Lauren Crace, then a third year student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, was cast as Danielle and began filming in June 2008. EastEnders was Crace's first professional acting role, and executive producer Diederick Santer expressed his pleasure that Crace had chosen to make her debut on the show. Upon _her_ introduction, EastEnders's producers attempted to deceive the audience into believing Danielle was nothing more than a new friend for Stacey. <sep>, Pronoun: her