At the moment, where is Daniel’s head at?
Daniel has been in Scotland, at a retreat. Now that he has come back he thinks that he has to be seen to have moved on so when he is on the street or with his family, he is acting as though it has been beneficial and that he has found a way to move forward. The reality is that behind closed doors, when he is in his flat, he has not moved on at all.
How important do you think it is to show that the grieving process doesn’t happen overnight?
It has become the central part of his character. Something like that happening to him that young has determined the rest of his life. I don’t think he will ever get over his loss, I think it will always be there.
How different would things be if he didn’t have Bertie?
I think he would go completely off the deep end because there would be nothing to hold him back or balance him. He would probably end up really bad, maybe even dead, because we saw what happened when he ended up getting drunk on the canal. But he made a promise to Sinead that he wasn’t going to go off the deep end and mess things up for Bertie and he takes that very seriously. It was such a moment when she died that he would never break one of those promises.
When Adam cancels their boys’ night in, is that a turning point? What is going through Daniel’s head?
Daniel gets very excited about the prospect of Adam coming over, it’s like the smallest encounter becomes the biggest deal which is kind of like how it has been during lockdown! Daniel even makes some very bad fairy cakes but Adam bails on him and Daniel finds himself talking to a picture of Sinead. He sees her face and he talks to her as though she is there but then he realises what he is doing, he is talking to himself, and he thinks, “right, this is ridiculous now, I need to snap out of this.”
Swanky lawyers’ drinks are not very Daniel, do you think this is what he needs?
Yes, I think this is what he needs. The purpose for this is to re-socialise him because he has just completely retreated into his own life with Bertie to the point where he is talking to pictures. He needs to get back to being around people and not haunted by Sinead’s death.
What is it about Nicky that intrigues him?
Nicky has no boundaries and for Daniel, who is so uptight, it’s refreshing to have someone who doesn’t tip-toe around him. She is very bolshy and that is what attracts him. She is very opposite to Sinead because Sinead wasn’t like that but they are both a similar height, both are blonde and from the first glance, subconsciously, he will have been drawn to her. But she has a completely different energy to Sinead.
What are his first thoughts when Nicky suggests to make a night of things?
He is nervous because his previous relationships, Sinead and Bethany, were both more drawn to him and that’s how the dynamic played out but with Nicky, he gets carried away. He also thinks it’s what other people want to see him doing, he’s had a few drinks and thinks, “Why the hell not?”
We’ve seen that Daniel is a very solitary person, what does it take for him to let someone in?
It takes quite a lot, the only reason that Bethany turned his head was that she had a connection to Sinead because she was also with Sinead in her final days. Maybe subconsciously, Nicky also reminds Daniel of Sinead in a way.
How do you get into the mindset of the role of Daniel?
When Katie and I did Sinead’s death scenes, it was so intense that it feels like a real memory. I’ve never had anything like that happen to me before, I had heard of people talk about when they have done something that has been so intense that they never forget what it felt like. So it’s all there, as soon as I walk on to the set or put on certain clothes it reminds me of that time. I also had the perfume that Katie used to put on as Sinead, I kept it in the drawer in the corner shop flat set. It helps you get to where you need to get to in that moment, I don’t have to work on it, the memory of filming Sinead’s final episodes slips back into place.
Would you be friends with Daniel?
Yeah, he is funny but observantly funny and I like witty people. I bet he could come up with a really good way of taking the mick out of me!
What advice would you give to Daniel if you were his friend?
Don’t rush and just focus on Bertie. Bertie is in those really early formative years but I think in a few years time there will be storylines where he is taking Ken’s pension book! During this time away from the set, I have missed the little boy who plays Bertie so much, I didn’t think I would miss him this much but I do.
Glenda Young
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