Coronation Street Blog: James Craven interview: Will Aaron agree to sell the baby?

Friday, 28 October 2022

James Craven interview: Will Aaron agree to sell the baby?

Was Aaron shocked when he found out that Summer was pregnant, obviously it wasn't something they had planned?

This is something that comes after they’ve just separated, due to the pressure from Paul and Aaron starting to worry that he was causing too much trouble for Summer. He didn't really want them to split, he still has feelings for her and he wants to be with her. Summer’s been his only real support network so when she comes and tells him that she’s pregnant it’s obviously a huge, unexpected shock, but also it makes him realize that they need to pull together again and be there to support each other. I guess for him, mixed in there, there’s some sense of relief that they can now come back to each other again and be there for each other.

There's already a lot going on in this relationship, the troubles with Aaron’s dad, Summer’s diabetes and eating disorder. Do you think this pregnancy on top will put too much strain on this relationship?

I think he definitely feels well out of his depth and he feels like he's not being a teenager at all because he's having to deal with things that someone his age shouldn't really have to deal with. And I think there is also the added stress in worrying that will we be able to deal with this on top of his dad as well, because obviously that’s where they left their relationship before this. His dad was going to be his number one priority but now that's going to have to be on the back burner again. It feels like he's going to have to put all of his focus and his energy into this which is obviously quite scary.

Initially they were thinking they probably wouldn't keep the baby but then Mike and Esther offer the surrogacy option. How does Aaron react to that because it is quite a shocking proposal out of the blue?

I think at first he’s just shocked that she's proposed that they even go through this because to him it just doesn't feel like something that is right. At the end of the day, they are selling a baby and he knows that it's not necessarily ethical and maybe not right in the eyes of society. He worries that Summer is prepared to go through all of this just for him, she’s suggesting they do this to put his dad through rehab, it’s giving him this mounting guilt that. He's also worried about the effect a pregnancy will have on her body, how she’ll cope with actually carrying the baby and having to have the baby, especially with her diabetes and the body image issues she’s had in the past. So there's that worry on top of everything else, that she won't be able to cope with the way she looks or the way that she feels. I think that's where a lot of the worry comes from, because it does come from a place of caring.

He does really love her, doesn't he?

Yeah, maybe a bit too much.

She doesn't really give him a lot of choice with the surrogacy does she, is Summer the one making the decision?

Yeah especially in the beginning. He knows that at the end of the day it boils down to the fact that it's her body and it's her choice, and he doesn't really have a say in that. But there's also a sense of a loss of control for him, I think at times there are flickers where he actually likes the idea of maybe having the baby and looking after it.

Would you say she's the driving force behind their decision?

There’s definitely a loss of control for Aaron and he does start to worry that he's not really making any of the decisions about anything anymore. He doesn't really get a say in exploring the surrogacy but when he meets Mike and Esther he starts to come around, he thinks maybe they are good people, maybe we can actually do a good thing here, not just for his dad but for two people who just really want to have a family.

It’s not just about the money for them is it, Summer and Aaron are morally quite good people, who just find themselves in the middle of this storm…

They’re definitely trying to balance out in their minds, on the good side of it they could be giving people who can’t have a family that chance, and do good for his Dad as well. That's definitely what he clings on to and as opposed to just thinking these people have given us £10,000 to buy our baby.

How shocked were you when you heard about this story? They've had a lot thrown at them in their relationship already, were you excited for this next element?

It's definitely exciting and it’s interesting to explore as it’s not something I've experienced in my life. I knew it was going to be a challenge, it's sort of a loss of control story that just spirals and I think that’s going to be quite interesting to play.

You’ve been here now for nine months now, how are you enjoying your time on the show?

I've been here since February so that's nine months. Everyone's just been so lovely, the whole environment and the people are my favourite thing about it, it's just such a nice, calm environment to work in.

What do you think about the character? Do you like him? Would you be friends with him?

Maybe I would be friends with him, he's definitely got a lot on his plate, I don’t know if I’d be able to deal with his problems in the same way that he does. He's definitely a lot more resilient than I would be, he deals with a lot and everyone has that breaking point where sometimes we see him lashing out a bit. But I like him and I can see that he has good intentions.

Glenda Young

Novelist published by Headline