EastEnders' Tilly Keeper on Louise Mitchell's drama: Prom night awaits
EASTENDERS actress Tilly Keeper reveals there’s drama in store for Louise Mitchell on prom night.
When she discovers there’s another girl wearing an identical dress for the school prom, it looks like an unmitigated disaster for Walford teenager Louise Mitchell.
But two people secretly thrilled by the storyline – which sees the feisty schoolgirl forced to find a replacement gown in just four hours – were actress Tilly Keeper and her mum.
For while the original dress was a tight, revealing little red number, the second outfit promises to bring a little Hollywood style and sophistication to Albert Square.
“I really love the second prom dress,” smiles Tilly, who has played Louise for the past 18 months. “It’s beautiful and makes me look very elegant and glam. I didn’t actually get to try on the first dress, which was red and so small.
When I saw it I thought: ‘Oh my God, my mother would never let me out of the house in this!’ I think she’ll be much happier with the second dress!
“It’s very timeless and it’s actually quite good quality, considering it’s from Bridge Street market! It’s floor-length, in a peach silk and Louise wears a feather cape with it, which gives it an old-fashioned Hollywood-glamour feel.”
Louise is on cloud nine having been invited to the prom by her on-off boyfriend Travis (Alex James-Phelps).
Things don’t get off to a good start when she discovers a girl from the year above plans to wear the same outfit, but when she finds the stunning alternative she is convinced she is about to have the night of her dreams.
However, school bullies Madison (Seraphina Beh) and Alexandra (Sydney Craven) have other ideas. Louise assumed the trouble-making duo would leave her alone, having tackled them about their behaviour the previous week, but it appears she has underestimated them.
“It should be the happiest day of her life – she’s got the boy and she’s looking glam, but she’s upset the bullies again,” Tilly warns. “They’re not meant to be at the prom, but they just can’t let things go, so they show up and cause a lot of commotion. There are going to be consequences!
“Louise stood up to them and embarrassed them, which I loved because she was being sassy again. She now assumes it’s done and dusted, but because she’s a Mitchell she overestimates her own power. She’s got Phil, the hardest man in east London as her dad, so she assumes nothing can go wrong. Of course, prom night awaits!”
British Soap Awards 2016: Tilly Keeper, Jasmine Armfield and Shaheen Jafargholi
Tilly, 19, grew up in Kent with her parents (her father Peter was one of the writers on the satirical TV series Spitting Image) and her two elder brothers.
She began performing at an early age, starting ballet lessons when she was four years old at a dance school run by her cousin’s wife. She became her agent and booked Tilly her first professional job aged five, in an advert for a children’s music CD.
At the age of 11 she appeared in the musical Oliver! in the West End, making her TV debut in 2016 aged 18 in the BBC children’s series Millie Inbetween.
Later that year, having just finished her A-levels, she was busy applying to drama schools when she was invited in to EastEnders for an audition. Having previously tried out for other roles in the show, she was thrilled when she was told she would be joining the Mitchells – one of the show’s most iconic families.
“I was really excited to meet Steve McFadden who plays Phil. He is the perfect mentor and he’s taught me so much. He keeps an eye on everyone and is always looking out for us,” she says.
Tilly has made good friends in the cast, most notably with Shaheen Jafargholi (Shakil Kazemi) and Jasmine Armfield (Bex Fowler) “They’re like my brother and sister – we live in each other’s pockets and we’re round each other’s houses all the time,” she says. “I get on well with the cast. It’s a cliché, but we’re a big family.”