Corrie spoilers follow below with mentions of abuse around the storyline currently playing out between Theo Silverton and Todd Grimshaw.
Theo actor James Cartwright has been speaking about about the escalating story which has seen Theo turn increasingly nasty and violent. ‘I wasn’t so much surprised but more excited to be involved in such an important storyline. There’s certainly been twists and turns along the way that have even had me choking on my cornflakes as I’ve read the scripts.’
‘I think we always knew he was a complicated man. But now, as we move further along, you start to see that actually he’s not just a complicated man, he’s potentially a very dangerous man.’
‘Theo just blows up when he doesn’t seem to be able to talk about his feelings. He can’t express himself so he loses his temper, and he becomes very volatile to be around. He does these things in that moment of rage and then the cycle of self hatred starts, where he loathes himself, he starts drinking, and then the cycle continues again.’
Filming the scenes has proved just as tough for James, with the actor admitting, ‘They’re never easy. I think there’s a different mood on set when we’re shooting these scenes. It’s a very serious vibe on set because, one, someone could get hurt; two, we all realize it’s pretty horrible; and three, while we’re doing it as actors, we’re aware that this is some people’s lives.’
The fine line between the drama and portrayal is not lost when asked about the responsibility of a story like this? ‘You’ve got to tread that line between drama, storytelling, and authenticity. Domestic violence is real for a lot of people… we have to be careful not to rush it or you run the risk of doing a disservice to people who’ve been through it. Very often, the victims don’t know that’s what it is, or they excuse certain behaviors.’
As for any hope in the future, ‘I think what we’re seeing now is a pattern of behaviour from Theo which he seems incapable of learning from. Personally I’d say Todd should have been out of it months ago but it’s been this gradual escalation where the pressure has just been upped and upped, like boiling the toad.
Also the further you get down a road with a relationship like this, you start to feel a bit embarrassed, and so you start to cover for them in ways that you would never have done previously.You start to make excuses for their behaviours and this is where Theo is sitting at the moment which is a very dangerous position for Todd.’
Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube. Episodes airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1.