Scott Maslen rejected an offer to return to ‘EastEnders’.
The actor was asked to reprise his role as Jack Branning in the long-running BBC One soap after 18 months away but turned it down as he believes it would have held him back from securing other roles.
He said: "I didn’t want to go back just 18 months after leaving. There is an element of snobbery with soaps. It means people in the industry don’t see you as an actor, they see you as a commodity."
Scott appeared in ‘EastEnders’ for six years and became a fan favourite due to his fiery relationship with Ronnie Mitchell but he’s now admitted he only took the job in the first place to look after his family.
He told the Daily Star newspaper: "In the kind of acting I’d like to do people would look at ‘EastEnders’ and say ‘you don’t want to touch that’. We’ve all got to pay the bills and work. When I made a deal to do ‘EastEnders’ that was my choice for my own reasons – for my family, to get a house."
The 40-year-old star – who also took part in ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in 2010 – is now starring opposite Elizabeth Hurley and Joan Collins in new E! drama ‘The Royals’.
Scott Maslen turned down a return to EastEnders
