‘EastEnders’ actor Harry Reid has described Steve McFadden as "timid".
The 23-year-old actor insists Steve – who has played hard-man Phil Mitchell on the BBC One soap for over 20 years – is nothing like his grumpy character.
Asked what he’s like in real life, Harry – who plays Phil’s son Ben Mitchell – said: "He’s timid. He’s timid, yeah, you could sort him out! He’s lovely. He’s a bubbly, happy, lovely bloke who just loves his art, loves his craft and he’s very method in his ways but look at what he’s done."
He added: "The character he’s created in Phil is amazing, it’s a beautiful rounded character and obviously Jamie Borthwick who plays Jay and Letitia Dean who plays Sharon, like you said, I’m surrounded by the heads of ‘EastEnders’ which is great for me because I’m learning off them."
Harry also admitted he’s looking forward to working alongside Gillian Taylforth, who is returning to the soap to play his mother Kathy Beale.
He told ITV’s ‘Lorraine’: "We’ve met a couple of times. [She’s the] perfect on screen mum for me. [She] reminds me of my own mum in many ways … Very down to earth, just a very normal person and she’s really lovely and I felt a nice connection as soon as we met and hopefully it’ll be good stuff."
During his appearance on the morning talk show, the up-and-coming actor caused quite the stir by referring to Lorraine Kelly’s stand-in Fiona Phillips as "darling", prompting her to admit it made her "feel young again".
Harry Reid: EastEnders’ Steve McFadden is ‘timid’
