Kieron Richardson has felt "dirty and horrible" filming a far-right extremist plot in 'Hollyoaks'.
Kieron Richardson
The 33-year-old actor's latest hard-hitting storyline in the Channel 4 soap will see his alter-ego Ste Hay radicalised into Jonny Baxter's (Ray Quinn) extremist group, and the star is hoping his character will get his comeuppance because he has been shocked about some of his "disgusting" actions.
When asked if he is prepared for a fan backlash about Ste's upcoming antics, he said: "The tides are already turning. And too right, because what Ste is doing is disgusting.
"I've taken part in storylines before where my character is crying all day, and it's hard to shake off.
"But doing the stuff that we're filming at the moment does make me feel dirty and horrible, because it's wrong.
"I'm just hoping that there will be some sort of redemption for Ste at the end of this."
While researching the plot, Kieron was left open-mouthed at some of the real-life stories he heard.
He added to Inside Soap magazine: "We sat down with guys who have been part of these groups, and listening to their stories, I was just there with my mouth wide open.
"I couldn't believe that his stuff happens not far from where I live - but that also makes it very possible that it would happen in 'Hollyoaks'."
Kieron will be part of the soap's upcoming far-right extremist episode, which will air on March 13 on E4 and March 14 on Channel 4, and the ep will show Ste unwittingly introduced into Jonny right-wing extremist friends.
The special will also feature new 'Oaks' stars Alex Williams (Shahid Shirani) and Chris Simmons (Stuart Summer).
Alex said: "I'm really excited to be joining 'Hollyoaks', especially for such an important storyline, which I'm personally really keen to tell.
"Cast and crew have welcomed me into the 'Hollyoaks' family and working alongside Kieron and Ray has been great because there has been a strong togetherness between us, which really helped with my hard-hitting first scenes.
"I can't wait to work with them and more of the cast as the storyline progresses."
Tagged in Kieron Richardson