Gregory Finnegan relishes the challenge of a gritty storyline.
The ‘Hollyoaks’ actor – who has played James Nightingale on the show since 2016 – admitted that while he would love to see his alter-ego "find some happiness", as a performer it can be more interesting to take on the deeper roles.
He said: "You always want your character to find some happiness, but as an actor, drama often brings great challenges, so we’ll see!"
But he doesn’t want James to follow in the footsteps of his abusive father Mac Nightingale (David Easter).
He admitted: "I hope not. That would be a steep decline indeed but he’s certainly starting out on that path."
James will react badly when his partner Harry Thompson’s (Parry Glasspool) ex-husband Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) admits he still has feelings for his former flame.
The pair kiss, and Gregory insisted his character is justified with feeling "threatened".
He said: "[James reacts] pretty badly. It’s a shock that rocks him and his trust in Harry. Yes of course [he’s threatened by Ste].
"He knows how much they once loved each other, and anything is possible with Harry, so I think James is right to feel threatened."
Last month, Gregory won the British Soap Award for Best Actor, but he thought his co-stars Ijaz Rana (Imran Maalik) and Ashley Taylor Dawson (Darren Osborne) deserved the recognition.
Speaking before the ceremony and after the nominations were revealed, he insisted: "Just really grateful that people want to give me their vote.
"It’s a really strong line up from all the other soaps, but from our show I have to say Ijaz and Ashley have been consistently brilliant so I was surprised to get the nod."
Gregory Finnegan embraces ‘challenges’
