Marc Elliott Interview

[Perdita]

EastEnders' Syed Masood - played by 30-year-old actor Marc Elliott - is thrown into turmoil next week as his secret gay affair with Christian Clarke (John Partridge) is exposed on his wedding day to fiancée Amira Shah (Preeya Kalidas). Not everyone finds out, though - only Syed's mother Zainab (Nina Wadia) hears the shock revelation when Christian blurts it out during a heated exchange. How will Syed deal with the fact that his mother knows his true sexuality? Will Christian stop the wedding in time? Or will Syed and Amira become man and wife? We gave Marc a call to find out the answers to these questions and more...

What happens between Syed and Christian on New Year's Eve?
"There's a big old knees up at the Jacksons for New Year and Ricky and Bianca's engagement. Syed's in the kitchen getting himself a drink and he's disturbed just at the stroke of midnight by a retuning Christian. Obviously Amira's desperately dashing across the Square to see in the New Year with Syed, too. Christian and Syed have a bit of a clinch and Amira walks in just afterwards."

Is Syed pleased that Christian's back?
"No, not really - he doesn't want him there. Syed's now got to this stage in his head where he's saying to himself 'right, Christian's out of the picture in Barcelona and although I'm upset, I need to concentrate on doing the 'right thing', getting married, settling down, making mum and dad proud and being a good Muslim'."

When he said to Christian 'I love you' a few weeks ago, did he mean it?
"Absolutely. He said it quietly and seemingly forced because he was under duress but it was more the fact that he didn't want to admit it to himself. Saying it out loud is admitting it to himself, not only to Christian, so it's a big step for him. The vocalisation for Syed has been the hardest thing so far because he's felt it for some time. Saying it makes him vulnerable and gives Christian a lot of power over him."

What happens on the wedding day?
"There's all sorts of dramas and complications. Amira's stolen money from her father Qadim who's turned up having been released from prison, Qadim refuses to give the wedding his blessing, then there's also more confusion over Masood's brother Inzamam. While all this is going on, though, Christian tries once again to meet Syed. Out of curiosity, Syed meets him at the cafe because he knows he wants to be with Christian - and because of that, there'll always be this 'what if...' hanging over him. At the cafe, things don't go according to plan because Christian reminds Syed that he's making a big mistake but Syed's firm - he's made his decision and he's getting married to Amira."

What do they do next?
"As Christian and Syed leave upset, who should clock them? Zainab... She sees the pair together and there's been a couple of occasions over the past few weeks where Zainab's noticed looks between the pair of them, so she's already piecing the puzzle together. This is all partly Amira's fault, though, because she winds up Zainab suggesting that Christian has a thing for Syed - completely unaware that he actually does and it's reciprocated! It's like waving a rag to a bull with Zainab, so she goes to confront Christian about his fascination with Syed and he explodes and reveals that her 'perfect' son have been carrying on for some time and insists that it's not a one-way street..."

Where's Syed at this point?
"Syed, meanwhile, has just arrived at the wedding venue on his white stallion and as he's dismounting from the horse, he gets a phone call from Christian who reveals that he's told Zainab everything. It's utter blind panic for Syed and he doesn't know what to do at all. Zainab then turns up and when she gets out of the car, she shares a look with Syed. It's that look that makes her realise that Christian's telling the truth. Muslim wedding are very traditional, so they have to go through with all the ritualistic parades and afterwards, Zainab collars Syed and asks to speak with him."

Does Syed come clean with his mother?
"At first Syed denies what Christian's told her and claims that it's all rubbish, but Zainab takes it to a whole new level when she starts attacking Christian's name and persona. At that point, Syed flips and orders her not to speak of Christian like she is doing. That then validates what Christian's said."

Does Zainab call the wedding off?
"No, she pushes for it to go ahead! It's not all plain sailing, though. Zainab's a proud woman, so it'd be too much if she lost face during the wedding ceremony of her eldest son, so she pushes him into going ahead with the ceremony. At a traditional Muslim wedding, you say 'qabool hai' - which means 'I accept' - three times to the bride. It's awful for Syed because he's just surrounded by so many different thoughts: Amira's blissfully ignorant of everything, Qadim's not his biggest fan, the imam knows about Syed being gay because he confessed, Zainab's on the front row giving him daggers, Jane and Lucy also know. Of course, the door opens on the third 'qabool hai' and in strolls Christian. Will Syed say the last 'qabool hai' or not?"

How long did it take you to learn to ride a horse?
"I only had three lessons! The director will have done an amazing job making it look like I'm proficient! The horse did get a little spooked by banners and confetti, so I was going sideways for a large portion of the procession! I haven't ridden a horse since. It's a good skill to put on my CV, though."

What was it like working with Ramon Tikaram?
"He's brilliant! I watched the whole of This Life and absolutely loved it. It was quite a seminal programme during my teen years. Preeya [Kalidas] knows him from working on other projects before, so they were already comfortable working with each other. He slotted in perfectly, though. It's been great fun."


From DS

[Dazzle]

Wow, Marc Elliott's looking good for 30!

I'm really looking forward to Syed and Amira's wedding.

[Perdita]

This is obviously what the soap's exec producer Diederick Santer meant when he said "we're not even half done with it yet".

With that in mind, what did Syed actor Marc Elliott think about the episode? Where do Syed and Amira go from here? How will Syed cope with his true feelings for Christian while married to Amira? And how would Marc like to see the truth exposed?

Read on for an exclusive aftermath with Marc...

Do you think Syed wanted Christian to stop the wedding?
"You know that scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral where the deaf brother breaks it all up? It's a bit like that! Although Syed's a bit of a coward with his current situation, part of him did want Christian to stop the wedding in its tracks and for the truth to spill out. But that'd have meant poor Zainab being distraught. Zainab gave him the ultimatum that if he didn't go through with the wedding, he wouldn't be her son any longer. He's only just got his family back, so he doesn't want to risk that."

Are you pleased that the story team didn't write it so everyone found out?
"Yeah, it's brilliant. And it's far more realistic this way, too. If the wedding hadn't gone ahead and they'd have gone with a 'happily ever after' with these two gay guys who are destined to be together, they'd have done the story a disservice - they need to show the life after the wedding and show how Syed will cope living with a wife who he loves, but not in the way he loves Christian. He has to live with the fact that he's not being true to himself over his sexuality."

How do you think he'll cope?
"It's a very rocky road. From what I've already filmed, there are quite a few rough patches for them. It'll be interesting to see how it develops psychologically between Syed and Amira. Syed's starting to show signs of being quite a cruel character but it's only through his own bitterness and resentment that he starts acting the way he does - it's the way he deals with it. Poor Amira's none the wiser, so Syed's not acting right and she has no idea why. It's a really important story for the bride this one, too, because there are a lot of women - Muslim or otherwise - that are married to gay men and don't know about it."

When they return from their honeymoon, have Syed and Amira consummated their marriage?
"You're uncertain whether they have had sex when they come back from their honeymoon and I didn't know at the point I filmed it whether they had or not. From what I'm filming, though, they have consummated the marriage. Having ticked one box and gone through with the marriage, it's all about having a baby for Syed now. He needs to have the wife, the house, the kids and visit the mosque to prove his masculinity - and reinforce his denial."

It's inevitable that his secret will come out - how do you think it'll be exposed?
"I've no idea! Amira has to find out at some stage, though, doesn't she?"

How would you like to see it happen?
"It'd be quite nice as a confessional as opposed to an all-singing, all-dancing dramatic reveal. I'd like to see Syed come to a point where he's torn between his heart and his head and for him to realise that he has to do what makes him happy, not what makes everyone else happy. Syed needs to come to that point of realisation to prompt him to confess, though. There'll certainly be tears before bedtime. But then there's the other angle - with someone like Lucy Beale, Syed's wondering, 'How long's that little bitch going to keep it quiet?' Jane can be bolchy, too."

From DS

[Dazzle]

It sounds like EE will show Syed trying to cope with marriage in a realistic manner. Should be good TV, especially going by New Year's Day's excellent episodes.

[Perdita]

It's been far from plain sailing for EastEnders' Syed Masood over the last few weeks - his gay love affair with best friend Christian was exposed, his wife fled with his unborn baby and he's been ostracised by his own family. Returning to Albert Square in a bid to make amends, Syed's determined to put things right with his mother, father and brother. Wanting to shut out his problems, a teetotal Syed buys a bottle of vodka and begins necking it in his flat. However, after an argument with Roxy - who suggests that he leave Walford for good as there's nothing left for him - Syed continues to drink, before spotting a bottle of pills on the table. It's only when Masood finds him unconscious on the floor of his flat that he realises his son's desperate state. Here, DS chats to Marc about the latest twist in Syed's story - and how Zainab tells Syed that she wishes he was dead...

What's Syed's state of mind at the beginning of next week?
"Syed's family have turned their back on him and he's been ostracised by the community, so he's all alone. He seeks solace in the one place he thinks he’ll be okay - his local mosque. They, in not so many words, tell him where to go, too. He's really in a dark place. He has no wife, no baby, no Christian, no family and the final straw is the reaction he receives at mosque. He's lost."

How does his suicide attempt come about?
"It's really interesting what the writers have done with it. It's not a cry for help and it's not a reckless decision, either. Although it is an attempt on his own life, it's not premeditated in any way. He buys a bottle of vodka to shut his head off from all the problems. He's never drunk alcohol before as it's not part of his culture, so downing a bottle of vodka isn't a good idea…"

Aren't there pills involved? Isn't that part premeditated?
"There are pills, but it's not premeditated in the sense that he goes to get the pills from a cabinet - the pills are just lying on the table while he's getting drunk. He's already off his head on the vodka and starts looking at the pills quite quizzically. You don't see him again until Masood finds him spark out on the floor. So he does take the pills but they're an afterthought on Syed's part, more than anything."

The end of the week's quite shocking...
"Basically, Zainab's talking to Syed while he's semi-conscious on his hospital bed and essentially tells him that she wishes that Masood hadn't found him and wishes that he'd died. It's a spur of the moment thing on her part. It's not vicious - it all comes from a place of love. In her heart of hearts, I don't think she means it. It's all in the heat of the moment. Nina absolutely hated doing it because it's so dark and harsh. We found it quite upsetting to film actually - we were both crying!"

Do you think you could ever see Syed's family accepting Christian as his partner?
"I think that'd be nice, but it's cloud cuckoo land to think that. I really don't think it'll happen. Because of the traditional nature of the family, I can't see them coming to terms with Syed and Christian as a couple. And actually, I don't even think Syed can come to terms with them as a couple. Time will tell, though. It's such a hard thing to reconcile faith with sexuality and make it work.

Do you think Syed and Christian could ever be together?
"Syed and Christian are very different people. Christian's very out and proud whereas Syed isn't that kind of gay man - he's very insecure and doesn't like shouting it from the rooftops. As a couple, if they did get together, that would come between them. Christian would want to be holding hands on the street but Syed wouldn't be comfortable with that. It's not just a religion thing for Syed, it's more about the kind of man he is.

"As for whether they could ever be together... I hope they can be. But if they did, it'd be a rocky road. It won't be all happiness. And if there is happiness, it'll definitely be temporary."

What did you think of the twist which saw Masood turn his back on Christian after the attack?
"It's quite shocking not to help someone in need, especially as the Masoods and Beales have such close ties. It's certainly unforgivable that Masood walked past and there was an element of Masood wanting to wash his hands of everything. It was a great twist, though. I don't think Syed finds out, either. Certainly not in the near future, anyway. Nitin's been excellent through this entire storyline."

What was your reaction when you discovered that Amira left with Syed's baby?
"It was such a shocker! They way they executed it with the whole Amira and Chelsea pregnancy confusion was excellent. And of course, it leaves the door wide open for Preeya if she were to return…"

Do you think Syed will find out that she's pregnant?
"I'd love Qadim to come back. At some point, Qadim will find out that Amira's having Syed's baby because she isn't going to be able to hide it for very long. I'm not sure how Qadim could come back, but it'd be a really interesting dynamic. Ramon [Tikaram] is so commanding in that role. Qadim didn't get Syed the first time, so maybe when he finds out, he could maybe kidnap Syed!"

Is there going to be any happiness for Syed?
"Fingers crossed. Once he's got through the suicide bid and the bit of turmoil in the aftermath, he picks himself back up again. He actually tries to seek help from an unlikely source... I do hope there's more happiness to come, though. Regardless of whether he ends up with Christian, he'll lose his family as the Masoods aren't going to stand by his sexuality."

Do you have the same obsession with checked shirts as Syed?
"Oh my God, I'm wearing one right now! But it's mine. The wardrobes are blurring, though. I'm not really into the wide assortment of coloured t-shirts that I get to wear. There's one that I always dread wearing when I see it on the rail in my dressing room - it's the salmon-pink one. We've have argued, though, over whether it's coral. Maybe we could have a viewer vote on it..."

[Dutchgirl]

OMG things are getting even worse! clever writing though. And knowing the actors they will do the story justice.

[moonstorm]

So glad they are keeping this story going and not just forgetting about it after the big drama is over, as they do most times.

[Siobhan]

So glad they are keeping this story going and not just forgetting about it after the big drama is over, as they do most times.

I am glad about that too, normally they have a big reveal and no aftermat for weeks

[Dazzle]

It sounds like Syed may never be truly happy :crying: