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Coronation Street actor Ryan Prescott caught up with Express.co.uk at the TV Choice Awards last month, where he explained how the departure of his close friend Chris Gascoyne (who played Peter Barlow) has “devastated” him. Although the violent clashes viewers have seen onscreen between them might suggest otherwise, the pair have actually become firm friends in real life.
Meanwhile, hugely popular character Peter has been an on-off character on the cobbles for almost a quarter of a century, before finally leaving Weatherfield behind forever in dramatic scenes that aired last Christmas. Ryan, who plays Ryan Connor in the ITV soap, revealed: “I’m gutted. Devastated. There is a bit of a void. He was a legend and mentor to so many people without even trying to be. You learn from him just being him. I miss him [and] love him.”
Having taken some time off while his character tried his luck as a DJ in Glasgow, he wasn’t able to say a full goodbye, but has vowed to keep in touch. Meanwhile, he was also upset to hear that Peter’s on-screen son Simon Barlow (played by Alex Bain) was leaving the cobbles behind too, exclaiming: “It’s mad!”
However, he added: “I think some people have been in the soap [a long time] and just want to spend a little bit more time with their families – they’ve earnt it.” Ryan has returned to work after the lengthy gap in filming to rekindle his on-screen affair with Daisy (played by Charlotte Jordan) – and he opened up to us on why the romance still has resonance for the pair.
“Ryan’s always going to have a close bond with Daisy,” he explained. “Once you’ve been through something with that degree of trauma together, [such as Ryan’s acid attack], you’ve got an invisible everlasting bond which has kind of become the basis for the relationship to flourish.”
He ominously added that Ryan “left in the middle of it all” – but now that he’s returned, the pair have had an explosive reunion.
However, he warned that his character might need to settle down and become a little more “grounded” after his dramatic “steroids and sex work” storylines lately.
Ryan revealed to us that he extensively researched his acid attack story, even speaking to survivors from The Katie Piper Foundation to learn more about how it impacts victims and how to portray that in his character.
“I spoke to someone who’d been through [an acid attack] about ten years prior and he’s still on the road to recovery, with PTSD… it’s a lifelong thing,” he grimaced.
“Everyone says how brave these people are, but they’re not born brave – they’re just forced into the position and have no other option.
“You have to be brave and carry on through it or regress and internalise it,” he reflected.
Despite the harrowing nature of the story, and “crying for months on end” as he rehearsed and filmed his lines, he’s glad to have had the opportunity to take on challenges as an actor.
“I was really looking forward to it. It was something of substance… that’s where the juice is. I wanted to expand Ryan a little bit and show a bit more vulnerability to him, and this has been a great opportunity to do so.”
Now, with the worst of the trauma behind him, could Ryan go on to grow a healthy, wholesome relationship with Daisy, as he says he’d like to see happen? Viewers will have to keep watching to find out.
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Source: NewsFinale
