Jade Lovall
Jade Lovall is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actress Gabriella Leon. She first appears in the twelfth episode of the thirty-third series, first broadcast on 3 November 2018. Leon was cast in June 2018 alongside Shaheen Jafargholi, who portrays Marty Kirkby. The role marks the actress' television debut. Initially portrayed as lazy and idle, Jade's characterisation develops as she is shown to be an independent, caring and compassionate young woman. Jade is the drama's first disabled, and deaf, regular character; Leon is also deaf and used her personal experiences to develop her character's story. The character uses a combition of Sign Supported English and lip reading to communicate. Producers and Leon were keen to not make her disability a defining feature of the character.
Jade is introduced as a student nurse completing her final placement on Holby City Hospital's maternity ward. Senior nurse Louise Tyler recognises her talent and invites her to finish her placement at the emergency department, where writers paired her with Marty in a double act tackling their first months in the ED together. First used for light relief against the show's serious stories, the pair were later subject to more delicate stories as Jade becomes a registered nurse and Marty comes out to his family. Off-screen, Leon and Jafargholi liked working together and even moved in together.
The character's biggest story explored her fictional backstory in foster care and deafness. Leon dubbed it "a story of acceptance". One episode uses British Sign Language in scenes between Jade and her former boyfriend, with subtitles used for non-BSL speakers. The story culminates in the special episode "Jade's World", written, directed and starring deaf creatives in a first for British history. The episode sees Jade meet her biological mother, Susie Ashby, who she learns is also deaf. "Jade's World" was lauded by television critics and viewers alike.
Producers used the character to highlight the issue of drink spiking and how people with disabilities face additional barriers daily. After having her drink spiked in a club, Jade is nearly assaulted in an alleyway. She is traumatised by the attack and initially seeks revenge. The character's reasons for becoming a nurse were explored in the show's thirty-sixth anniversary, followed by a revenge plot against Jade from Stevie Nash. Leon opted to leave Casualty after three years and Jade departs in the thirty-sixth series episode "The Road Less Travelled", first broadcast on 18 September 2021. The character was well received by television critics and viewers alike. In particular, the representation of deaf people created by the character was praised.
Casting
In August 2018, Casualty series producer Lucy Raffety announced the casting of actress Gabriella Leon in the role of student nurse Jade, in an interview with Sophie Dainty of entertainment website Digital Spy. Raffety called Leon a "brilliant actress". Further details about the character were announced on 3 October 2018 by Duncan Lindsay, writing for the Metro. Simon Harper, the executive producer of Casualty, described Leon as "a phenomenal new talent and an utter joy as Jade". Leon found Harper's comments "sweet", but said they made her feel under pressure.Auditions for the role of Jade took place across May and June 2018. The casting call for the role requested women with a disability that did not define them, and upon seeing this, Leon, who is deaf, decided to read for it. She dubbed the part "written just for ". Her agent told her that she had won the role while she was at the pub with her friend. The actress worried that she would not get the role as she had not heard anything until that point. On discovering the news, she said, "It was a really special moment that I don't think I'll ever forget in my life." Leon began filming at the show's studios, based in Cardiff, in July. Leon joined the cast alongside actor Shaheen Jafargholi, who portrays Marty Kirkby. She was pleased about this and dubbed him her "partner in crime". Casualty marks Leon's television debut and having previously performed in theatre, she found the transition to television "smooth" and enjoyed learning from her co-stars. The actress found the experience of joining the drama "surreal" and likened it to "a lucid dream". She also opined that joining the show was a "refreshing" experience.
Leon sometimes struggled to learn the medical terminology involved with the show and to help her learn them, she would turn phrases into songs or taps. She also compared learning basic medical procedures to learning choreography. The actress found the show's set overwhelming and would often become lost in it. She compared her first day on-set to "learning a new language". As part of her research for the role, Leon watched series 31 and series 32 of Casualty to help deepen her knowledge of the show.
Development
Characterisation
Jade is initially characterised as a "work-shy" student nurse who "plays by her own rules". She has a "thrill seeking nature" and is keen to avoid any additional responsibility. She dislikes rules and detail and will often " corners", which makes people perceive her as lazy and avoid working with her. However, this persona hides Jade's insecurities: she is not confident in her ability and believes that you cannot fail if you do not "put yourself on the line". Leon thought that Jade makes a good nurse and could reach her "full potential" if she tackled her insecurities. She also opined that Jade is a flawed "loveable rouge", but explained that her flaws are "very universal and endearing", which make her likeable.Jade is a humanist and treats her patients with "compassion". She works confidently and does not falter in any situation, even when dealing with bloodied trauma patients. Leon felt that she "really cares" about patients and her team. The character is portrayed as independent. Leon said she was "unapologetically herself". She is unafraid to stand up from injustice. Jade does not have an ego and is a nonjudgemental and "down to earth" person who makes friends with everyone. Harper billed Jade as "chaotic, funny, and vulnerable", while Leon described her as "cheeky", flirtatious and a "party girl". The actress is a trained clown and liked to incorporate elements of comedy into the character. She noted that Jade is a "relatable" character, and concluded, "she's just an all-round fabulous nurse, friend and ally to have".
The character is portrayed as a strong, independent young woman. Leon thought that writers had established a "fun role for a young woman", which she liked as it showcased female voices and stories about women. In a feature about "iconic women of soap", Leon said that Jade was "unapologetically herself" and does not let anything stop her. She told Sue Haasler from the Metro that Jade is a "chaotic whirlwind of a young woman". Reflecting on her own experience as Jade, Leon was pleased that women in soap were given more of a central stage, rather than being secondary to the stories of male characters.
The character's fictional backstory states that she began living in foster care aged eight and spent her childhood moving between care homes and foster families. She then "defied all the odds" by studying at university and becoming a nurse. Jade's complicated upbringing caused her to not allow people to get close to her and develop commitment issues. In relationships, she enjoys flirting but will quickly end the relationship if things become serious. Leon explained that the character has become used to rejection as she grew up, which has made her "resilient". The actress felt she could relate to this due to her own experiences with her disability.
Disability
Jade is the first disabled - and first deaf - regular character on Casualty. Leon felt proud of this fact and did not want her character to be defined by her disability. She thought it was important that characters, like Jade, with a disability were not just "used as 'disabled characters' but 'characters that happen to have a disability'". Jade was the first character Leon portrayed to have the same disability as her. To ensure an accurate portrayal of Jade's disability, Leon works with the show's story team, drawing from her own personal experience. She also encouraged the use of deaf creatives whenever there was a focus on her character's disability to increase authenticity. The actress praised Casualty representation of invisible disability and opined that they were showcasing "a much broader scope of who someone with a disability is". Jade uses a combition of Sign Supported English and lip reading to communicate, in comparison to Leon who primarily uses lip reading. Interpreters are used during the writing process and on set to ensure relevant signs are used for Jade and the other correspondent. Leon felt that as a deaf actress, she could add "depth and understanding" to the role, having shared experiences with her character.As part of the condition, Jade has hyperacusis, which is a sensitivity to sound above a certain volume and frequency. Triggers to this include the swinging doors in the ED and metal bins, which Jade has to ignore on a daily basis. Leon felt that Jade was a good representation of deaf nurses in the NHS. She wanted to represent an "endearing yet clumsy, deaf nurse" through her character. After learning she had been cast, the actress decided to use the opportunity to "educate and normalise seeing characters with disabilities on screen". Leon felt pressured to accurately represent deaf people through her character, but also noted that her portrayal had created opportunity for other deaf creatives to be involved in the drama. Hearing-impaired fans of the show admitted to Leon that she was the first representation of the hearing-impaired community that they had ever seen on television. She hoped that her portrayal of a deaf character would improve attitudes towards disability.
Through the character of Jade, writers explored the challenges to deaf people created by the use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic and in healthcare settings. Leon pointed out that masks restrict communication and it is hard to lip read from two metres away. The actress was pleased that Casualty were showcasing the impact of masks on deaf people. She admitted that she encouraged writers to explore this issue. The issue was first touched upon when the hospital goes into lockdown following a chemical attack. Protective gear prevents Jade from hearing her colleagues properly and she struggles to lipread them, which stops her from treating patients. Producers gave the issue more focus in a special episode exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the NHS. Series producer Loretta Preece explained that they wanted to draw attention to the issue and was pleased they could so through Jade, who she deemed "a very important character to the show".