Former EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley is set to celebrate an exciting project next month as her new film Departures gets its premiere screenings.

The actor swapped Walford for Manchester last year as she filmed a role in the LGBTQ+ movie, which tells the story of a toxic relationship between main characters Benji (Lloyd Eyre-Morgan) and Jake (ex-Hollyoaks star David Tag).

Lorraine plays the part of Benji’s mum Janet, who’s on hand for some tough-talking advice after her son’s passionate fling with Jake turns sour.

 recently caught up with Lorraine for an exclusive chat about the film and her exit from the role of EastEnders‘ Karen Taylor last year.

How did your involvement in Departures come about?

“I already knew Lloyd Eyre-Morgan as he directed EastEnders. Lloyd plays Benji in the film and he’s the writer and co-director alongside Neil Ely.

“When Lloyd decided to shoot this film, he thought of me as his mother. I could see the resemblance, as we’ve got the same skin colouring and the same colour eyes.

“Lloyd is a lovely man and the way he works is right up my street, so I didn’t hesitate to say yes.”

How would you describe the film?

“It’s a story of love and loss. It’s the yin and yang. It’s so heavy in places but then there are moments of comedy throughout it. That’s what I want to watch and I like being involved with projects like that.

“It’s really gritty. It’s bloody brilliant what Lloyd and Neil have done.”

How would you describe your character Janet?

“Janet is Benji’s mum and she doesn’t mince her words! She’s very, very old-school. She would probably have preferred her son to be straight. She’s bold and honest with her words and choice of language – that’s probably putting it mildly.

“But she’s a lovely person. She wears her heart on her sleeve and ultimately she’s there for her son through his break-up.”

As you mentioned, the film shows how it was a journey for Janet to accept her son’s sexuality. Did you like how the story explored that?

“Yeah, I think there are women of my age now who have gay sons but probably, back in the day, were less accepting than what they are now. We’ve come a long way.

“Janet probably looks back and regrets some of the words that she would have used in the past – and now she wants to support her son.”

How does Janet feel about Benji being in such a toxic relationship with Jake?

“Janet is quite cut-throat about it. She says: ‘Just leave him. He’s a prick. Just move on with your life’. She probably speaks a lot of truth!

“But we’ve all been there – when you’re in love, you don’t want to hear that, do you? You just want to be with that person. It doesn’t matter what your mum or anyone else says.”

How was it to come up to Manchester to do the filming?

“I did all of my scenes in one day and had a really lovely day out! The crew were all very welcoming. I was coming from the south and they were all northerners, so I was on their patch but they welcomed me with open arms.

“We went out that night and just smashed it. It was absolutely brilliant. I came home the next afternoon to my partner looking at me like: ‘Are you alright? You said you were going to be back by 10’.

“I said: ‘I meant 10 tomorrow!'”

Did they let you put your own stamp on the character of Janet?

“Lloyd is pretty open. If you’ve seen my work, you know what you’re going to get. He wanted a real, raw, gritty, working-class mum – and I think that’s what you get with Janet. I hope I’ve done them justice.

“We workshopped a lot of it. A lot of it was improv. There’s probably lots of stuff that’s cut – bits that were brilliant and bits that were awful! (Laughs.) But edited together, it looks fantastic.”

It’s an LGBTQ+ story but the themes are universal, aren’t they?

“Yes, everyone can relate to being in love and losing someone. Every scene you watch, you’re like: ‘Oh my God, I’ve been in that situation’. Whether you’re gay, straight, or whatever – it relates to everyone in that scenario.

“We’ve all been there, crying over our boyfriend. It’s awful. It’s such a sad place to be. But like you say, it’s universal – love and loss.”

There are a lot of familiar soap faces in the cast, including Hollyoaks star David Tag. Did you get to meet any of them during your short time filming?

“Unfortunately I didn’t really meet any of them, but I’m sure I will do at the screenings and premieres we have coming up. I’ll say hello to David Tag, who I’ve got respect for. It’d be nice to actually meet them all.

“But for me, I’m a small piece of that massive jigsaw puzzle. I’ve got a small part in it, so it’s all down to the others, really. I can’t take any credit. I’ve come in, done my little bit and left. But it looks fantastic.”

You left EastEnders in 2023, but came back for some return appearances in 2024. Did you always know those comebacks were on the cards?w

“Yeah, I was still contracted for about 10 months, so I knew that they could bring me back at any point. Obviously with the Keanu storyline, I knew I was coming back to bury him. Those were my last scenes, saying goodbye to him.

“I didn’t really want to announce, ‘Yeah, I’m leaving’, because then it’s like, ‘Yeah, but I will be back in a couple of months’. It was a bit of a funny time!”

So were you let in on the big secret of Keanu’s death?

“I knew, but only a couple of months before it went out, that it was Keanu that was dead. They kept it very secret from everyone. Obviously, I was devastated when I found out it was Keanu.”

The story still feels unfinished, as The Six never faced any legal consequences over Keanu’s death. Would you like Karen to come back again, especially with a new producer taking over at EastEnders?

“I mean, it is unfinished business. But at the minute, I’m not thinking too far ahead.

“I’m just hoping to get a theatre gig at the minute. I’ve just done panto in my hometown. I’ve never done it before and it was brilliant. But it reignited my passion for theatre, which I love so much, so I want to focus on that for now.”

Is it nice to leave EastEnders and have that variety again?

“Definitely. I was in EastEnders for seven years and it becomes like any job. I loved the people and I loved the job while I was there. But then you come away from it going: ‘Oh, actually, the doors are open now to do whatever I want’.

“So it’s a nice feeling, being free. To be able to do some theatre is going to be great.

“I just refuse to do these bloody self-tapes. I just said to my agent: ‘I’m not doing them anymore. I’m done with them!’ I don’t know how much work I’ll get from TV, because that’s the way forward right now. But I’m sick of them – I’m done. So wish me luck! (Laughs.)“

Have you found the shift to self-tapes difficult?

“It’s been really hard work. Before EastEnders, we didn’t have to do them. For me, I’m nearly 50. You have to become a director, a lighting director, a producer – to get this thing all together in a day sometimes.

“But I’ve got a nine-year-old daughter. I can’t learn lines that quickly. You’re under so much pressure. By the time I get to film it, I’ve literally got an hour to do it, at 1 in the morning. I find them soul-destroying, I really do.

“Some actors love them because you haven’t got to get on a train to London and you’re saving money. But it’s a skill that I’m not very good at.

“I keep sending these tapes off, and bless my agent, as she’s putting me up for some great roles. But I’m not happy with the tapes that I’ve done, so I’m taking a stand. I’m doing what makes me happy.”

Do you think it’s more beneficial to audition in a room with the producers and directors?

“Yeah, I like to actually go in a room and make magic happen. When you’re on your own, you’ve only got your version of it, but I like to be directed.

“What I’ve heard is that you’ll get these great self-tapes that are really polished, but when they get them turning up to set, they’re not good because they’re not great actors. They’re just really good at doing a self-tape.

“I’m just making a stand and doing what I believe in. I believe that if you want to see me for a part, you should get me in a room.”

Are you proud that Clair Norris (Bernie) still has such a prominent role in EastEnders and is flying the flag for the Taylor family?

“Of course, I’m so proud. She calls me “Mummy T”. They’re all my daughters and sons – Clair Norris, Danny Walters, Zack Morris. They became family. And Clair is just amazing. She’s such a fantastic actor. I love her to bits and I’m very proud.

“Zack is doing great, as he’s been in the new Goosebumps TV series. He’s so good. I even went to his house and he gave me a lesson in self-tapes. I get all the help! (Laughs.) So bless him – I thank him for that.

“He showed me a few of his. And for an actor to show someone their self-tape is a no-no, but he showed Mummy T. I was so impressed. I was like: ‘That’s how you do it’. But I just can’t do it.

“I love them all. We all get on really well. Outside of work, we’re friends for life.”