Ryan Russell hopes his 'Coronation Street' storyline can encourage "a conversation" about racism and the police.
Ryan Russell
The soap star's character Michael Bailey and his on-screen brother James - played by Nathan Graham - will be pulled over by the police in a stop and search in upcoming scenes, and he has opened up about the importance of such a powerful plot.
He said: "It is important because these things do happen.
"I watched Jermaine Jenas’ documentary, 'The Truth About Police Stop & Search', and it was shocking to find out that some people have been stopped 20 times during a regular day. It affects people’s mental health.
"Statistics show that the police tactic 'stop and search' is biased towards black people so it is something to have a conversation about and see how this can be changed and improved."
Ryan noted his own character has been treated unfairly in the past because of his race, and it's started to affect him.
He added: "It’s playing on his mental health and he is overthinking a lot because he does not know who to trust.
"He constantly has his guard up, especially since having his daughter and wanting things to change in the world.
"It’s one thing after another and although it’s not always necessarily affecting him, it is affecting the people around him who he loves so that is really getting to him."
Ryan noted how that past plays into Michael's reaction when they are pulled over by the police.
He said: "This has happened to Michael in the past so that experience combined with the recent events involving Grace being stopped by a security guard has made him feel aggravated.
"He feels like the reason he and James have been stopped is because they are two black guys in a car and he also doesn’t get the answer he needs when he calls the police out on it.
"When the police don’t give Michael a valid reason for why he has stopped them, it solidifies what he is thinking."