Kara-Leah Fernandes joined the cast of EastEnders in 2019 as regular character Bailey Baker, alongside a cast including her on-screen father Roger Griffiths. At the 2019 British Soap Awards, Kara-Leah won Best Young Actor and Best On-Screen Partnership with Roger, and she continued as Bailey until she last appeared on screen in the soap in December 2023. Additional screen work for Kara-Leah have included an episode of Hold the Sunset alongside John Cleese, and she played Young July in the BBC mini-series The Long Song. Recently, we caught up with Kara-Leah about playing regular character Bailey Baker in EastEnders, winning awards for her portrayal of the character at the 2019 British Soap Awards and being in the cast of the BBC mini-series The Long Song as Young July.

In December, your final scenes as Bailey Baker in EastEnders were aired on screen, what were your last episodes like to film and how did you feel when they were released on TV?

On my last day, I don’t think it fully hit me that those moments would be my last ones on the show until the ride home. I remember wishing I could go back to say goodbye again just one more time. I did give and receive lots of cards and presents from my EastEnders family, which was really nice.

How have you found the experience working on a long-running soap as a regular character?

To be honest, I can barely remember the time when I wasn’t on EastEnders so it was really just my normal. But one thing that I don’t think I will ever get over no matter how long I’ve been on screen for is when people know me and I don’t know them. I always find getting recognised in public so weird.

Do you remember how you felt joining the show in 2019 and how was it filming alongside the rest of the cast, which included your on-screen father Roger Griffiths?

I don’t remember much but I do remember how fun it was to hit someone on the head with a wooden plank during my first scene.

What was Bailey like to play and did you have a favourite storyline to film?

Playing Bailey was not difficult at all; a lot of her characteristics remind me of a younger me. My favourite storyline was definitely the magic one because I got to meet an actual magician and learn tricks from him.

You won Best Young Actor and Best On-Screen Partnership (with Roger Griffiths) at the 2019 British Soap Awards, how did you find the experience attending the ceremony and collecting your awards?

I was very worried that I was going to trip up the stairs so I made sure that did not happen. I remember when they were calling out the names of all the nominees for the second award, I told myself there was no way that I was going to win another one so when they called out my name I was VERY surprised.

What are some of your stand-out memories from being part of EastEnders over the years and is there anything you miss most about playing Bailey?

I remember when I used to collect coins, Roger (Mitch Baker) and Carol (a chaperone) gave me a whole bunch of rare coins to add to my collection, I used to take them everywhere I went. I also remember there was a scene with me and Lou (Karen Taylor) where we got to eat some ice cream and I kept hoping something would go wrong so we’d have to do it again.

What was it like playing Ophelia in an episode of Hold the Sunset in 2019 alongside John Cleese?

It was a nice experience, I don’t remember much but I remember everyone was really friendly.

You played Young July in the 2018 BBC mini-series The Long Song, how was this?

That was AMAZING. We went to the Dominican Republic for two weeks and filmed for two days. Everyone was so lovely and very patient when it came to my insect phobia. I remember there was one scene with Hayley Atwell where she had to shout at me and she felt really bad, so after each take we gave each other a big high five. I also remember me and Sharon Duncan-Brewster would play very competitive games of noughts and crosses, which I always won.

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do professionally?

I’ve always enjoyed acting and I was always a very dramatic child. I think the catalyst for my acting career was a teacher from one of my old primary schools, she recommended me and another girl to a theatre camp at Sylvia Young, which I attended for about 10 months. After that, my mum signed me up for an agency (TTA) and that’s how I got started.

Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?

I have many favourite shows, definitely too many to say them all. Currently I think some of my favourite movies/series are: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Hunger Games franchise, Divergent, My Wife and Kids, Never Have I Ever, On My Block, Titans and a couple of others; there’s just too many that I like.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like to read, watch movies, sing, nap and I also like art.

What do you enjoy most about working as an actor?

I like meeting new people all the time and getting to know them. I also like getting to experiment with my characters and becoming other people.

Have you been given any advice over your acting career so far that has stuck with you, and what advice would you give a young actor starting out?

I think it’s important to make sure you enjoy what you’re doing and to accept that sometimes you might not get exactly what you want, but that doesn’t mean you are worth any less, it just means that particular thing wasn’t meant for you.

What are you hoping 2024 brings for you and do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?

I hope that 2024 brings something totally new and exciting.