How is Dylan feeling after Mason’s death?
It’s definitely been a very traumatic time for Dylan and he is taking a lot of the blame. Dylan’s just a young teenage lad and hasn’t got a full recollection of everything that’s happened because it seems like a bit of a blur, but he definitely takes all of the responsibility and feels like it’s on him. I think this will take a lot for Dylan to accept but at the moment he’s traumatised, scared, abandoned and can’t look to the future because he’s so stuck in the present which is a dangerous thing for someone in his position.
Do you think Dylan regrets running away when the altercation happened?
Definitely, everything about that day is playing over and over in his head. There’s a scene not long after Mason’s death and Dylan was in shock just sobbing. Everything is mounting into one for him and it was ultimately his fault for bringing the knife in the first place. He only bought the knife to protect himself and was hiding it away, as a sort of peace of mind or a safety net, that it was there if he needed it, but he wouldn’t have ever intended to need it, he was just a scared kid.
Over the recent months, Mason has really shown that he was starting to change. How did Dylan feel towards him before his death? Were they really friends now?
Personally I would say they definitely were friends. Dyaln’s character falls for people really easily, he’s quite naive in that sense. Dylan was well aware of what Mason had done in the past, but Mason actually started to prove that he was changing. So I would say Dylan and Mason were friends, or at least building towards that.
Sean is the one to go to the police about the knife used being Dylan’s. How does Dylan feel towards Sean knowing this?
Sean makes out to Dylan that he’s going to help him in whatever way he possibly can and tells him he’s going to go to the bank to get as much money out as he can, but Dylan isn’t even thinking about what he’s saying. Of course Sean doesn’t even go to the bank at all, as any parent would do, he goes straight to the police station and that’s when Kit turns up. It’s interesting because I actually asked my mum if she was ever in that situation, what would she do - and she said she absolutely would do the same - which was great from a parents point of view. At that moment when Dylan realises, it’s now him against the world - even his dad has betrayed him.
Do you think Dylan can understand why Sean went to the police?
I don’t think he does because Dylan is a 17 year-old self-orientated lad, just like most 17 year olds are. His initial thought is ‘oh, my dad’s going against me now, this is it’ and he now thinks he’s all on his own. I think Dylan struggles with a fear of abandonment though, especially after his childhood of never having two stable parents living together, or anywhere near each other. Now Violet is in London and his dad has betrayed him so Dylan feels entirely alone. I hope eventually that Dylan will be able to forgive Sean, but the dynamics between them now will be really interesting to play.
This week, Kit tells Dylan that he will be charged with possession of a bladed article. How does Dylan feel about this?
Dylan is absolutely petrified. He’s been arrested once before for having possession of a knife, which he was holding for Mason, whereas this time it was absolutely his. So, Dylan was scared the first time he got arrested but even more so now. I don’t think Dylan copes well in new environments, he’s gone from Weatherfield to London and back a couple of times so he was really hoping to be settled somewhere, and when he was finally feeling a bit more settled somewhere, he may have completely jeopardised that and could end up locked up.
This week we also see Dylan drinking a bottle of vodka. Why do you think he’s turned to alcohol? Was this his first time drinking?
Yes I believe it was his first time drinking. I think his decision to drink was just pure escapism, his intention was never to get absolutely plastered, he just doesn’t know how to deal with this. There’s not really an adult figure Dylan can speak to, he doesn’t entirely trust Sean because they’re still building up their relationship. I think Dylan has probably seen people turn to drink when something bad happens and has copied that to try a coping mechanism.
How important do you think a storyline like this is and how does it feel as an actor to be involved?
It’s an absolute privilege to be able to do this storyline and of course it’s great as an actor to have one as important as this. The power of soaps at the minute is that we target social issues and different audiences within one episode. This storyline I’m currently involved in is predominantly aimed towards younger people, and if we can get even just one person to stop carrying a knife, then the storyline has done its job.
How did you prepare for this storyline?
I would say I went into this storyline quite naive to knife crime so working alongside a charity was really important and we worked closely with The Ben Kinsella Trust. We had calls with them which were invaluable and hearing their facts, figures and real-life stories helped shape the storyline. Unfortunately with this storyline, you don’t need to research far because knife crime is sadly so common now and it was at the far front of the media which shows how important it is to educate people on this horrific crime.
Glenda Young
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