Michelle Collins has opened up about the Cindy and Max wedding in EastEnders, promising viewers an event that is anything but smooth, and new scenes have already shown just how right she is.
Collins, who plays Cindy Beale in the BBC soap, spoke exclusively to Digital Spy ahead of what promises to be one of Walford’s more chaotic nuptials. The couple are set to tie the knot in early September, on the very same day that Kim and Howie are also getting married. Two weddings, one square, and apparently no shortage of drama.
Bridezilla, beehives and the Cindy and Max wedding chaos
‘It’s going to be a typical Walford wedding, that’s for sure, in the sense that it’s never a wedding that goes to plan,’ Collins told Digital Spy. ‘It will be unpredictable. I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that it’s not the perfect wedding!’
Part of the problem, Collins explains, is that Cindy is not exactly the most popular bride on Albert Square. With Kim’s wedding happening simultaneously, many residents decide they would rather attend that one, which does not go down well. ‘A lot of people decide they’re not going to Cindy’s wedding, so she gets a little bit peeved and turns into a bit of a bridezilla character,’ Collins said. ‘”Why aren’t they coming to my wedding?”‘
On the dress itself, Collins was happy to share a little more. ‘Her wedding dress was white, even though she’s been married three times before! It wasn’t fluffy, blancmange, it was a bit more… kind of long, kind of lacy, quite tight.’ For her hair, Collins says she wanted to channel ‘a bit of Dusty Springfield, Duffy, with a beehive’, and credits hair and make-up artist Zoe with keeping things in order through what she describes as a lot of on-set action.
What makes the wedding especially loaded is what Cindy does not yet know. Max recently had an affair with Priya, and while the relationship is over, Priya has discovered she is pregnant with his baby. Collins reflected on the unusual dynamic this creates for her character: ‘She’s never been cheated on before. It’s always her that’s cheated on somebody, so it’s interesting to play. She’s always been the other one!’
Wedding in jeopardy as secrets spill before the big day
Events appear to have escalated well before any vows are exchanged. According to Radio Times, the Cindy and Max wedding was left in jeopardy during the episode that aired on 7 September, after a series of dramatic confrontations. Ravi Gulati kidnapped Max and went on the attack over Max’s affair with Priya Nandra-Hart, while Linda Carter ordered Max to leave after he revealed the affair to her. With secrets now spreading through Walford faster than the invitations, the question of whether Cindy and Max actually make it to the altar is very much open.
Collins herself described Max in colourful terms, and seemed genuinely amused by the mess he has made. ‘What on earth did she fall in love with him for? He’s so dislikeable!’ she said. ‘I mean, Jake’s a great actor, but he is pretty dislikeable, isn’t he? You go, “Cindy, what are you doing?” So there’s half of me that goes, maybe people will be on her side anyway, because fancy cheating on somebody before you get married? I mean really, it’s a very cowardly thing to do, isn’t it?’
Despite the chaos surrounding him, Collins is clear that Cindy’s feelings are genuine: ‘She is very much in love with Max. So she really wants this wedding to be perfect.’ And however things unfold, Collins is confident that her character will not be kept down for long. ‘She’s a survivor, and whatever happens, she will come bouncing back, and she will reinvent herself,’ she said, pointing to Cindy’s long history: prison, years on the run, and a return to Walford with her own business still intact.
There is also the matter of the flashforward episode, which showed Max preparing to marry again on New Year’s Day, suggesting that whatever happens at the September wedding, it is unlikely to be the final word. Collins said she has deliberately avoided watching it: ‘I don’t really want to know, because I don’t want to spoil it. But it’s certainly not going to be boring.’
For the full story ahead of the big day, Inside Soap has a dedicated feature available to buy from Tuesday, 1 September. EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One, with episodes also available early on BBC iPlayer, where most drop at 6am ahead of broadcast.
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