Max Bowden didn’t know he had landed the role of Ben Mitchell when he first found out he was joining ‘EastEnders’.
The 24-year-old actor made his debut as Ben this week, making him the sixth actor to play the character, and while Max was delighted when he was cast in the BBC One soap, he was unsure who he would be playing at the time.
He said: "When I found out I got the part I actually wasn’t told I was playing Ben.
"I was told that I was playing someone else because there was a lot of privacy stuff that was going on with it.
"But when I found out I was going into ‘EastEnders’, I was with a girl that I was seeing at the time having champagne breakfast."
‘EastEnders’ viewers are unsure what exactly Ben is up to, but Max admits he is "playing a dangerous game".
He added: "Ben’s playing a dangerous game I think, I think he’s not really worried about who he can let down along the way.
"It’s about finally taking what’s rightfully his, whatever that may be."
Danielle Harold – who has returned to ‘EastEnders’ as Lola Pearce alongside Ben, who is the father of her daughter Lexi – added: "She is going to cause a lot of trouble, her and Ben."
While Max admits it is "exciting" joining one of the soap’s most famous families, he feels "a lot of expectation" about the role.
Speaking in a joint video on the ‘EastEnders’ Twitter account, he added: "I think, coming into the most, probably famous family in ‘EastEnders’, is very exciting because I’m literally related to everyone.
"I’ve got a relationship and a history with nearly every character on the Square.
"It makes it daunting for sure, as there’s a lot of expectation, and the audience expectation is going to be very high but it’s very exciting."
EastEnders’ Max Bowden wasn’t told he was playing Ben Mitchell
