Shades of Green: Interview with Jacob Roberts

Kit Green, played by Jacob Roberts, has proven himself to be a character of many shades since he arrived on the cobbles earlier this year. Is he ultimately good? Is he inherently bad? He keeps surprising us, and it seems it's our fate to keep guessing.

I travelled to Coronation Street Studios for an interview with Jacob to get his take on what's going on for his character, Kit's unexpected pairing with Shona Platt, and what life is like for him on the cobbles.

Those who don't wish to read any spoilers should look away now.

As a Detective with Weatherfield Police, Kit's role sees him interact with a broad spectrum of characters, and get involved in all manner of storylines. Asked how this feels to play, Jacob says "It's weird, because you can't really define a relationship... you're with everyone, so you can't really develop anything. But that's worked for Kit because he's a closed book anyway, so he's sort of stand-offish; he doesn't want to give too much away. It's been great to work with everyone, and see how everyone works on set."

In terms of why his character seems to struggle with making connections and relationships, Jacob tells us, "I think he's definitely got some trust issues. It's not the fact that he was abandoned once, it's the fact that he's been abandoned again." Mentioning how, at 21, he was so excited to see his Mum, only to be let down a second time, he says, "it's a tough thing." Explaining how his character could have gone one way or another after such an experience, he says, "He threw himself into work and he just thought, right, this is how I'm gonna deal with it. I'm gonna do things my way." He adds, "I think work always comes first with him, women come second."

Speaking of which, Kit has taken something of a shine to Daisy Midgeley. Asked if she is someone he could really have feelings for, Jacob says "I think he likes the fact she is a bit of a manipulator herself...I think it's more of a sexy desire rather than it being lovey-dovey. I think he gets turned on by the fact she likes to play games and he does as well."

Being spurned by Daisy seems to have been a contributing factor to his night with Shona Platt. Was Jacob surprised by this turn of events? "Yeah, it was out of the blue," he says, "You don't see any flirting in the scenes beforehand, so it comes out of nowhere," while noting how, despite her arrest for pushing the Governor of the prison, Kit did feel for Shona because of her situation with David.

"I thought that fling might have got me killed off," he jokes. "If David's coming after me, he's coming after me!"

Clearly a risky business, what is it about Shona that makes Kit take the chance?

"I think he thinks he can get away with it. He knows that she won't tell David, so if she doesn't tell David, he's in the clear. He thinks that way."

But is there any chance, deep down, that he might actually want security with a partner? "Yeah I think so," says Jacob. "I think he's scared of opening himself up. I think obviously he's still flirting with Daisy. The things is, he's opening himself up in a different way. He's blaming things on Paul if he does get emotional, or he's done something wrong, so he starts to go down that route, which is quite evil I suppose, 'cos he doesn't want to open himself up or he doesn't want to tell the truth."

Asked if a more emotional side of Kit would appeal, or if he likes things as they are, Jacob explained how he likes playing it this way, while possibly seeing places where Kit could potentially change. "But I don't think you can change the character too much," he adds, "'cos it's unresolved issues with Bernie as well."

Asked if we are likely to see things develop with the mother who abandoned him twice, Jacob says, "I hope so. I think it's sort of been brushed under the carpet a bit, but I still think there are unresolved issues with it. I think we're just dealing with each other because we live near." He adds, "I think things would be quite awkward if they were alone, although there are certain things we've done recently where you can see Bernie is protecting me."

Kit comes across as quite fearless and behaves as if he's invincible. Is there anything he's afraid of? "I think he knows he can get away with a lot of stuff," says Jacob. "I think having that power of being in the police, and being dodgy, he feels that people are gonna need him. And I suppose people are only needing him because they want a favour back, and that's why he thinks, 'well why would I be friendly with someone, because they just want something from me.'"

With Jacob hailing from Salford, I asked how it felt to be on Coronation Street. 

"It's a belter," he told me. "My Mum loves the show, and I've grown up watching the show as well, and I'm literally ten minutes away from it. So yeah, it's a cultural thing."

With actress Julia Goulding (Shona Platt) and Corrie press staff chiming in to say how well Jacob has fitted in on the show, he replies, "It must be the Salford in me. But yeah, I've loved it. It's a great place. When I came here I was overwhelmed by the set. It's unbelievable. It's literally like a film set. It was great to get the job, and I've loved it since I've been here."

It was a pleasure to speak with Jacob, who is clearly very invested in his character, and where he might be headed. It sounds like he will have plenty of opportunity to enjoy Kit's complexities in the episodes to come.

By Emma Hynes

Read all about my recent trip to Coronation Street in A Rover Returns.

Read my interview with Julia Goulding

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www.emmahynes.com

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