“He blames himself and just doesn’t want to believe it for starters.”
Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson has opened up on his character Darren Osborne’s reaction to daughter Frankie’s abuse.
Viewers will know that the Channel 4 soap has detailed Frankie’s experiences of abuse at the hands of her brother JJ in a harrowing ongoing storyline.
JJ has threatened Frankie into silence over her ordeal saying that no one would believe her, leading her to self-harm and to attempt to leave the village and start afresh.
Things came to a head when JJ violently attacked Frankie with a football boot, forcing her to lie and claim that stepmother Nancy Osborne pushed her down the stairs.
However, upcoming scenes will see Frankie find the courage to speak to Darren about what she has been going through for years as Nancy’s trial looms.
Speaking about the emotional scene, Darren actor Ashley says that his character struggles to comprehend the reality of what is happening between his children.
“A lot of things have been happening throughout the day and it’s all happened very fast really, but obviously with JJ getting more confident and arrogant about his position, I think he’s given away a little bit too much,” he said.
“When they finally go up to the flat at The Dog, Frankie stays behind. When Darren goes and looks at her, she’s not on her phone, she’s not doing anything, she’s staring into space. The biggest worry for Darren is what happened with Charlie and also what happened with himself, the depression.
“I think he feels that this is the time to not interrogate her but to really try and get to the bottom of it because he feels she’s at breaking point and if he doesn’t do something soon, anything could happen.”
He continued: “I don’t think Darren can comprehend the actual reality of what Frankie tells him. I think all the clues have sort of been there.
“It’s the reality and the realisation of the last six months, what’s been happening, Frankie’s drinking, her lashing out, the behaviour, because all the way along this storyline, it’s been like she is the problem child.
“I think when she tells him why she has been acting the way she has, all that falls into place, so it hits very, very hard.
“It’s a strange one because in some ways there’s some relief, because finally they have the reason and he can be there for her now, but obviously the pain and the reality of what’s actually going on is just unimaginable and I don’t think anyone would have the tools to deal with that.
“It’s a process and it hits him very hard.”
Ashley also opened up on how the revelations affect his relationship with JJ, sharing the complex emotions Darren must navigate to protect Frankie.
“I think the biggest problem there is when you find something like that out, let’s be honest, you want to kill them, but it’s his son,” he said.
“If it was anyone else I think he’d turn to violence, and it possibly could be on the cards, but this is still his son and he blames himself and just doesn’t want to believe it for starters.
“I think after speaking to Frankie, he realises this is the truth, this is what’s happened. It may all make sense now, but when he actually sees JJ, it’s how to go about it. He’s not equipped with the tools to unpick this lock, and obviously Frankie doesn’t want Darren to tell anyone, and that’s the hardest thing.
“He can’t go for help, he can’t tell anyone because he understands how much it would destroy her life – or at least that’s how much she thinks it would destroy her life. So, with JJ, it’s just trying to keep his cool. Get him to confess, and then that would be the next step.”
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
