Kieron Richardson says his ‘Hollyoaks’ far-right radicalisation storyline will become even more "haunting to watch" in the coming days.
The 33-year-old star’s alter-ego Ste Hay will be involved in a "sinister" tattoo initiation scene later this week, and the actor insists the hard-hitting plot has to be "uncomfortable to watch" to resemble real life.
He said: "At the end of this week, there’s an initiation involving a tattoo, so that’s another sign of Ste being accepted into the group. It’s quite a sinister scene and quite haunting to watch.
"There’s loads of horrible bits that the viewers will have to watch, but it’s not a light, fluffy storyline.
"It’s the way that it’s got to be told. I know that it’s uncomfortable to watch, but it has to be like that. Imagine how uncomfortable it is for us for the people who actually have to live through this."
Kieron is hopeful the ‘Hollyoaks’ audience will be able to "forgive" Ste, and admits he can’t help but feel "protective" over the character.
He added to Digital Spy: "I do get protective of Ste. I’m not silly or stupid – I know he’s only a character and he’s an idiot – but you do get protective over your character when you play them for 12 hours a day, Monday to Friday. I absolutely love him deep down, even though he is stupid.
"I do hope there is some kind of redemption for Ste.
"Everyone is saying that it will happen at some point, but it’ll be interesting to see how it does. We’re trying to tell the story as true to life as possible, so I’m hoping that we do that. I am excited for it and hopefully the audience will forgive Ste."
Kieron recently admitted he had to quit Twitter as a result of the soap’s radicalisation storyline, with some trolls accusing him of "teaching his kids to be racist".
He said: "I had people saying things like, ‘You’re teaching your kid to be racist. You’re an irresponsible parent.’
"I just couldn’t deal with people saying things about my kids."
Kieron Richardson teases more ‘haunting’ Hollyoaks scenes
