Esme (Eva Fontaine)

[Perdita]

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emm...derson-twists/


Emmerdale has finally introduced Charles Anderson's ex-partner Esme, which set the stage for some major revelations.

Thursday's double bill (October 7) saw Charles head into the woods for a secret meeting with Esme, who walked out on him and their son Ethan when he was just three years old.

Esme's relationship with Charles came under strain when she struggled with post-natal depression. Unaware of why Esme's moods had changed so much, Charles felt rejected and reacted badly by having an affair.

In Emmerdale's latest episodes, Esme dropped the bombshell that she was pregnant when she left Charles. This means that Charles has a long-lost daughter, Naomi, who grew up with another family after being adopted.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Kevin Mathurin, who plays Charles, for his reaction to the big scenes and where this leaves his character now.

"I was quite excited! It helps us to show a bit more depth and explore the history of what caused Charles to change his life, when he became a vicar. The viewers are now getting to find out what Charles used to be like.

"Charles was a city boy. He earned loads of money and he had a lavish lifestyle, but all of that came crashing down and that caused him to turn to God. That was his salvation."

Did you always know that Esme would make an appearance?

"When I first joined Emmerdale, I knew that down the line, there would be other family members or people from the past coming in, but I wasn't sure exactly when that would happen.

"We had an idea that Ethan's mum would arrive at some point. When the storyline came in, we had a fair warning beforehand ? maybe about a month in advance."

What did you make of the revelation that Charles has a long-lost daughter?

"I was a bit surprised myself! But it's great and it just shows there was even more to Charles' backstory. Nothing is black and white in Charles' world. It'd be so easy to blame Esme for leaving and say that she was a dysfunctional mother, but she had her reasons.

"You can't help but have some empathy and sympathy for Esme's point of view. It's not just cut and shut that she ran off and left Charles to deal with everything, which is what he's thought for a long time.

"Charles had no idea that Esme was suffering from post-natal depression. He also had no idea that she was pregnant when she left."

Charles has said that he needs time to think about whether to meet Naomi or not. Do you think he'll want to?

"Well, Charles puts others before himself. I don't want to reveal anything, but from what I know of Charles, if he's got someone out there, I think he'll want to meet them. When the clouds have cleared and he's calmed down, I think the door is open."

Charles now has a big decision to make over whether to tell Ethan everything...

"Charles has been so protective of his son for so many years, for various reasons. Other people have let him down, so Charles feels guilty over the things that have happened to Ethan. Charles is more stable and he's the rock in Ethan's life.

"For all of this to come about now, it's hard for Charles to deal with. Either he wants to tell the truth to Ethan, or protect him by keeping the truth from him. It's going to be a hard decision for Charles to make."

Is there a chance that Esme and Naomi could join Emmerdale permanently?

"Well, I honestly don't know that. It's not like I'm lying or hiding a secret! (Laughs.) I honestly don't know what's going to be happening down the line.

"But on a personal note, Eva Fontaine who plays Esme is amazing. We had such a good couple of days filming with her ? both myself and Emile John, who plays Ethan.

"It would be an absolute pleasure if down the line, she came back. We had a good time filming our scenes and hopefully the chemistry will be seen by the fans."

The fans know that evil Meena impersonated Esme in texts to Ethan this year. Would you like Charles and Ethan to get back involved in Meena's story?

"I can't wait for the pay-off to that. I'm so excited. I'd love to obviously have Charles and Ethan be involved in that pay-off when that secret comes out.

"Meena's been a bit shady. There's a lot of twists and turns to come and we don't know what's going to happen. But that pay-off is going to be explosive."

Charles has been confiding in Harriet. How important is that friendship to him?

"Charles has always wanted to be on side with Harriet and he's wanted her to trust him. When Charles first came in, Harriet feared for her job and there were other secrets that she was hiding from him.

"Charles has always worked hard in reassuring Harriet that they're together no matter what. Whatever problems that they may have, they can work it out together and they're there for each other.

"The relationship has started to open up for both of them. I think Charles is glad that, even though he has been a bit reserved on letting Harriet in this week, he can now open up and let her help out."

Do you think Charles and Andrea's relationship is strong?

"I think at the moment there's no one more important to Charles than Andrea. He's happy and the relationship is fresh. Andrea stands on her own two feet, she knows what she wants and Charles likes that in her.

"Andrea also has a positive spin on everything. Whatever Charles has on his mind, she has a point of view that makes him feel like it's going to turn out alright.

"At the moment, I don't think there's anything that would make him feel there's pressure in their relationship or their bond."

We know that Anna Nightingale, who plays Andrea, will be going on maternity leave. How do you feel about the news?

"Well, Anna is an amazing person to work with. She's been so welcoming, friendly and supportive since both Emile and I joined Emmerdale. We hang out and I'm going to miss her, but it's a great reason obviously.

"Anna is an amazing mum. We talk about our children all the time, so I know that she's really looking forward to extending her family. I just wish her all the best and I'm going to miss having her on set for a while."

You've been on screen in Emmerdale for nearly a year now. What are your thoughts on how Charles and Ethan are settling in?

"I feel like the viewers have generally been really welcoming and complimentary about our characters. People have bumped into us in the street individually and talked about the show.

"Within my community ? the Black community ? they've been so happy to have someone represent them, with both characters being such positive role models as well.

"It's been great. It's been an amazing year. It's just nice that, as time has gone on, meatier storylines are developing for the characters. It's challenging us as actors, because there's depth and there's body behind these characters. They're getting fleshed out.

"There's some darker sides to our stories as well, which I'm looking forward to and enjoying at the moment."



So far I like her...