Coronation Street star admits ‘dangerous’ Theo’s abuse is ‘pretty horrible’ to play
Coronation Street’s Theo Silverton actor James Cartwright has opened up about the ‘horrible’ domestic abuse plot involving his character and Todd Grimshaw, as he revealed more to come
Coronation Street’s Theo Silverton actor James Cartwright has opened up about the ‘horrible’ domestic abuse plot(Image: ITV)
The devastating domestic abuse storyline on Coronation Street is set to continue, with more “twists and turns” ahead.
Actor James Cartwright who plays abusive Theo Silverton has revealed he struggles to portray the difficult storyline, but feels huge responsibility to get it right. Theo has been verbally and physically abusive towards boyfriend Todd, from lashing out to taunting him about his image.
Now, actor James has hinted other characters could be at risk as Theo continues to grow out of control, while things do get worse for poor Todd. He explained: “I think we always knew he was a complicated man.
“But now, as we move further along, you start to see that actually he’s not just a complicated man, he’s potentially a very dangerous man. The flaws and the damage within him are now manifesting in a way that I’m not sure even he can control. And I think it’s potentially putting people at risk.”
The devastating domestic abuse storyline on Coronation Street is set to continue(Image: ITV)
On his reaction to the way the storyline turned with Theo becoming controlling and then violent, James added: “I wasn’t so much surprised but more excited to be involved in such an important storyline. There’s certainly been twists and turns along the way that have even had me choking on my cornflakes as I’ve read the scripts.”
It’s said an explosive incident will occur, that takes things even further with the harrowing plot. James explained: “It’s another escalation, and it’s both shocking and terrifying for Todd. Theo just blows up when he doesn’t seem to be able to talk about his feelings. He can’t express himself so he loses his temper, and he becomes very volatile to be around.”
James has found it tough to film the storyline, as he shared the importance of the ITV soap tackling domestic abuse. He said: “They’re never easy. I think there’s a different mood on set when we’re shooting these scenes.
“Everybody just gets on and there’s a mood of looking after each other. It’s a very serious vibe on set because one someone could get hurt, two we all realise it’s pretty horrible and three while we’re doing it as actors we’re aware that this is some people’s lives. Domestic violence is real for a lot of people, it often escalates around Christmas, so there’s a real level of respect on the set.
Actor James Cartwright who plays abusive Theo Silverton has revealed he struggles to portray the difficult storyline(Image: ITV)
“You’ve got to tread that line between drama, storytelling and authenticity. It will be very challenging to watch for anybody who’s been through it, or is going through something similar, but we also have to be careful not to rush it or you run the risk of doing a disservice to people who’ve been through it.
“Domestic violence can be particularly tricky to tackle because very often, the victims don’t know that’s what it is or they excuse certain behaviours.” On whether things can change for Theo, he said: “Theo has just upped the temperature one degree at a time, and as that happens you start to normalise it, the goalposts keep widening.
“Also the further you get down a road with a relationship like this, you start to feel a bit embarrassed, and so you start to cover for them in ways that you would never have done previously. You start to make excuses for their behaviours and this is where Theo is sitting at the moment which is a very dangerous position for Todd.”
