Hollyoaks star James Sutton has opened up about how “problematic” filming was during a pandemic as the Channel 4 soap continues to enforce social distancing on set.
The 38-year-old actor discussed the complexities of filming the long-standing show during the peak of the pandemic especially when shooting more intimate scenes.
James, who plays the role of John Paul McQueen on the soap, started his long-term abusive relationship with PC George Kiss back in January 2020.
And throughout the year and a half the pair were together, the cast and crew had to come up with new and inventive ways to show their blossoming relationship on screen.
(Image: Getty Images)
While attending Boxstar celebrity boxing match in Manchester on October 2, the brunette hunk explained how the producers worked around the social distancing protocols throughout the show.
He explained: “We’ve been really lucky in that we’ve managed to stay filming and stay employed and be creative whilst huge parts of my industry have had no financial help or backing.
“A lot of my friends are theatre actors have really struggled so we’ve been incredibly lucky,” he confessed.
Although the soap star was grateful to continue his role on the Cheshire-based show, he admitted that it was still tough to perform with the extra health guidelines in place.
He added: “It’s not been without its problems, everyone’s had to be two meters apart, masks and all that kind of stuff.
“I mean I’ve had a whole onscreen relationship from the conception to him dying without ever being any closer than two meters apart so it’s been problematic.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Despite the chaos the pandemic has caused to the world of acting, the show still goes on and the Brummy actor has explained how the soap has adapted to the new measures which were put in place by the government last year.
Looking on the positive side of things, James noted: “It’s also meant that the writers have been able to be creative in a different way to use text in different ways to make it more dramatic because we can’t be close together.
“We’ve used a lot of long lenses and stuff so you can’t actually see how close people are.
“But its been really good, we’ve really enjoyed it and having a creative outlet is such an important thing especially when the whole world is has gone to s**t.”
(Image: @thejamesutton/Instagram)
Yet as the rest of the UK slowly transitions back to the times before the pandemic, the established actor has admitted that nothing has changed on the set of Hollyoaks, as all cast and crew continue to follow strict Covid guidelines.
He revealed: “We still have to be socially distanced [on set]. We’ll be the last industry to get rid of all the protocols.”
Despite the countless job losses in the entertainment industry over the past year, Hollyoaks fans can rest assured that their favourite Cheshire teacher will remain on set for the foreseeable future after the actor confirmed he has signed a new contract with the popular soap until 2023.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
