EastEnders star Charlie Suff responds to change in Johnny Carter character
EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders star Charlie Suff has responded to the changes in Johnny Carter’s character upon his return to the square.
Suff will make his debut as Johnny in tonight’s (February 9) episode of the soap, with the star taking over from Ted Reilly in the role.
The character, who was last seen on screen in 2018, will be horrified upon his return to Walford as he discovers that his mother, Linda, has been struggling with alcoholism ever since she killed Keanu at Christmas.
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Johnny subsequently attacks Dean before attempting to find out what’s bothering Linda, with Suff confirming that his character has changed during his stint away in Manchester.
“In the past, Johnny’s been protected by his parents, being the youngest of the siblings until Ollie was born, but now he’s been out in the world on his own, he’s become himself a bit more and had to deal with things that have happened to Linda since he’s been away,” said Suff.
“All these things have made him grow up and become the person he wants to be. He’s been partying a lot, studying to become a lawyer, exploring himself and becoming the man he is choosing to be. It’s fair to say he’s been living a bit wild and free and enjoying the world outside of Walford.”
The star, who previously appeared on Grantchester, also spoke about his character’s upcoming scenes, saying his motivation is to ultimately protect his mother: “The more alone he sees Linda is, the more he knows he has to be in Walford to protect his mum,” he said.
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“It takes him a while to get over the shock of it and process what a serious issue this is. He tries to police her 24/7 and holds on too tight. It’s something that he can’t control, so his knee-jerk reaction is to try to control it as much as possible, but he soon realises that doesn’t work.
“After that, he just wants to be a shoulder for Linda to cry on. For her to know that he’s got her back, no matter what, will hopefully give her the strength to change.”
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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