Emily Lawrance cast in the role,[1] however the role was recast with Passey before the character made her on-screen debut.[2] Sienna is the twin sister of Dodger Savage (Danny Mac), the twin sibling Dodger never knew he had.[2] Passey made her first on-screen appearance as Sienna in the episode broadcast on 21 November 2012.[3]
Development
Sienna Blake is beautiful, clever and calculating, often keeping secrets from those around her. A troubled girl with serious insecurities, Sienna conceals her cold, cynical and manipulative behaviour beneath a charming, warm exterior. This conflicting personality has allowed Sienna to lure many into her web of lies and deceit...
— Channel4.com on Sienna.[4]
In an interview with Digital Spy Passey described Sienna as a "bit of a villain" with a more "complicated" narrative.[5] When she joined the show, Passey was disclosed the background of Sienna's character by the producers, "I knew all about her upbringing and the problems she'd had with her family."[5] On the characters background Passey said, "She's had quite an unusual upbringing, because she's never really had any friends. Usually, most people learn how to socialise and form relationships with people as they grow up, but Sienna has missed out on all of that. She's only ever really had her father."[5]
Passey opined that Sienna is not "evil".[6] Speaking to Inside Soap, Passey said: "With her upbringing, she isn't an out-and-out evil person. She really believes she's got her reasons to do what she does."[6]
Long lost daughter
On 20 May 2014, it was announced that actress Persephone Swales-Dawson would play Nico Blake, who is revealed to be Sienna's long lost daughter. Although she knows that Sienna is her mother, Sienna believes otherwise due to her being told by her father, Patrick, that her daughter is someone else.[7] Although Sienna, initially disbelieves Nico, she starts investigating her claim after suspecting that she has something to do with Nancy Osborne (Jessica Fox) finding out about her new job,[8] which leads to Sienna finally recognizing that Nico is her daughter.[9]
Upon their reunion, Passey noted that their reunion wasn't what Sienna was expecting, and that when she finds out that Patrick threatened Nico to stay away, Sienna would be heartbroken. Passey also commented how both characters would have an interesting time ahead of them as neither of them is what the other one was expecting, with Passey noting how Sienna isn't "necessarily mum material!"[10] Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood also refused to answer whether Sienna and Nico would be able to keep their happily ever after.[11]
On 4 September 2014, it was announced that Dodger, Sienna's twin brother, was Nico's father.[12] It was discover that Dodger and Sienna had met briefly years ago, and slept together, without knowing they were twins. A spokesperson told Digital Spy today: "Sienna and Dodger were estranged as children and each did not discover they had a twin until adulthood. When Nico was conceived 14 years ago, it was a chance meeting and they did not know that they were related." In an interview with Danny Mac, conducted at the Inside Soap Awards 2014, Daniel Kilkelly noted how some fans loved the twist with Dodger being Nico's father, whereas others hated it.[13] Danny Mac commented that when Dodger finds out he will feel "physically sick", as he never could have "thought this could have been possible." He also said that Dodger would strive to do the right thing, even if he didn't know what that was.[14] In an interview with Digital Spy, Bryan Kirkwood stated that Dodger being the father of Nico had been discussed "right from the start", and that they pushed Dodger being the father due to the audience thinking that it was going to be Patrick, Sienna's father.[15]
Sexual harassment
On 28 December 2018 it was announced that Sienna will be sexually harassed by a newcomer
Storylines
Backstory
Sienna was raised by her controlling and physically abusive father Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield), after her mentally unstable mother Anna Blake (Saskia Wickham) left with twin brother Mark, known as Dodger Savage (Danny Mac) after trying to kill Sienna and Mark in a murder/suicide attempt. Believing her brother to be dead, she was raised as an only child in a wealthy home. Sienna attended private school but at the age of 13, she had a brief encounter with a teenage boy at a school where her father was working at over the summer. Sienna became pregnant at this time, not knowing that her brief encounter with the teenage boy was in fact her estranged twin brother Dodger, and was locked in a basement whilst she had the baby. She named the baby Sophie, who later turns to be Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson), however Patrick lied that Nico was stillborn.
Sienna was not allowed to grieve for the baby she lost and went on to live a normal life. She was head girl at her school and went to university. She continued to live with her father until she was tracked down by Dodger and decided to move to Hollyoaks to be closer to him.
2012–present
 | This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. |
Dodger tracks his father Patrick down but is adamant that his son died. After Dodger proves his real identity, Patrick reveals Sienna is his twin sister. Sienna begins spending time with Dodger and takes a dislike to half brother
Sienna sleeps with Darren but ensures that Nancy catches them. No one believes Nancy's accusations that Sienna is trying to steal her life and family. Sienna then convinces Nancy to run away with Oscar and Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan). But when Nancy leaves, Sienna harms herself and fills her flat with gas to make it appear that Nancy has tried to kill her. The police believe that Nancy has abducted her own children and a police chase results in Nancy's car hanging off the edge of a multi-storey car park. Sienna is delighted when her plan sees Nancy sectioned. When Sienna realises that Darren still loves Nancy she pretends to be pregnant. She fakes scans and appointments while trying to get pregnant. But she becomes more unstable as the lie escalates. Problems in the Osborne household arise from Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks) and Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) who still support Nancy. She attempts to manipulate the situation but Tom begins to suspect that Sienna is lying about her pregnancy and catches her breast-feeding Oscar. Tom decides to plant a hidden camera and discovers that Sienna has been wearing a prosthetic baby bump.
When an explosion occurs in the local council flats, Sienna kidnaps Tom. She tells him that he caused the explosion and Darren has died. She locks him in the cellar of her childhood home and holds him captive, bringing him food daily. Sienna then discovers her half-brother Will had kidnapped her family including his own, and discovers that he murdered their mother and will never forgive him for what he has done and even to Dodger's love life Texas. She discovers in her mother's will that she and Dodger were now co-owners alongside their father, as Patrick is legally married at that time. Tom is declared missing and a police investigation is launched. Sienna convinces Chloe (Susan Loughnane) to sell her unborn baby to her. Tom manages to escape and Nancy is released from the secure unit. Nancy confronts Sienna and rips her dress revealing that she is not pregnant. An upset Sienna then tries to convince her brother, Dodger, to run away. But she attempts to kiss him. Sienna then abducts Tom, Charlie and Oscar and locks them in the Roscoe's garage. She then tries to kill them with exhaust fumes; they are saved and Sienna is sectioned. It is then revealed that Sienna had a child when she was a teenager. Patrick told her the baby died but he had actually put it up for adoption. Dodger vows to help Sienna find her daughter.
Gangster
Sienna finds her daughter Nico and she comes to live with her. Patrick plots to send Nico away, but Sienna eventually stands up to Patrick. He later reveals that Nico's father is Dodger. He explains that the pair met while in their teenage years, and slept together, but have failed to recognize each other as adults. Patrick realised that Dodger was her brother and adopting Nico and locked Sienna away for her own good. Sienna becomes obsessed with Dodger and takes him and Nico hostage to create the perfect family. Sienna later pretends to help her half-brother Will, but she never forgave him for killing their mother. She and Will later told
Sienna later becomes increasingly annoyed with Ben's feud with Trevor and Ben agrees to stop. But he attacks Trevor, leaving him in hospital. Sienna discovers that Ben was responsible and she starts to help Trevor who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She sees a different side to Trevor and develops feelings for him and they begin an affair. Nico stops taking her kidney transplant anti-rejection medication and needs another transplant. She tries to kill Theresa and Sienna helps to save her life. She agrees to keep the incident a secret but Nico overhears Sienna telling Trevor. Feeling betrayed, Nico stabs Sienna with a glass bottle. Sienna tells police that she cannot remember who attacked her. She and Trevor then plan to make Nico confess to some of her crimes as Sienna fears for her safety. Subsequently, Nico murders Trevor on his wedding day to Grace Black (Tamara Wall); fearing that Sienna would run away with him. Upon learning that Nico killed Trevor, Ben falsely confesses and is convicted.
Sienna begins a relationship with Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) and they plan to have Maxine arrested for Patrick's murder; but upon discovering Nico was responsible, Sienna tries to protect her by falsely confessing. After Warren and Maxine discover Nico's crimes, they force Sienna to tell the truth, and she is released from prison. Police chase Nico and she is caught in the blaze at the Halloween Spooktacular; Sienna pleads with Warren to save Nico, but he instead chooses to save Sienna's life and let Nico die. Sienna blames Warren for Nico's death and vows revenge. Upon learning that Warren's son Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) is working in Hollyoaks as a Catholic priest, Sienna begins attending his church and tries to get close to him; truthfully giving details of her situation with Warren and Nico, but using false names. However, she struggles to keep her visits to Joel a secret from Warren. After Joel rejects Sienna when she tries to kiss him, she conspires to make Warren believe that a man from the church is stalking her. Sienna plans to get revenge on Warren for Nico's death by killing Joel however it goes wrong after Joel realizes Sienna's plans and she accidentally knocks a lamp into some petrol in the garage which causes a fire in which Joel is trapped inside. Warren attempts to help Joel however the garage explodes sending the three of them to the ground.
Sienna discovers she is pregnant by Warren. At a hospital appointment, they learn they are expecting twins. Warren murders
On Sienna and Warren's wedding day, Warren is stabbed by Grace because unknown to Sienna, they were having an affair and Warren chose Sienna over Grace. Warren collapses in Sienna's arms but he survives. At the hospital, Warren threatens Grace and says he will tell the police everything but Grace says she will tell Sienna the truth. While Sienna is talking to Warren, he mistakes her for Grace since he is on medication and accidentally reveals the affair to Sienna. An angry Sienna confronts Grace and together they plan for Sienna to escape with the twins. With the help of Kim Butterfield (Daisy Wood-Davis), Sienna escapes from the hospital before Warren can catch them. Off-screen, Warren discovers where Sienna is and kidnaps her, taking her to an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. He tells Sienna that when the babies are born he will take them away from her. When Warren comes to visit Sienna, she takes his keys and locks him in. Before he finds her, she carves a message on his car, which is noticed by Kim. Sienna fakes going into labour and when Warren is about to take her to the hospital he discovers the message and realises Sienna is faking it so takes her back into the house. When Sienna goes into labour for real, Warren refuses to believe her. Luckily, Kim comes to rescue her but Warren catches them. Kim convinces him to let her go and he agrees. The babies are born and Warren asks Sienna for the baby girl be named Katy, after his deceased sister. Sienna tells him that he will not be involved in the twins' lives, so Warren takes their daughter Sophie, leaving Sienna devastated.
Sienna becomes depressed and struggles with her baby
Over the next few weeks, Sienna goes crazy accusing Cleo of being her stalker and attacking her. She starts to believe that Darren is her stalker and when she asks him to fix a leak in her flat, she knocks him out. She handcuffs him to a radiator and forces him to confess but he convinces her that it's not him. Sienna waits anxiously for the countdown to reach zero and when it does there's a knock at the door. When she answers the door she finds a toy monkey in the hallway, she runs outside to find who delivered it but can't find the stalker. She returns inside feeling more terrified than ever. Upon returning to the flat she is shocked to find a hooded figure holding Sebastian who is revealed to be Nico. Sienna confronts Nico and she explained how she escaped from the fire. Sienna calls Joel for help but Cleo answers and she doesn't believe Sienna when she says that Nico is alive. An angry Nico attacks Sienna and stabs her before escaping. An injured Sienna goes outside into the village and hands Sebastian to Joel before collapsing. While on her deathbed, she apologises to Myra and Joel who forgive her. Grace and Maxine arrive and they say their goodbyes and Sienna goes into cardiac arrest. Josh comes out and reveals that Sienna has died. Joel and Myra go into her room to say goodbye and Joel tells her he loves her. After her death several residents including Grace, Maxine, Tom and
Sienna confronts Nico on the rooftop demanding that she hands over Sebastian. Sienna persuades Nico to hand herself in, until Nico pulls down her jumper revealing she's heavily pregnant. Nico begs Sienna to help her change and become a better person but before Sienna can say anything Warren shows up. He tells Sienna that Sophie has her eyes and that they can now be a proper family and he forces her to choose between him and the twins or Nico. An emotional Sienna tells Nico that she needs to face justice but Nico is furious and pushes Sienna towards the edge of the roof and as she does, Warren snatches Sebastian before running away and locking the door. Josh heads to the roof but Sienna and Nico are nowhere to be found. Sienna runs into her own wake begging for help leaving the villagers speechless. Joel takes Sienna into the bathroom wanting an explanation and Sienna tells him that Warren is back but he refuses to believe her. Sienna runs out to save Sebastian and catches up to Warren, but he drives off leaving Sienna crying hysterically in the village. It is later revealed that Sienna is hiding a pregnant Nico away in her flat since Nico is the only family she has left.
Sienna blackmails Darren into giving her £2,000 since she knows about his affair with
In September 2018, Sienna returns after she is released from prison. She is greeted by Nancy who wants Sienna to help her ruin Darren's life, the way she ruined hers. She tells Nancy that the new Sienna doesn't do revenge. Sienna and
In January 2019, Sienna turns to Laurie for advice on how to control
When Sienna discover her twins, she approaches Nina and asks her for help. As she refuses, Sienna takes her captive, despite Nina calls for help as Sienna leaves with the twins. However, she later discover that Maxine had fake her illness the entire time In order to escape with the twins, Sienna promises to keep Maxine's secret if Maxine keeps quiet about Sienna taking the twins. Maxine agrees, while Sienna had convinced her to tell the truth to Damon, but she refuses and for worst Damon is arrested for fraud. Meanwhile, Sienna and Brody have decided to have a baby together. When Liberty points out that Sienna can't have anymore kids because she's had cancer, but Sienna tells her that she had some of her eggs frozen prior to the cancer and decides to start looking for a surrogate. Liberty offers to be their surrogate. Brody tells Liberty that he's not keen with Liberty being their surrogate. Liberty angrily tells Brody that she will help Sienna whether he likes it or not, which makes him change his mind. However he later discover that Sienna knew Maxine faked an illness upon learning that Damon's half-brother Scott exposed Maxine's secret and realises that Maxine learned about Sienna going to kidnap the twins, they end their relationship. Despite Sienna blames on Maxine for ruined her relationship with Brody, she then blames on her father for ruined Maxine's life. With Damon words, Brody and Sienna forgive each other. Sienna decide to forgive Maxine for Minnie's sake. Unfortunately, Sienna and Brody discover from Liberty that there was no heartbeat and that she's lost the baby, which devastates Sienna and Brody. Sienna meets Sid Sumner (Billy Price) who killed his father in self-defence due to his actions as a far-right extremist. Learning Sid's past, she decides to help him and calls social services. Sienna comforts Sid when he says he has no family. Sienna allows Sid to stay at her house until social services find him a permanent home. When Sienna discovers that Liberty and Brody had sex, she is upset and wants revenge, but she later discovers that they slept together only so that they could give her a child.
Reception
At
Tina Campbell of the Metro praised Passey's portrayal and described Sienna as having various layers to her personality. She noted that a backstory consisting of a woman beating father, unhinged mother and long-lost brother left her normality doomed. She added that "despite her (many) flaws, you can’t help but love Sienna" and deemed her Hollyoaks' best character.[25] Katie Archer of BT described Sienna as appearing "sweet and innocent", but "on the inside, things are far uglier."[26] MSN.com labeled the character a "barmaid [turned] psychopath".[27] Viewers' perception of Sienna changed during her tenure. A startled Passey told an Inside Soap reporter that Sienna gained sympathy following revelations about her long-lost daughter.[28]
See also
- List of Hollyoaks characters (2012)
- List of LGBT characters in soap operas
- List of soap opera villains
References
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Profile: Sienna Blake (Anna Passey)". Channel 4. Channel 4 Television Corporation. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ "National Television Awards 2014: full list of winners". The Daily Telegraph. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Coronation Street leads Inside Soap Awards nominations". Virgin Media. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ Campbell, Tina (3 March 2014). "From her scheming ways to her dreamy brother Dodger: Why Sienna is the best character in Hollyoaks right now". Metro. (DMG Media). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Archer, Katie (18 August 2013). "Hollyoaks' Sienna Blake - exclusive soap chat". bt.com. (BT Group). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Anna Passey: Sienna couldn't kill". MSN. (Microsoft). 5 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ "Passey: Fans rooting for Sienna now". Yahoo!. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.