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Thread: Lee Carter

  1. #21
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    At least Tina notices and he will be given support, not mocking from those closest to him like Steve McDonald experienced for way too long ...

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  3. #22
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    EastEnders will kick off a long-running storyline for show regular Lee next month which will see him suffer from depression.

    The plot will begin with Lee struggling to cope with everyday life and will explore the impact of depression in young males.

    Although Lee's sister Nancy will be the first person to realise that something isn't right, Lee will eventually acknowledge that he needs to confide in his girlfriend Whitney Dean.

    Here, Danny-Boy Hatchard who plays Lee, discusses the important storyline and the impact it will have on Lee's his family and his relationship with Whitney.

    Is this storyline to do with Lee being in the army?
    "I think there will be elements of it but it is not primarily. It won't be a post traumatic stress disorder storyline, but just a general depression storyline. A lot of people will assume that it will just be based around a young man's depression, but I think depression on a whole affects everybody at some point in their life. This is more appealing to me as an actor as opposed to a post traumatic stress plot, which I think was the generic idea to go for. This is a good, solid storyline."

    Suicide is one of the biggest killers in young men. Is this an important storyline to tackle?
    "That's true and that is because men, unlike women if they don't mind me saying so, don't tend to express their emotions and feelings as much as women do. I was watching a play the other day and it was about the subtext of men and how they speak - if a man wants to express his emotions, he will say to his friend 'let's go for a pint' and there will be no hint there. They might play a game of darts and if someone said 'how's your wife?' he might say 'oh, we are getting divorced'. Whereas a woman will pick up the phone to a friend or a sister and express her emotions over the phone.

    "That is not saying that this doesn't appeal to women because I know women do suffer from depression as well. It is a very important subject to cross and especially now with social media. It's mad because social media has brought everyone together but it has also made people feel more lonely. That is a massive thing as well."

    Lee tells Whitney his news
    © BBC
    Lee and Whitney in EastEnders

    Does Lee know straight away that he has depression?
    "This is the thing, I think lots of young men go into denial. All deep down they know they something is wrong internally, there is that constant saying of if you repeat yourself something so many times, you start to believe it. Lee believes he is okay and thinks it is something he can get hold of, but he doesn't want to lose his masculinity by opening up and wearing his heart on his sleeve. That is why Whitney is a very good anchor for him."

    How is this going to impact his relationship with Whitney?
    "It is going to make them stronger. Whitney knows something isn't right. What Lee has always wanted in a relationship is what his mum and dad have and for him to have that, he knows he needs to confide in Whitney. Therefore, Whitney does push and push and because she is persistent, he eventually gives in and lets her know. He only gives away so much to her initially. Over time, like the audience, Whitney will begin to discover more and more layers to Lee, like an onion. That is why this story will escalate into the late future. It is going to go on for a while."

    Will Whitney realise that Lee is suffering from depression?
    "No. Whitney is just relating her experiences to begin with. She is just there for him and tries to support him in any way that she can."

    Lee will try and open up to Mick, but is this hard for him?
    "Yes and I think it is because he is the eldest. I think, although no parents will ever admit it and I am not saying this from personal experience just audience perspective, that the older sibling always has that high ground. Mick and Linda had Lee when they were very young so they have kind of grown up together in a way. Lee is more like Mick's brother but at the same time he learns his trade and what he is about from him. Obviously he loves his mum dearly, she is his rock and so Lee has a different relationship with them as opposed to say Johnny, but not necessarily a stronger one. They learned how to be parents from Lee and they made it smoother around the edges for Johnny."

    Does he confide in Nancy?
    "He gets cross with Nancy when he learns she is planning to move in with Tamwar. He feels she is the only person who is keeping a secret as well as him and he is holding onto that. Anything he can relate to in any shape or form, then he will because he doesn't want to feel like he is alone. That is the most dangerous thing for someone who is suffering from depression, feeling like they are alone and that nobody can help them. Knowing that Nancy is in the house, they both have a secret and they can talk in code and support each other, is very important to Lee."

    Does Lee feel like Nancy is abandoning him?
    "Yes, in a selfish way. At the end of the day, she has to go off and do what is best for her but naturally when somebody is in that kind of mindset, you naturally blame others for making you feel worse. You are more sensitive to anything that happens. It is like a wound that hasn't quite healed yet - it's tender. He is coming to terms with himself a lot."

    How does Lee feel about his job now?
    "He is disconnected from life in general. Just as his family will realise there is something wrong, so will the people he works with. They are going to notice a difference because his job is a recruitment officer and he is working with people. They will notice he has changed."

    How bad is this story going to get? Could Lee be pushed to the brink of suicide?
    "What I will say is that everybody who suffers from depression as well as Lee at some point does think about it. There is a difference between thinking about it and actually considering it. I think at the very early stages where people start to realise that there is something wrong with Lee, even then Lee is thinking about it. But whether he considers it or not is for a later date."

    Did you feel a certain amount of pressure when you learned about this storyline?
    "No. Naturally, I will feel pressure as soon as I get the dialogue and I know exactly where it is going. When I first heard about it, I didn't know how long they wanted for it to go on for. But now I know that they want it to go on for a long period of time, I have begun to feel a bit more pressure because where we film things out of order, it is hard to get into a pattern where I feel I am giving the most truthful performance I can. That is where I feel most pressured. In terms of this storyline though, I feel they have got the right man for the job."

    Have you had to do a lot of research yourself?
    "Yes. Mind are very kindly supporting us and the EastEnders research team are acting as the middle man for me. Any questions I do have, they pass onto Mind and ask people directly, but I think I do have a very good understanding of how depression works."

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  5. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by parkerman View Post
    If it's good enough for Steve McDonald.....
    Quote Originally Posted by Perdita View Post
    At least Tina notices and he will be given support, not mocking from those closest to him like Steve McDonald experienced for way too long ...
    Steve's depression storyline started so well (if you ignore the horrible mocking by Michelle and Liz), but ended very poorly with Steve's almost miraculously recovery after some pills and a couple of therapy sessions.

    Let's hope Lee's will be portrayed more realistically. A few months ago I'd have been certain it would be but I've now lost all my faith in DTC.

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  7. #24
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    I think Lee is my least favourite new Carter character not convinced by Danny's acting either so hope the writing and acting is done good for his storyline

    I think a character like Max or Billy would have been better getting a depression storyline

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  9. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by tammyy2j View Post
    I think Lee is my least favourite new Carter character not convinced by Danny's acting either so hope the writing and acting is done good for his storyline

    I think a character like Max or Billy would have been better getting a depression storyline
    From the interview posted above they wanted to highlight the illness in young men.

  10. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzle View Post
    From the interview posted above they wanted to highlight the illness in young men.
    Jay or Ben or Fatboy or Martin then

  11. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by tammyy2j View Post
    Jay or Ben or Fatboy or Martin then
    Jay would have been good. The actor deserves a big story of his own.

  12. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzle View Post
    Jay would have been good. The actor deserves a big story of his own.
    Definitely. He clearly showed that he was still affected by his involvement in Heather's death during Lorraine Newman's tenure. Now it's like it never happened. For all her faults, Newman knew how to balance the cast.

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  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kim View Post
    Definitely. He clearly showed that he was still affected by his involvement in Heather's death during Lorraine Newman's tenure. Now it's like it never happened. For all her faults, Newman knew how to balance the cast.
    Poor Jamie Borthwick's had no real storylines during DTC's tenure. His only screen time that I can remember has been breaking up with Abi and being peripheral to the Abi/Ben pairing. He's a good actor and deserves a lot better.
    Last edited by Dazzle; 28-06-2015 at 23:20.

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  16. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzle View Post
    Poor Jamie Borthwick's had no real storylines during DTC's tenure. His only screen time that I can remember has been breaking up with Abi and being peripheral to the Abi/Ben pairing. He's a good actor and deserves a lot better.
    Couldn't agree more. After Lola and Liam who DTC has got rid of anyway, he must be the next most underused character. Borthwick's acting and the fact that Jay is from the Santer era (which DTC was part of) is probably what's saving him.

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