Murray Regrets Quitting Eastenders

[Bryan]

from digital spy:

EastEnders star Billy Murray has admitted that he made his decision to leave the soap too hastily.

The actor, who plays gangster Johnny Allen, told producers that he wanted to bow out before the end of his three-year contract after becoming "disillusioned" with his character.

"It was my fault really," Murray confessed to the Sunday Mirror. "I jumped the gun and said I'd like Johnny to be a bit more swashbuckling. I went in and said I'd rather stay for a shorter time and go out with a bang.

"I never actually said I'd like to get out early, I just said, 'It's not going the way I thought it would'. I felt having Johnny going round the Square, being in love, having meals with Dot and Jim, didn't ring true to character. Then they surprised me about two months ago and said: 'Well, you've got your wish'.

"Had I sat down and talked about it, I would have found he was going through that process for a reason. It's a mutual decision, but had they asked me, I would have stayed another year."

He added, "Everything happens for a reason. If you regret things you'd never get up in the morning. Onwards and upwards, really. They're keeping my exit top secret - even from me!"

[Bryan]

all i can say is "all things come to he who waits" if he'd waited then evenutally his character would have got better

this leads me to think that he is going to be killed off, becuase eastenders would ask him to stay on if they had not planned to kill him, seen as they havent it leads me to think johnny will die

[xCharliex]

Ill be sorry to see him go, i quite like him in it

[Bryan]

Ill be sorry to see him go, i quite like him in it

he's definatly improved in the last few weeks, i can see him becoming really evil in his time left on the show, which is a good 4 months at least yet!

[Florijo]

I love Johnny now, he is a great character. EastEnders did go gangster and criminal overboard last year, but in moderation, gangsters and criminals add to the drama and excitment of EE. They made a mistake with Andy The Rubbish Gangster, but they made a bigger mistake by domesticating the character of Johnny. The relationship between him and Ruby is interesting, but the presence of Tina just made him boring. They went from one extreme to the other. Billy Murray is a fantastic actor and EE wasted him.

[Bryan]

gangsters and crime are a big part of east end london...so for the show to be real a character like johnny is needed

[shannisrules]

i wish he wasnt going johnny has become quite a godd character recently

[hayley]

I think its good to have a horrible person in it! he isnt as good as andy was in my opinion but it is still ashame for him to be leaving.

[Dutchgirl]

It is nice ti see an older man not being comically. Like Patrick and Jim, or down like Charlie. Older men can be very strong and fragile at the same time. That's what Johnny is showing.

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

I love Johnny now, he is a great character. EastEnders did go gangster and criminal overboard last year, but in moderation, gangsters and criminals add to the drama and excitment of EE. They made a mistake with Andy The Rubbish Gangster, but they made a bigger mistake by domesticating the character of Johnny. The relationship between him and Ruby is interesting, but the presence of Tina just made him boring. They went from one extreme to the other. Billy Murray is a fantastic actor and EE wasted him.
Any was a gangster?! :eek:

:rolleyes: :rotfl: :rolleyes:

[Debs]

I LIKE JOHNNY AND I REALLY DO hope he becomes really evil before he leaves!

[lollymay]

well i dont think he can get much more evil than shutting peggys hand in the door after telling her how sorry he is

[Debs]

well i dont think he can get much more evil than shutting peggys hand in the door after telling her how sorry he is

i missed that and didnt catch the omnibus either

im sure he could get a lot eviler

[.:SpIcYsPy:.]

I LIKE JOHNNY AND I REALLY DO hope he becomes really evil before he leaves!
Oh I think he will be evil alright!!

Shame he's leaving :(

[xsoftladybugx]

He has a good character, but hes kinda scary at times lol! Like when he shut the door on Peg's hand i was like :eek: arrrrr and so was mum lol

[Bryan]

was i the only one to see that coming way before he did it....

[i_luv_dennis]

i bet he will come back

[Bryan]

i bet he will come back

not if he is killed off, as has been rumoured

[Jojo]

was i the only one to see that coming way before he did it....I thought he was going to do something like that - there was no way Peggy was going to be able to put her hand through the crack in the door and not have him pull the door on it! I was more surprised Peggy trusted that he wouldn't do anything like it.

I definitely think that they have made his character go through these motions probably to realise, he isn't a domesticated, nice person - he is more of an east end gangster than what any previous ones have been imho...

[Johnny Allen]

was i the only one to see that coming way before he did it....

Nah I thought he would do something like that, it took my mum completely by suprise, but I felt something was coming, no way would Johnny just leave things as they are, but it was well done. Shame Murray is leaving, he's a great actor.

[kirstienod]

i cant wait to see what happens

[squillyfer]

Its his own fault does he not realise that not every character can be part of a big storyline all the time. So what if for a few weeks his character didnt really ring true, the writers know what they are doing and besides when he came in he had a fairly big storyline and whilst he was going through his good boy phase the focus wasnt really on him anyway what does it matter he's part of the bbc's flagship soap can he not just be satisfied with what he's got? So I have no sympathy and will not miss him when he goes

[Mr Humphries]

I think that Eastenders should at least say would you like to stay for longer!

[alkalinetrio]

be good to see him stay longer! think the johny and mitchell rival wud be really good

[lisa cullumbine]

:thumbsdow I THINK ITS A DAMN SHAME JOHNNY IS GOING IF THEY CARRY ON LIKE THIS THEY WONT HAVE A SHOW ANYMORE IN MY OPINION CHARACTERS ARE IN AND OUT TO QUICKLY THESE DAYS YOU JUST LOOK FORWARD TO THINGS BEING SPICED UP AND BAM THEY HAVE GONE AGAIN "BORING"

[~*~Leanne~*~]

i don't want him to go