Coronation Street Blog: Ciaran Griffiths interview: Drama for Damon, Dee-Dee and Sarah

When Damon met Sarah obviously there was that initial attraction, but how did he react when he found out who she is, has that suddenly made her a whole lot more interesting to Damon?

Definitely yes because he has that history with Nick. When he first met Sarah he was definitely instantly attracted to her but I also think that he does genuinely like her because when she said do the right thing, make up with my brother, he did go to Nick and say he was going to leave him alone. That’s quite out of character for Damon so it makes you think, hang on a minute, he must really like her if he's gonna call it quits with Nick. However there is a scene in the bistro with Nick, where Damon says ‘how many siblings have you got?’ and there is a bit of fun in that for him. Nick is obviously completely unaware as to why he's saying it but I think Damon is getting off on the fact that Sarah is Nick’s sister.

Are you enjoying playing these different sides to Damon? Obviously there’s the bad side but then this fun, cheeky side and maybe a part of him that does have a conscience too?

Yeah definitely, obviously when Damon came in he was this evil bad guy which is great to play but I actually really enjoyed the scenes where he’s making peace with Nick. It’s nice to see him give Nick a break and take his foot off his head because he’s put him through a lot. He’s going to have to work hard to win back Nick and Leanne’s trust and Leanne’s going to be hard to crack but I'm enjoying seeing a bit of a different side to him

What is he most attracted to in Sarah? What is about her that appeals to him?

That she’s married (laughs)! Obviously she's a nice looking girl but the situation is perfect for him, no strings attached. If she’s married she’s not going to say anything to anyone is she and she can’t give him any grief about what he’s doing because she’s the one who’s married at the end of the day. It’s a win win for him.

The fact that she’s married to Adam is also very close to home as he’s worked with Adam on his case. What does he think of Adam?

I think he likes Adam to be honest but he’s not going to let that get in the way of what he wants, he’s not thinking with his head here. Adam’s convinced Dee-dee to represent him, helped find a loophole for in court so he wants to carry on doing business with him but he also doesn’t want him to be suspicious. He wants to keep him close, that way he’s less likely to suspect anything is going on either, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Tell us a bit about what happens at the hotel?

He’s had a bet that he’s going to sleep with her and Sarah’s having none of it but then she’s stuck for a lift to get to a client meeting so Damon steps in pretending to be a knight in shining armour, promising he’ll leave her alone and forget about the bet. Then when they get to the hotel Damon decides to stick around and earwig on Sarah’s business pitch. He can see it's going terribly wrong so he pretends that he's a manager of a band, and he sees the designs and he's like, oh my God, these are amazing, I'd be interested for these to be on my band’s album cover. Here's my business card, give us a shout. Then on the back of his business card he’s put his hotel room. So then he goes back up to the hotel room to wait. She comes to have a go at him for interfering but he's got a load of champagne up there and he's in court the next day so he says to Sarah this is probably the last time I'll ever see you. He opens up to her a bit and tells her about his childhood so she gets to see a bit more of what’s inside him rather than him just giving her the big one. I think she does warm to him then, I think she’s already attracted to him then when he says this is probably the last time you’ll see me she just throws caution to the wind and thinks why not. There’s a lot of sexual tension there, she doesn’t think there can be any repercussions if he’s going away so she thinks sack it. Then low and behold he gets off with it the next day and he’s back on the street!

What’s Damon’s attitude to Sarah like the next day?

After what’s happened at the hotel he’s got something over her now and he's a bit more sure of himself. He thinks it's going to carry on, in his mind he thinks this is going to be a lot of fun whereas in her mind she's like this stops now, you’re making it too obvious. He’s loving all the innuendos, the little looks and winks when people aren’t looking but that's making her feel very uncomfortable. In his head he thinks she's going to be loving it like him, he’s finding it hilarious.

Does this make him even more determined than ever because from the outset he’s told her he’s going to get her?

He’s definitely determined, there are a few times when he says I won’t bother you again but I think that's all part of the game. It’s like when you're a kid and you find out that someone fancies you and you say you're not interested but as soon as you find out they don't fancy you anymore you're a bit disappointed, it’s like that game. He’s loving the chase.

Dee-dee starts to catch on doesn't she. Does Damon have to deal with that?

Dee-dee spots something going on and confronts Sarah, Damon clocks this and speaks to Dee-dee, he needs to know she's not going to tell Adam. It is a bit harsh on Adam, Sarah and Damon have done this, Dee-dee knows, they know that she knows, yet Adam knows nothing.

What does Damon think of Dee-dee because there was that initial spark there, obviously she then got him off in court, is he attracted to her?

Yeah, I think he would definitely go there. He likes her, she’s really pretty, she’s feisty. She’s different to Sarah though, from the outset she’s like no way am I falling for your charms, you’re an idiot and I’m not going near you. But I think that’s attractive to Damon, he likes the challenge.

Do you think Damon is starting to make a few roots on the street, or is it just about what he can get out of people?

Obviously at first no one really liked him but I think he’s worked hard to try and win Leanne and Nick back over. He's trying to get the bistro to the next level and he does actually want the business to work. But if that all fails he may turn again.

How are you enjoying your time on the show?

I’m loving it, at times it can be hard because I live in Australia and I’m really missing my kids but I’m determined to enjoy my time here and enjoy the work. I love working with Tina, Channique and Sam, I know loads of the crew from other jobs so it’s great.

Do you enjoy playing a character like Damon?

Yeah he’s really enjoyable to play, I feel like I know him a bit better now, I know what he’s about and I’ve found my feet with him. He was very intense when I started, the way he was treating Jacob, which was great to play but now we’re seeing another side to him, he’s still got that edge but also that more playful side which is fun.

Are you enjoying working alongside Tina?

I've known Tina since we were about 14, we used to go to drama workshops together so I've really enjoyed doing these scenes with someone I know, someone who gets my humour who I can have fun with. It's a bit of an icebreaker and you can have a laugh, play around with the scenes and try things out. She’s a great actress, I trust her, some of these scenes can be awkward but with Tina it’s sound, we've been playing boyfriend/girlfriend scenes since we were 14!

Glenda Young

Novelist published by Headline