Coronation Street star confirms ‘terrifying’ event that will rock fans
The domestic abuse storyline involving Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) and Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) on Coronation Street has been a difficult watch for fans, and it’s about to get worse as Theo once more explodes with rage in a harrowing scene.
James Cartwright told us how dangerous Theo is.
‘We always knew he was a complicated man. But now, as we move further along, you start to see that actually he’s not just a complicated man, he’s potentially a very dangerous man. The flaws and the damage within him are now manifesting in a way that I’m not sure even he can control. And I think it’s potentially putting people at risk.’
He explained that he didn’t think Theo’s actions were ever premeditated.
‘He does these things in that moment of rage and then the cycle of self hatred starts, where he loathes himself, he starts drinking, and then the cycle continues again,’ he said.
Theo grabs Todd in Coronation Street
Theo has physically abused Todd on a number of different occasions (Picture: ITV)
‘Very often he blames Todd for it. He’s made Todd the scapegoat for all the things that have gone wrong in his life since he met him.
‘In the space of 10 months he’s been through more than a lot do in 10 years, he’s got divorced, lost his children, his business has failed and these are enormous life events. So then when it’s all gone wrong, he’s turned around and decided this is your fault.
‘When he loses his temper, he just erupts, and then he has to live with the consequence of what he’s done which is where the self loathing then comes in. Todd is literally all he’s got. So very often with possessive jealous partners, whether male or female, they seek to isolate you because they know that’s all they’ve got. The idea of losing Todd is shattering, so he clings on like fire and that’s where the coercive control starts.’
When Theo becomes jealous that Todd is spending time with James Bailey (Jason Callender), his anger erupts in one particular scene that will be very hard to watch.
Theo looking down at where Todd is sat on the couch in Corrie
Todd hasn’t told anyone about what he’s going through (Picture: ITV)
‘It’s another escalation, and it’s both shocking and terrifying for Todd,’ James confirmed. ‘Theo just blows up when he doesn’t seem to be able to talk about his feelings. He can’t express himself so he loses his temper, and he becomes very volatile to be around.’
As well as being hard to watch, the actor revealed that the scenes were also hard to film, with everyone concerned being very aware that they had to do justice to a very sensitive and troubling subject.
‘I think there’s a different mood on set when we’re shooting these scenes. Everybody just gets on and there’s a mood of looking after each other. It’s a very serious vibe on set because someone could get hurt, we all realise it’s pretty horrible, and while we’re doing it as actors we’re aware that this is some people’s lives. Domestic violence is real for a lot of people, it often escalates around Christmas, so there’s a real level of respect on the set.
‘You’ve got to tread that line between drama, storytelling and authenticity. It will be very challenging to watch for anybody who’s been through it, or is going through something similar, but we also have to be careful not to rush it or you run the risk of doing a disservice to people who’ve been through it.’
Theo sneaking past Todd asleep on the sofa holding shirts in Corrie
Theo is often seen manipulating Todd (Picture: ITV)
He added that the ordeal is far from over for Todd.
‘I think that what we’re seeing now is a pattern of behaviour from Theo which he seems incapable of learning from. It’s been this gradual escalation where Theo has just upped the temperature one degree at a time, and as that happens you start to normalise it, the goalposts keep widening.