Corrie Blog Interviews Andrew Still - Justin's Warped Thinking Leads To An Acid Attack!!

Justin Rutherford’s stalking of Daisy Midgeley has been a slow-burner of a stalking storyline. Considering Daniel’s traumatic history with Sinead, I guessed they weren't going to give Daisy cancer, but not many could have predicted that the random fella she met in the hospital would become her stalker. I certainly didn't. What began as a chance meeting at Weatherfield General, Justin’s delusions have led him on a cat and mouse game with the Rovers barmaid, from flowers and chocolates, social media trolling, through to becoming a delivery driver on Coronation Street trying anything to win her heart. His delusions have left the feisty barmaid feeling paranoid and repressed, leading her to have doubts about marrying Daniel. It's a story that’s almost played out in real-time and has given Daisy’s character far more depth, displaying a range of emotions, despair and anguish about Justin's predatory predilection. However, Daisy recently turned the tables on Justin, by luring him to Victoria Gardens to get him arrested for assault. 

Out on bail, Justin has kept the peace until now, but with Daisy’s wedding day finally here, Coronation Street has told us that Justin is seeking revenge and throws acid at Daisy on her wedding day itself! A classic Corrie will they / won't they wedding has been promised, but will Justin get the ultimate revenge and destroy Daisy’s good looks, Instagram-mad image, and her whole life on this most important day? It promises to be a Corrie crescendo to this storyline, and I cannot wait to see what happens! 

A few weeks ago, and as part of a Coronation Street press day to discuss this storyline development, your no.1 Corrie fan (aka me) joined Zoom to chat with Scottish actor Andrew Still to learn more about playing Justin Rutherford and his revenge acid attack on Daisy!

Hi Andrew! Thanks for chatting with us today. 

What is going on in Justin’s mind in the lead-up to this event - why does he continue to harass her, even though she clearly wants him to stop? 

He’s stuck in this obvious thought pattern with her and he can't let go of this attachment that he’s got her. After his Mum died, he lost his purpose and decided that Daisy is his new purpose. He’s putting everything into it and fearing that he may lose it all which is why he is going so far in trying to keep hold of her. He’s using the death of his Mother to justify his terrible decision-making. 

We haven't seen a violent side of Justin until he launched himself at Daisy in Victoria Gardens. Can you tell us why his behaviour has escalated from flowers and chocolates to bombarding social media messaging to this point? 

That Victoria garden scene was a real tipping point for Justin in this story. He's been dealing with his mother's death and that rejection from Daisy has been building up for weeks and months and of course that goading from Daisy was from the day of the funeral itself. He was publicly embarrassed by her filming him, getting him kicked out of his Mother’s wake, and the pressure causes him to go over the edge. In his warped thinking, he sees himself as the victim. His grief is making his behaviour very risky and his dissociation is rather dangerous. 

After being released on bail, Justin keeps out of Daisy’s way until the morning of the wedding and he decides to throw acid at her! Why has he suddenly taken things to this extreme? 

I guess his thought process is that he’s finally taking things on board, and all of Daisy’s words have hit home. They're never going to be together, she doesn't want anything to do with him, and as that's sinking in - it's hurting his pride and his ego coupled with the misplaced hurt and anger that he’s feeling around the death of his Mum. He’s also got the anger that Daisy has all of her life to look forward to with Daniel whilst his life implodes. I think at that moment, he’s starting to think of ways to hurt her the way that she’s hurt him. It's a total act of hate. He can't justify it in his head, as much as he’d like to. He crosses a boundary that hasn't been crossed before. 

In an ideal world, what does Justin think he will get out of attacking Daisy with Acid?!! 

I think he’s got the blinkers up a bit. I don't think he’s really thought that far ahead. In the time leading up to the attack, he’s just thinking about revenge after everything she's put him through. He’s laser-focused on the attack and hasn't thought about the repercussions. It's only after the event itself that he realises what he’s done. The reality then seeps in. 

As an actor, what did you feel about the acid attack storyline? 

I was pretty shocked, I didn't realise it would go that far. To be honest, I was a little bit intimidated. It is such an awful crime you obviously want to do it justice. I felt as long as I did my research and gave everything to the character - hopefully, it'll resonate well with the audience. I did a lot of research on stalking at the start of this role, and read countless articles on it, and then the same with acid attacks and researching the acid survivor's trust. I thought it was important to have an understanding of the crime itself. 

Thanks, Andrew!

Coronation Street airs Daisy’s wedding day episode (10912/13) tonight at 8 pm on ITV and ITVX

What do you think about this acid-attack story? Let us know in the comments section!

I am @rybazoxo your die-hard Coronation Street fan and roving Corrie blogger

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Corrie Blog Interviews Charlotte Jordan - Justin’s Acid Attack On Daisy’s Wedding Day!

Since Daisy's cancer scare, the Instagram influencing, Rovers barmaid, and stepdaughter of Jenny Bradley has had quite the journey. The on/off relationship with Daniel has slipped to the sidelines as her social media stalker Justin, who she met in the hospital, has taken over her life. From merely following her online, to the persistent messaging, to following her onto Coronation Street itself, inside N0.1, and now the pub, Daisy's wedding build-up has very much become an issue-based story; social media influencing, poor policing, incel-type male misogyny, stalking, and now... an acid attack!!! 

We joined the ITV Corrie press team on Zoom to chat with actor Charlotte Jordan who plays Daisy Midgeley, to learn more about Justin's acid attack on Daisy! 

Hi Charlotte, Thanks for chatting with us! Can you tell how Daisy feels, when she seems to be doing all she can to stop Justin, yet nothing seems to be working?

She’s doing all the things she’s been told to do and trying to stop him from making her life miserable, but the law isn't on her side. I'm glad this storyline has shown that, and hopefully some laws can be changed, as it's horrendous for women that go through this. 

It does appear that Justin has the upper hand in all of this! How's it affecting her as the wedding draws nearer? 

The wedding is the light at the end of the tunnel for her, the one thing keeping her going, but it's been tough for her and Daniel. She was scared, tried hiding away, and then went against Justin. She's felt a myriad of emotions, but overall she just tried to stay positive 

In those early days, when Justin was sending her flowers and chocolate, did Daisy ever feel that it would become so extreme and dangerous? 

No, not at all. I think everyone thought this was just a harmless crush, and those kinds of words were used. She's used to male attention but I don't think she would have understood how possessed he'd become. 

Just before the acid attack, we see Daisy winning her battle against her stalker. After goading Justin, he attacks her in Victoria Gardens and gets arrested. How does she feel when he’s locked up? 

She tries to take things into her own hands, and take control of the situation. It's probably not the smartest thing to do, but that's the kind of person she is, to fight her corner when she feels like her back is against the wall. She plans to get him arrested and it works. Even though it was scary and a stupid thing to do, she feels like the ends justified the means; it was worth it to try and get control back. Daisy feels let down when Justin is released on bail and has managed to wriggle free. She hopes Justin takes the hint from the judge's words at the hearing and will stay away from the wedding. 

What is Daisy’s state of mind on the morning of the wedding? Does she think Justin will stay away from the proceedings? 

In the episodes before this, Justin has stayed away so on the morning of the wedding she’s quite optimistic and thinks that he’s finally got the message to stay away. She is feeling very positive, and although she may have some PTSD to deal with, she’s looking forward to marrying Daniel as she loves him very much. The wedding is kind of another message to Justin, to say that she can't control him and that love will win. Ian Kershaw (who wrote the wedding episode) has made this a classic corrie episode in the will they / won't they kind of way with some comedy in there too. It is a lovely way to start the episode, contrasting what happens later on! She starts in a very bridezilla manner, with little things going wrong that she thinks are quite a big deal. Her Mum tells her the Midgeley women are cursed, she’s woken up with red eye, the wedding cake has got the wrong name on it, the wedding car gets stolen, and her dress is ill-fitting. Although you would think these are small things, a lot has gone into planning it and she’s devastated by all of the hard work that has gone into her baby and the influencing things behind it. The wedding dress is surprising and aesthetically pleasing but practical for what’s to come later on 

As Daisy is readying to leave the pub and head to her venue, Justin turns up at the Rovers. Can you describe her reaction when she first lays eyes on her stalker? Does she think he will turn nasty? 

Yeah, I think that fear will be lurking in the back of her mind since he got released on bail. She did play a bit dirty to get him arrested so she does wonder if he will retaliate in some way. There are so many layers with Justin; she faced a myriad of emotions, and then to see him again after he's been warned away from her - she will be scared. 

Justins intend to destroy something so fundamental to her, which is her image and her looks. How does Daisy feel about this?

It's just so evil and heinous. To do something like that with acid is so evil, and take away someone's identity like that, to even think about it, and maybe someone having that intention for you. When it happens, she has to think about how she is going to get through it. How is she going to get to the hospital, how is she going to stop things from getting worse? The deeper mental worry about it all will come a bit later in future episodes. 

How do you get into the mindset of filming something so dark? 

I have to go the other way and contrast the feelings, to snap in and out of it, and then be happy and talk about other things otherwise, it would be very draining at home. I like to leave those feelings at work, and then listen to happy music, have some snacks, and look after the dog. You've done all the research, all you can to prep, and leave it all on the studio floor and see how it goes

Can you remember your reaction when you were told about the acid attack element of the storyline, and how did you feel about it? 

I was shocked when I found out they were taking that route with it. It’s not something you in television, so I was caught by surprise...

Thank you, Charlotte! 

On the importance of tackling this storyline Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod said: “We were keen to show the long-term reality for people who are subjected to this kind of attack. It is something we might often read about in the papers but perhaps don’t fully understand, in terms of the depth and variety of effects it can have. As well as the medical impacts, we explore the social fallout of having your appearance profoundly changed, both in terms of your own ability to process that and how the wider world reacts to you. The story will at times be heartbreaking but we felt it was an important one to tell.”

Every year thousands of people across the world are subjected to deliberate attacks with acid. The root causes of attacks are often extremely complex, however, a common factor in the vast majority of acid violence cases across the world is gender. Women and girls are overwhelmingly the targets of attacks and men are most commonly the perpetrators.

Coronation Street has worked with The Katie Piper Foundation. and Acid Survivors Trust International ASTI in telling this story. Click the clicks to learn more about their important work. 

My POV; Some Corrie fans, and the usual naysayers (who don’t have a TV remote, it seems) will discredit this as being too dark and not like Corrie of old - but I'd disagree. This is about men being bad, women’s rights, misogyny, and coercive control. Although a modern story, the roots of this story lay right at the heart of what Coronation Street is all about - fierce northern women and feckless men. 

Keep your eyes peeled for more exclusive cast interviews from this incredible storyline over the next week. 

What are your thoughts? Tweet me @rybazoxo & @CoroStreetBlog to let us know  

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License