Q&A With Olivia Chenery Starring As Scooch Starring On Bulletproof 2 On Universal TV

Here is a full interview with Olivia Chenery starring as Scooch on Bulletproof season 2.  Bulletproof a Universal TV's hit British show is coming for a second season starts on Monday 10 August 2020 on Universal TV (DStv Channel 117) at 8pm.

Who are you playing in this new series of Bulletproof?

I’m playing officer Scarlett Hailton aka Scooch, which is a nickname that she picked up from school because she couldn’t spell Scarlett. She is a new member of the team that is headed up by Pike and Bishop.

How does she come to join the group?

She joins on probation from the child protection unit which is another unit within the NCA. At first she’s working with Paige, trying to track down a young girl who has mysteriously disappeared after joining this dodgy online modelling agency and then she gets right into it from there.

What sort of person is she?

She is quite ballsy I think. She’s not afraid to get right into the action and danger. When you first see her because she’s on probation, I think she feels she’s got a bit of a point to prove: she really is trying to make it work being on the team. The more she gets into the job, the more she understands how they work, I think the more she enjoys it.

She’s also someone who is very open and honest. As the story develops you see that - she wears her heart on her sleeve a bit.

What is her backstory as you understand it?

Her father was in the army so she grew up seeing him work and help the world in a very hands-on way. That’s something that has definitely inspired her to want to join the force and be involved in helping people who are more vulnerable than her and haven’t quite had the life that she’s had. I think also she’s after recognition because she’s this girl from Surrey who is joining this team where she doesn’t quite fit in. She wants to be a good part of the team and be appreciated for who she is.

In terms of the team dynamic, how do they respond to her?

To begin with, she’s a bit of a Surrey girl and they’re not quite sure what to make of her. Eventually she starts to prove herself and then she forms a strong relationship with Pike - he sees her in a different light as well. I think they all learn that it doesn’t matter what background you’re from, you all have this same goal in this unit.

Is she ambitious or is she in it for moral reasons?

She’s ambitious, but that also comes from an emotional place as well. When you grow up and you see people that you respect helping people, like she did with her father, that is something that then really inspired her, motivated her. A lot of it does come from her wanting to help, yes.

Can you tease how things progress for Scooch this series?

She does start off not quite knowing how she’s fitting in. She’s new to the team, she’s on probation: she knows she’s being watched. But she comes to learn and enjoy the unorthodox way in which the team works. By the end she’s quite at home with going against the rules if she has to.

How does her relationship with Pike and Bish evolve?

With Pike there’s an immediate attraction there, even though she sees him as this sort of forbidden fruit; married, with a lovely wife and kids.

She watches how Pike and Bish work and at first, it’s very different to what she is used to. She might be quite used to playing by the rulebook especially being from the child protection unit, where you really have to. But she learns to respect the way they work because they get results and she trusts them.

What’s it been like joining an established & successful show?

So I watched the first series a couple of times to really get a feel for the show. Then you just start with the scripts and you give it some background research. We did a bit of gun training because me and Lucie [Shorthouse] have joined the show and neither of us have worked with guns before.Then coming on set I worked with Jason and Noel before so I know how they work, and I’ve got a good relationship with them.

Everyone has been so nice and so welcoming. From day one, Noel and Ashley wanted this show to be about the unit, not just them.

How did you feel about doing the action sequences?

I really liked it because it’s quite far removed from what I do every day. I like running around with guns and stuff because there is this element of danger. With the guns, although they’re filled with blanks they’re really loud and actually can do quite a lot of damage when you’re in close proximity to them. So you have to be really careful with equipment you’re using.

How many of the stunts were all your own work?

A lot. When it comes to acting if the other stunt person was going to be in danger by a certain stunt, they wouldn’t let me do that but if it’s something like I do a high kick then I get to do it. There was this one scene we were filming at Tilbury Docks and we used a drone. We were running the whole sequence from when the cars pulled up and there was motorbikes and lots of shooting, ducking, diving, and stuff. It was really fun doing that because you were really part of the action.