Coronation Street star Ciarán Griffiths teases change for Damon Hay
Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Ciarán Griffiths has teased a change for Damon Hay as he returns to Coronation Street.
Damon turns up once again in Monday's (January 1) episode with two goals in mind: to win back Sarah Barlow and get revenge on Adam Barlow for running him out of Weatherfield.
Ahead of these scenes airing, Ciarán Griffiths touched on how Damon has changed during his time away from the cobbles.
"I do really enjoy playing him and I’m finding now that I can start to add my own little touches to him and really put my stamp on the character," he said. "I had a really good scene in the Bistro the other day with the Platts where Damon’s meeting all the family, Mickey Jones was directing and he just let me do my kind of thing."
Related: Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien breaks silence on Sarah and Damon's reunion
The actor went on: "Damon’s supposed to be making a good impression, trying to win Sarah back and he does really care about her but I thought how much would he really care about how much Gail likes him or not. He tries to be charming with them but clearly they don't like him so I thought I’m just going to eat as obnoxiously as I can, out their backs up and I really enjoyed it, having that freedom with the character. It was a great scene, I had Sarah, then on one side the mother and the grandmother on the other, then David came in and Nick was there, so it's a really good mix of different personalities. I really enjoyed it, we had a right laugh filming it, it’s great working with all the Platts."
"It’s good to show he's got a bit of a heart as well," Ciarán said. "I’m enjoying getting to know him a bit more and seeing he’s a bit more human. I like playing the softer side to him, although I'm not too keen on the romantic stuff, I cringe at myself sometimes haha, I struggle to keep a straight face with it.
"I like playing Damon’s edgier side but it’s also great playing the fun side to him as well. We see him trying to get some legitimate deals going this time and I’m enjoying playing that too. Damon’s really excited, feeling like he’s turned a corner, doing deals that are actually legit, and that’s good to play."
After joking that the writers keep bringing back because he's a "wicked actor", Ciarán suggested the character definitely has a unique charm.
"I think there’s a lot of mileage to him still, you want to see what happens with him and Sarah, you want to see what happens with him and Adam, especially after Adam did the dirty on him last time and forced him to do a runner," Ciarán said. "It will be interesting to see how that one plays out. It's also interesting to find out if he is going to keep up this good behaviour or if he’s going to crack and give in to the temptations of his past.
"He visits his half-brother Harvey, who he hasn’t seen for years, last time Damon was on the street he had Harvey beaten up in prison, so there’s definitely mileage there to see will he get drawn in by Harvey’s criminal life again. Harvey’s trying to blackmail him and get him to do favours and Damon’s saying he doesn’t want to do that as he’s changed. Damon’s opinion is let’s call it quits, you do you and I’ll do me, see you later but it’s not that simple when it comes to Harvey, he’s got a bit of clout whether he’s inside or not."
Ciarán acknowledged that Damon will be torn between his vendetta for Adam and wanting to prove to Sarah that he's truly changed.
"He’s definitely obsessed with trying to get Sarah back, he’s proper smitten, he’s clearly been thinking about her every day for the last few months and wants to scratch that itch," the actor said. "But the injustice of what Adam did to him is something he has to put right. Damon was forced to vanish without being able to say a proper goodbye to Sarah. All he got to do was leave Sarah a voicemail but Adam got to it and deleted it.
"Damon’s not aware of that just yet but when he finds out it’s going to make things a whole lot worse for Adam. He wants to make Adam pay, he’s not prepared to leave it where Adam’s had one over on him, there’s a score to settle. Damon wants to come out on top again. And as for Sarah maybe it will give him an in with her when she realises he didn't just disappear without a trace and Adam was the one who did the dirty."
As for whether Damon can truly change, the Coronation Street cast member said: "I think he definitely does want to but there’s always going to be that side of him where he might be tempted to make a quick buck here and there. He’s still not a pushover, if he has to do something bad to get what he wants he’s still got that in him. He’s still got that edge to him but he does want to try and prove to Sarah that he can operate on the right side of the law."
It may take some time for Damon to show that he genuinely has changed, since his first actions back on the cobbles are to get Adam kidnapped.
"He comes back 100% with the intent to punish Adam and get rid of him, he goes in there with that mindset but maybe we’ll see a more humane side to Damon this time," Ciarán said. "Damon does have a heart, he’s not just a thug and maybe that’s what differentiates him from Harvey."
The character doesn't know yet that there is a further complication with Sarah, as she hasn't told him he's actually the father of the child she lost last year.
"He’s going to be gutted to know they lost a baby but I think he’ll be looking for someone to blame," Ciarán warned. "Maybe [it's] a case of first you’re sad, then you’re angry, then you want to get even. I definitely think he’ll be looking to blame somebody and Adam’s going to be right in the firing line."
One of the biggest changes of this stint for Damon is he'll actually come face-to-face with his crime boss brother Harvey.
"There are some big, long scenes between them and I proper really enjoyed doing them with Will [Mellor]," he teased. "It felt like something different, like those scenes really have a journey. They're intense. Will’s a great actor, I like how in the zone he is with the character before you even go for a take, it makes you sharpen up and both get on it."
The actor added: "It’s intense, they don’t like each other. They’ve got different dads and I think Damon was always pushed to the bottom of the pile a bit growing up, always the one getting a clip round the ear. I think they’re both holding onto a lot of resentment, they don’t like each other at all, even though they’re half brothers."
The dynamic between the half-brothers is particularly intriguing since each thinks they have the edge on the other.
"Because they know each other so well they both think they can outwit each other," Ciarán said. "And because Damon’s outside, whereas Harvey’s inside, at first he thinks he’s got one up on him but he soon realises that it doesn’t really matter where Harvey is he can still pull strings. It doesn’t matter whether he’s locked up or not, Harvey can still get to people, especially the people that Damon cares about the most."
The Coronation Street star touched on the possibility of Damon actually settling down in Weatherfield, in spite of the relentless drama that surrounds him.
"It’s what he wants but it depends what pressures he’s under or what he has to do to get by," Ciarán acknowledged. "He might want to settle down on the street, but it's whether he’ll be allowed to settle down on the street with his brother looming over him and Adam on his back. I don't think it's ever going to be plain sailing for Damon. There's always going to be someone who's out to get him, whether it be Harvey or Adam."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
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