Dominic Brunt, a cast member from Emmerdale, joined Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on Thursday in the afternoon.
Dominic joined the ITV soap opera to talk about the ongoing mental health plot involving his on-screen persona Paddy Dingle. The soap has sensitively started to examine male depression and how keeping it to oneself can have disastrous effects. Phillop, moved by the narrative, disclosed his experiences with mental illness and acknowledged that talking about his problems saved his life.
The soap actor claimed that as part of his preparation for the role and his research for the plot, he spoke with families whose lives had been adversely affected by suicide.
They all remarked, “We had no idea, he didn’t say anything, we didn’t know, he hid it so well,” Dominic said.
“We look at people like Robin Williams and others, and nobody knows because we constantly wear masks.
“I’ve done that too. How do you begin that conversation with someone who is shy and doesn’t disclose that they have a problem?
As an actor, I would now add that learning the lines and understanding what we mean while saying and not saying is a part of the job.
Phillip jumped in and said: “I was saved. Talking. Speaking aloud helped me. Without a doubt.”
Nobody in this room, said Dominic, “I don’t think, hasn’t gone through or experienced the black fog at some point.”
Paddy recently returned to his family and friends on television after struggling with his mental health and disappearing.
Paddy’s best friend Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) went to check on him to make sure everything was alright and to try and find out why he had been missing for so long.
Before being reunited with his daughter Eve Dingle, Paddy played off the incident and insisted he was fine (Bella James).
The legendary star of Emmerdale had been surrounded all day by people who were happy to see him home but also worried about his well-being.
The ITV soap will soon air an all-male episode without any special effects or other plot lines to emphasize the significance of men talking openly about their mental health.
Laura Shaw, the show’s producer, spoke candidly about the upcoming scenes and the direction the plot will take.
She told Express.co.uk and other press: “There is a whole episode where our men just talk. There are no stunts, there are no affairs.
“There are no big explosive reveals, it’s just men talking about whatever they are feeling or thinking.
“It’s as simple as that,” she added. “But when you watch it, it’s probably one of the most powerful episodes we’ve ever done.
“We know accurate on-screen portrayals help people with their own experiences and help them speak out without fear of judgement.
“If we help just one person who is struggling to reach out and start talking, well, we’ve done our job.”
The episode will show Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson), Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw), Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin), Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) and Jimmy King (Nick Miles) open up to one another.
Taking on the heavy story, Dominic recently opened up about what it felt like to portray Paddy in such a way.
He said: “Men suffer in secret it seems to be. I was privileged and honoured to serve that story.”
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