Oaks actor comes out and confirms gay plot
Kieron Richardson has come out as gay in an interview with ITV's This Morning.
The Hollyoaks actor, who also appeared on Dancing On Ice, divulged his sexuality to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
Richardson also revealed that his character Ste would be involved in a plot in which he would question his feelings for Brendan Brady (Emmett Scanlan)
The soap confirmed that the plot would see the pair form an "unusual friendship" as Ste becomes captivated by the bad boy.
The pair kiss on a night out but a disgusted Brendan then rejects Ste, who later admits that he has been attracted to another male before when he spent time in a young offenders' institute.
However, the long-term storyline is set to take a shocking twist when Brendan beats Ste up badly, marking the beginning of a turbulent and troubled relationship.
Hollyoaks series producer Paul Marquess said: "This is a long running storyline and while it is dark to begin with, the lessons that Ste learns are ultimately positive and life affirming.
"This story is about not being afraid to be who you are and while this is something Brendan struggles with, Ste is refreshingly accepting of his feelings towards another man," he continued. "I hope viewers will be glued throughout the twists and turns as we unravel how Brendan came to be the twisted person we have been watching on screen."
Richardson admitted that he was "shocked" to learn about the storyline but added that he was honoured to be given the plot.
He added: "Having understood the long-term storyline I am honoured and very excited to have been given this challenge. Brendan is a dangerous character and it will be interesting to see how Ste copes when he himself is the victim of domestic violence.”
Scanlan confessed that he is glad that Brendan is a becoming "a complex character" and "not a gratuitous soap villain, but a multi-layered character with depth, a troubled past and an unsure future".
He continued: "I hope that as the storyline develops, viewers will be able to understand why Brendan has become the villain they see today. Brendan is compelled to manipulate and control everyone who crosses his path. At the moment this makes him dangerous but when we identify why he behaves this way, we will discover his vulnerabilities and this is exciting..."
The scenes will air later next month.
Emmett Scanlan (Brendan Brady, 'Hollyoaks') DS Interview
Hollyoaks newcomer Brendan Brady has been something of an enigma since arriving on our screens back in August, but this week we'll finally learn more about the sinister nightclub manager when he steps up his manipulation of Ste with shocking consequences. When the pair go on a night out together before heading back to Brendan's place, they strike up a bond before a drunk Ste ends up kissing his boss. The surprise moment kicks off a complex relationship for the duo which will ultimately see Ste become the victim of domestic violence as Brendan struggles with his secret feelings of self-loathing. DS recently caught up with Emmett Scanlan - who plays Brendan - and gained a unique insight into his character's dark and twisted mind…
What kind of a reaction have you received since taking on the role of Brendan?
"Going out and about at home in Ireland and here in Liverpool, it's been nothing short of fantastic. People are very hospitable, very kind and very positive about the whole thing. It's all very good - it means you must be doing something right. But to be honest, my concern isn't so much what the reaction is, but rather carrying on delivering Brendan Brady on the screen. He's a very Marmite character - you either love him or you hate him. But so far, it's been very welcoming - especially Liverpool as a city."
Brendan is such a complex figure - how would you describe the character?
"He's very unpredictable and I've often described him as a sociopathic, homophobic gay man. He's very complex and very interesting - even when he's nice, you don't know when he's going to flip off. And when he flips off, he can very easily switch straight back to being nice. It's like the movie Chopper where Eric Bana played an Australian serial killer - a guy who would stab someone umpteen times in the stomach, and once he'd finished, he'd apologise for it! So he's the kind of individual who's not wired like most people."
Does that make Brendan a challenge to play?
"Absolutely. But it's a challenge in a completely positive way. There's nothing more exciting than doing something that you haven't yet done before and trying to push it, trying to find different angles and trying to find different parts of your character. Because Brendan's so complex and because he's so tapped, in a weird way it gives you the freedom to do or try anything - because Brendan as a character is capable of anything. For example, when I'm on set with the crew and the other cast members, I'm given such liberties in terms of my performance, and I can't thank them enough for that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't - you just take a risk, and if you don't take a risk, you never know. As long as you keep doing that, it keeps it interesting and fresh - and hopefully it evokes a reaction in the people who I'm acting with."
When you signed up for the role, did you already know about this storyline with Ste, or did you only find out about that later?
"Well, in the past I'd gone to Hollyoaks for different parts, but for various reasons it didn't pan out. When I went in for the reading of Brendan, they had a scene written out that had nothing to do with this storyline, it was just based on Brendan Brady as a character. But from this two-page scene, I could tell straight away that Brendan swung both ways. I said that to [producer] Paul Marquess, who was in the room at the time, and he confirmed it. After I did my audition, Paul spoke to me about the kind of character that Brendan was - and it wasn't that stereotypical gay storyline, which wouldn't interest me in the slightest. It was the fact that he was a self-loathing gay man that was immediately a turn-on for me - it would be for any actor. When something begs more questions than it gives answers, then you're hooked."
What happened next?
"I wanted the role straight away - especially knowing that he was this bad guy with different principles. Things aren't good or bad for Brendan - he lives by his own moral code. While he is very tapped and sociopathic and a self-loathing individual, there are certain qualities in him that I admire, and also certain qualities that I can identify with."
Before their night out, does Brendan realise that Ste has feelings for him?
"Yes. Brendan is a king manipulator. He lulls people into a false sense of security - it's like a fly being drawn to the spider. Because he's such a king manipulator, he can talk the underwear off this fella and he's very confident. So yeah, he definitely knows. He sees Stephen as a young, vulnerable guy who has no male friends, who hasn't had a father figure, and who - like Brendan - is a father himself. So Brendan can play with that."
Can you talk us through Ste and Brendan's first kiss from Brendan's point of view?
"Brendan is manipulating Stephen - he knows that Stephen fears him, looks up to him and in some ways admires him. When people walk into a room and command an audience, if you're let into their circle you feel slightly privileged - so Stephen is thrilled that he can go out with this guy and be his friend. Brendan takes Stephen out, gets him drunk while not drinking too much himself, and after 'coincidentally' forgetting his money, brings him back to his apartment. Then he gives him some fine Irish malt and manipulates Stephen into making the first move. It's a great scene and Kieron [Richardson] killed it that day - he was really good. Stephen kisses Brendan, but then Brendan goes on the offensive and tells Stephen to leave - so he runs home broken, confused and frightened."
What brings about their second kiss the next day?
"Brendan sends Stephen down to the cellar at the club to get some crates and follows him down. It's the kind of place where there's nobody around and nobody can hear you scream. He walks in, locks the door and refuses to let Stephen leave. Brendan walks over to him like a predator sussing out his prey, corners him and invades his personal space. Then he slowly gives him a kiss, then another kiss and smiles. He lets Stephen know that there's excitement and danger - there's an element of eroticism about the whole thing. Then they just give into a full-blown passionate kiss…"
More from 'Hollyoaks' star Emmett Scanlan
I had high hopes for an interesting chat last week when I gave Emmett Scanlan a call to learn more about Ste and Brendan's dark new Hollyoaks storyline.
Although fans have already heard lots about the plot, there still seemed to be quite a few unanswered questions due to the enigmatic nature of Brendan's character and ambiguity over exactly what he's up to.
Fortunately, Emmett gave some very in-depth and intriguing answers - and it'll be reassuring for fans to know that a lot of thought seems to be going into this storyline from everyone involved.
If you haven't read the main chat yet, then click here to do so. Alternatively, read on for some bonus bits from the interview…
Have you had to do much research for the domestic violence aspect of the storyline?
"Well, I guess in some ways, we've all been subject to some form of abuse - whether that's domesticated or otherwise, whether it was at school as a child, or you might have friends who have experienced it. The thing about it is that every case is different and every story is different. The principles are the same, but it's always different. With this, the writers give you your homework, so to speak - you explore it and you research it, because you want to give it the best truthfulness that you can. Obviously it's your work that's going out on screen, and your credibility goes with that. So you definitely need to do your homework."
What's Kieron like to work with?
"Kieron is fantastic and he's a joy to work with. When we first started the story, he was a little bit more nervous than I was, because he was coming at it from two different angles - coming out as a gay man himself, but also playing a character who was coming to terms with the same thing. There was added pressure for him and he had the harder role, put it that way. He, like myself, likes to play with the scenes - he likes to find different things that we can do. Often you're liking the scene on paper, but you need to bring it to life a bit and add a little bit of yourself to it. We toy around with things all the time - we try to push things and see how much we can get away with, because it is a 6.30pm show, so we think about how much we can imply and insinuate. What Kieron is able to portray more than anything is Ste's vulnerability - and vulnerability itself can be quite an attractive, sexy trait for someone to have. Kieron raises his game and he kills it every time."
What kind of impact do you want the story to have?
"I've always wanted the storyline to be subtle. I didn't want it to be thrown into this violent, sociopathic gay relationship straight away as that would lose its credibility - and credit to the writers and Paul Marquess because it has been very subtle and it's built over the weeks. I also want the story to evoke emotion - not just in the cast around me, but in the crew, the writers, the producers and the people who are investing half an hour of their lives into watching Hollyoaks each night. Whether those emotions are hatred, disgust or love or anything - I just want it to evoke something. I want it to touch on things, and I hope people are affected by it. But things like this are completely outside of the actors' control - we just have to give some truth to the storyline and try to make it as interesting as possible. We can't leave people short-changed. You never know, Brendan might become the most hated guy in England soon - that'd be a nice thing to have on the resumé!"
Are you looking forward to working with Darren Day more?
"Oh yeah, Darren's a cool dude. When he filmed his first episode, he came down and he was very humble and really wanted to do a good job - and he did. The guy's performances are very subtle and understated and I think he's going to make a great Danny Houston and a great addition to the cast. He's going to make a great gangster and a great partner for me - partners in crime, or maybe we'll go toe-to-toe. He'll be starting with us again very soon and I'm looking forward to starring with him and seeing what happens. We might go a few rounds together and we'll see who comes out on top! It'll be fascinating to watch."
Finally, why should we be watching Hollyoaks at the moment?
"Because Hollyoaks touches on issues that are affecting us all. It's a show that is daring - it tries to be different and it tries to step out of the box of normal TV. It takes risks and should be admired for it. Any one episode can give you dark, serious stuff that's going to evoke emotion, whether negative or positive. On the flip side of that, you'll also get the comedy of Lee Hunter or Darren Osborne. Hollyoaks never stops keeping with the trends of society and asking questions, and they're there to help people who've been in similar situations. In life we have to be taken outside of our comfort zones, so get outside your comfort zone and tune in at 6.30pm."
