Ned Porteous says Emmerdale’s upcoming Russian roulette scenes were like working on ‘The Deer Hunter’.
The 23-year-old actor was reminded of the epic 1978 war drama movie – which starred Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken and featured some infamous Russian roulette scenes – when his character Joe Tate went up against Ross Barton (Mike Parr) with a loaded gun, which will be aired next week.
Speaking about filming the scenes, Ned said: "It was super fun. I grew up watching ‘The Deer Hunter’ so the idea of being in a scene with Russian roulette is always quite fun.
"Any scenes with a high, dramatic stake, especially if you’re working with an actor like Mike Parr, who is just wicked at those types of things. He’s also a really lovely guy to be working with."
The characters shot the intense scenes with a real gun, and had a team of armourers on set to help them make the episode realistic.
Ned added: "We spent the whole day filming in Home Farm with a team of armourers and stunt coordinators, which is always really fun because it’s very different to the usual type of scenes we’re filming.
"Fortunately the whole team are super professional so they don’t let you get to a state where you could feel uncomfortable.
"They’re all super friendly and they’re constantly asking you if you’re OK and whether you’re comfortable with what you’re doing, so it was a breeze."
Ross forces Joe into the game, believing he is responsible for the horrific acid attack on him, when it was in fact Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb).
The pair have also been competing for Debbie’s affections, and Ned believes his character can end up happily ever after with the brunette beauty.
He added: "I’d like to believe [they can go the distance], yeah.
"He loves her more than he could love himself.
"I think a lot of the viewers are hoping they would sort out their issues and get back together.
"I hope the audience are enjoying it."
Ned Porteous compares Emmerdale to The Deer Hunter
