Should Josie Russell have stayed longer ?.

[j.laur5]

I always felt she had the potential to stick around longer and as she crossed swords with Amanda Vale it would have been interesting viewing. 
 

While Josie certainly wasn’t anywhere nearly as crazy or dangerous as her cousin Angie but she still was no saint either at times . 
 

I always wonder why did actress Laurie Foell leave? Was it her choice or did the producers decide to write her out ?. 

[Foellfan]

I  loved both the Russell girls and would have loved to have seen Josie stick around, especially given some of her more unconventional ways. I think departure was a bit of both if memory serves, though we are talking nearly 15 years ago, so I could be wrong!

[Jamie!]

I loved both Angie and Josie. She played her very differently to Angie. Angie was cool and Josie was warm and open. She had a lot of storylines during her nine or so months on the show as Josie, but her exit was very quick and sudden, which was disappointing. Laurie herself said that she had regrets about her exit: It was a bit of a regret actually. I was so exhausted by the time that we filmed that, because Josie had had such big storylines, that the exit was a bit tepid. In hindsight, I would have taken that up [with the writers], but I was just too tired at that stage because of the heavy storylines - I think I'd had about 6 of them in a row and I was just on the point of nervous exhaustion.”

I don't know if Laurie Foell is still acting, but I would love for her to return as Josie one day.

[jakeyy.]

On 08/07/2023 at 21:46, Foellfan said:

I  loved both the Russell girls and would have loved to have seen Josie stick around, especially given some of her more unconventional ways. I think departure was a bit of both if memory serves, though we are talking nearly 15 years ago, so I could be wrong!

almost 20 actually.

 

But Josie was a great character who was unfortunately short-lived, but same actress as Angie, may have made Laurie Foell view both characters as one long regular stint (ie 2-3ish years)

[project90]

On 12/07/2023 at 01:14, jakeyy. said:

But Josie was a great character who was unfortunately short-lived, but same actress as Angie, may have made Laurie Foell view both characters as one long regular stint (ie 2-3ish years)

Who was,around longer Josie right?

[Foellfan]

Yes, I believe so.

[jakeyy.]

On 15/07/2023 at 12:23, project90 said:

Who was,around longer Josie right?

Yes, Angie was 6 months and then a year later Foell returned to play Josie for 11 months.

[project90]

Both felt longer especially Angie 

[adam436]

No. I don't think Josie was really working out because the writers didn't really know how to write her. Some time she was written as a scheming villain, other times she was genuinely trying to do the right thing and it came across as unconvincing. 

I think I struggled to accept the character because Angie was such a prominent villain and now we have the same actress playing back as her lookalike cousin. I assume the producers loved Laurie Foell's work and wanted to find a way to make her a regular, but it just didn't work out. 

H&A was heading in a new direction in 2005 too, so it made sense for Josie to go to make way for Amanda Vale, who really did shake things up on the scheming/villain front. 

[j.laur5]

1 hour ago, adam436 said:

No. I don't think Josie was really working out because the writers didn't really know how to write her. Some time she was written as a scheming villain, other times she was genuinely trying to do the right thing and it came across as unconvincing. 

I think I struggled to accept the character because Angie was such a prominent villain and now we have the same actress playing back as her lookalike cousin. I assume the producers loved Laurie Foell's work and wanted to find a way to make her a regular, but it just didn't work out. 

H&A was heading in a new direction in 2005 too, so it made sense for Josie to go to make way for Amanda Vale, who really did shake things up on the scheming/villain front. 

But I think would be great to see Amanda and Josie cross paths and I think Josie would be  great person to have in their corner when Irene and Robbie were battling Mother Rose after she brainwashed Tasha.