Were you surprised when you got the call asking if you could come back?
I was pleasantly surprised, it's always a welcome call. And it just so happens that it was good timing from my side of things and I liked the idea of the storyline. I was more than happy to have a chat with Kate.
Without giving too much away what did they tell you at the time about what Rob would be up to this time. What was it that piqued your interest?
I knew that there was a new chapter of Rob that was on the horizon. I've always been fascinated with his childhood, and I knew that this story would touch on that aspect and that time in both his and Carla's life. I feel that touching on that gives us a little window as to why Rob is living the life that he's living. So I knew it was going to open up a bit more of the past. But also, there was some fun to be had with Rob, as there always is, as well. The balance of those two things is brilliant to play with.
So how did you feel when you discovered that Rob has a son? Had been aware of that unfolding on screen in your absence?
I saw something as I was walking through a supermarket on a magazine cover, which took me by surprise to find out that Rob was a father, but it was nice to discover because we've never really touched on that side of Rob. It was around Christmas time last year and here I am a year later and I knew that that would add a layer to Rob being a father. He's not exactly a role model, but I think that there are lots of discoveries to be made with that relationship as well.
What sort of relationship does he have with Bobby? Is Rob at all paternal, do you think?
I think that, as we've seen in the past, family means the world to Rob. It's not necessarily an easy relationship for him, given again, the difficult upbringing. But you know, blood is thicker than water, and he likes to have a good relationship with his family. He loves his family to the core. But with that, with the type of person that he is, it just brings difficulties as well.
When Bobby comes to the prison, is Rob shocked when he hears what's happened to Carla, because they used to be close, and does he feel any compassion at all when he hears what's been happening?
Absolutely, yes he does. He loves his sister. Carla is the closest that he's had with any of his relationships. It's the longest relationship that he's ever had. He feels that Carla is the only person who would truly understand him, even above Tracy, because of everything that they experienced together growing up. So regardless of what behaviour Rob shows or what he expresses, deep down underneath everything is, is a lot of love.
Initially he is not really willing to potentially go down the route of being a kidney donor for Carla but then he asks Bobby to come back to the prison to see him again, and they find themselves in the middle of a hostage situation and Rob comes to the rescue. But is it all it seems?
Bobby comes to visit and there is an escalation of a situation which involves Matty Radcliffe and all is not as it seems in the actual moment. But at the same time, Rob doesn't really want to see Bobby in turmoil or in danger in any way, shape or form. Whether he's truly in danger, is to be seen, because there is something else that's happening in the background at the same time, but what that is can't be revealed until it unfolds on screen.
Has Rob changed at all since we last saw him? And how is he? What's his role in prison life?
Rob is a very different person. It's been seven years since we last saw him. That's a lot of life. It's a lot of time to be in the prison system as well. Whether his core nature has changed or not, whether he's made changes for the greater good, is yet to be seen. But he's not had the easiest of times in prison, as I don't think anyone would do for that amount of time, particularly someone who did what he did to a young woman. It's not something that he's had an easy journey with, and it's something that he has huge regrets over with the way that everything played out. We do get to see some of that on screen, as well as Rob's genuine feelings. But with Rob, there are always motives to make his life better than what it is, and that may well get him into trouble yet again.
So that's Rob in the last seven years. So what about Marc in the last seven years?
Seven years has been such a long time. A lot has happened. It's hard to know where to begin. I've been fortunate to be involved in some lovely independent film projects. I have a sci-fi feature film coming out next year called 'Of Infinite Worlds' which was great fun. The majority of the film was green screen and hugely ambitious, and I will also be appearing in the latest series of Whitstable Pearl which I filmed earlier in the year. Personally, I'm very settled in my life, which is probably the polar opposite of Rob.
So what is it like being back picking up? How easy have you found it to get back into Rob after seven years?
I was a little bit nervous a couple of weeks before coming back in. It was just before I received the first scripts, and I thought, where's Rob, can I find him again? Is he still there?
I was thinking about his relationship with Bobby, and I was just pottering around the house and an idea jumped into my head. It gave me a strong feeling for his relationship with Bobby and everything just kind of slotted into place. It was a couple of days later that the scripts arrived through the door. And as soon as I read through them, he was just there and he was ready to go again.
Did you go back and watch anything from seven years ago, or have you sort of let that go as this is a different Rob now?
I've let that go. I didn't want to go backwards. I wanted to use my memories of playing Rob and my thoughts of who Rob is as a person now to be at the forefront. I always want any character to move forward. That's one of the key reasons I have come back to play Rob again, because there is a story to tell. I think it's a huge privilege to give a little snapshot into Rob's world and where he's at, and it's a joy to play. It's not always easy material, but it's fun to play, and it's a good challenge for me as an actor as well. So, no, I didn't look back on previous footage and trusted myself to be able to move it forward.
You like to move forward with the character so in your own words, can you sum up what the audience can look forward to in 2025 with the return of Rob?
There are some heartfelt moments with the people that Rob loves, including new characters that Rob has relationships with. There's a darker side to Rob than I've known before, and we get a window into, I would say, a man who needs more support than he's getting.
Glenda Young
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