Jack P. Shepherd "couldn't stop crying" after filming a scene in the aftermath of David Platt's rape storyline.
Jack P. Shepherd
The 'Coronation Street' star has played the character in the ITV soap for 18 years, and has dealt with a whole host of difficult storylines as David but the latest plot handed to him by the writers has been the toughest.
The hairdresser is to be seriously sexually assaulted by his apparent friend, mechanic Josh Tucker - played by newcomer Ryan Clayton - and he will struggle to come to terms with what has happened and Jack admits the emotions he had to convey took their toll on him on set.
He shared: "This time it is just all in his head, he has no outlet, he doesn't speak to anyone and the only other person who knows is his attacker and he is enjoying winding David up and having power over him. David is tormented and the viewer needs to see that, so for David to break down it needs to feel real and not forced, it is very emotional and after one scene I couldn't stop crying."
The 30-year-old actor admitted it can be hard to shake the impact of filming such devastating scenes, and revealed he needs to take time for himself during filming.
He said: "For those particular type of scenes it can take a while, I just need to take myself off somewhere on my own get rid of David."
The attack takes place after fictional grease monkey Ryan drugs David during a night out and Jack made sure he did thorough research on what date rape actually entails.
He said: "I went to meet Duncan Craig from Survivors Manchester who have helped with all the research. know David well after playing him for all these years but if you are going to tackle an issue like this it is important to hear the real human side to do it justice.
"This is David's story and how he reacts and I trust the scriptwriters to take him on this journey as they have done with everything else he has been through but I did feel it was helpful to hear from someone who had gone through what David was going to go through."
'Coronation Street' airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
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