‘EastEnders’ bosses fast-tracked Jake Wood’s debut on the soap after being impressed with his and Charlie Clements’ chemistry.
The 45-year-old actor has portrayed Max Branning in the BBC One soap since 2006, and has revealed he was initially set to come into the show a year after Charlie Clements had landed the part of Jake’s on-screen son Bradley Branning, but producers were so impressed with the pair they introduced Jake earlier.
He said: "They got me in with Charlie to do some stuff and, obviously, the chemistry was right.
"They just had an idea … they thought in a year’s time they were going to bring the dad in.
"When I came in, Charlie was ginger, I’m half-ginger and bald – work that one out – we just worked well together and the dynamics were right so they brought it all forward.
"Originally, they were going to bring the dad in in a year’s time or whatever, but three or four months after Charlie arrived they brought me in."
Jake must have done something right in his audition process as he was handed an initial three-year contract to star on the soap.
Speaking on MC Harvey’s Team Harvey YouTube channel, he added: "The deal was me, Jo Joyner [Tanya Branning] and the two girls who played our daughters. It was a three-year contract on the table."
Max has been a huge character on the soap since Jake’s debut in June 2006, and the actor added to his numerous soap award wins earlier this year by picking up the Best Scene gong at the British Soap Awards.
Dedicating the accolade to former ‘EastEnders’ star Barbara Windsor, who was recently revealed to have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he said: "I want to send a big ‘EastEnders’ hug to Barbara Windsor and her husband Scott. We love you very much, thank you very much."
EastEnders fast-tracked Jake Wood’s Max Branning debut
