Q&A with Ollie - JJ

What sort of reaction have you had to the fourth series?
"It's been a good reaction so far. People warmed to the characters last year and that was a big part of the challenge. We put out the first episode and it got a bit of flak because it had a hard job to do - Skins was a series with all these well-loved characters and then we charged in! We had to be introduced and then we could tell stories. This series, people know the characters and you're back where you started. We're now in a similar position to the last cast in series two. On the whole, people have been happy about this series."

What did you think of last week's Freddie-centric episode?
"I thought it was amazing - really good. It was a brilliant piece of television and a standout from the series so far. It was dark, which fits with the series as a whole, but it was a good story - brilliantly written, brilliantly acted, well filmed and very well-received. It was a really solid episode - it wasn't too weird to be unbelievable."

Are you nervous about following that one?
"A bit nervous, but my episode is very different. I hope people will understand that and accept it for what it is. It is completely different to what we've just seen - it's not depressing and it's quite separate from the rest of the storylines in the show. It's appropriate for JJ: he's happy at the moment, and my episode should explain why! He's moved away from the three musketeers and he's found his own niche at the moment."


He gets a girlfriend, doesn't he? What can you tell us about her?
"She's called Lara and she works in the same place that he does and she's a very weird character, in her own way. She's genuine and nice and as far as JJ can see, she's everything that he would want in a girl."

How many episodes is she sticking around for?
"I'm not sure that I'm allowed to tell you!"

This is Skins, so I assume he's gonna have his heart broken?
"Sort of! There's certainly some trials and tribulations, and certainly nothing comes for free - especially not for a character like JJ. There are always compromises to make and challenges to overcome and this of course is no exception! Why the hell should he get to meet the perfect girl and just be with her?!"

There's a theory that his girlfriend will turn out to be a figment of his imagination. What do you think to that?
"I think that's a brilliant storyline! It certainly could happen. I don't know whether I can dispel that! I don't think she is, but I would love to see an episode like that - that would be really cool actually. She's not, but his imagination is definitely overactive. His mind does definitely affect the relationship he has with her. He's gonna find it quite difficult to be totally at ease throughout the episode."

Since you're all off to pastures new at the end of the series, does that mean it's likely someone will be killed off?
"I don't know... I couldn't say! I think it would just bring back ideas of the first cast and Chris dying, so I think it would be foolish to do something like that again. You're limited to the amount of stories that exist, but you have to be careful that you don't repeat."

Is the final episode a good conclusion for the series?
"It wraps up everyone's storylines very nicely. When we first met all of these characters had a lot of learning to do, but by the end they've come full circle. They're well-rounded people who've learned lessons and you'll see them completed as characters. The audience knows we're not going to be in series five and six so the writers have played to it a bit."

Is there anything that wasn't done with JJ that you would have liked to see explored?
"That's a great question! But no, I don't think so. Looking solely at JJ's story, it covers everything that a character like that would do in those situations. I think by the end of the series, every base is touched in the story of JJ. I'm happy with how he's turned out - he's almost become a friend that I know now!"

Labels: entrevistas , interview , Interviews/Photoshoots , JJ , Ollie Barbieri , Skins