Jack P Shepherd has opened up about his character’s forthcoming “very emotional” and “dark” storyline.
The Corrie actor, 30, has had to film some gruelling scenes in his portrayal of troubled David Platt.
In scenes to be aired this Friday (16 March), David is drugged and raped by mechanic and boxing coach Josh Tucker.
And the aftermath will see David unravelling, as he decides to keep quiet about the attack and suffer in silence.
Read more: Coronation Street star Sean Wilson reveals everything about Martin Platt’s much-anticipated comeback
In an interview with Digital Spy, Jack describes the difficulty of filming the sexual assault scenes and David’s spiral into mental health issues – and admits he couldn’t stop crying on set.
In a candid interview with the website, he said: “This is potentially one of the darkest places David has been. He was obviously massively affected by Kylie’s death but everyone knew about that and was looking out for him, and even though he didn’t really want to talk about it in depth it wasn’t a secret.
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“This time it is just all in his head, he has no outlet, he doesn’t speak to anyone and the only other person who knows is his attacker and he is enjoying winding David up and having power over him.”
“David is tormented and the viewer needs to see that,” adds Jack. “So for David to break down it needs to feel real and not forced – it is very emotional and after one scene I couldn’t stop crying.”
Viewers will watch disturbing scenes in which David bottles up his feelings and journeys to a place of despair.
He feels he cannot talk about the assault with girlfriend Shona, and this begins to affect their relationship in a big way when he struggles to enjoy intimacy with her.
In fact, Josh’s actions play through his mind over and over and result in David getting angry and lashing out.
“That is when his relationship starts to fall apart,” reveals Jack.
#plattsback this week guys..
Stand by yer beds @itvcorrie pic.twitter.com/5CBm6JibAl— Sean Wilson (@SeanWilsonChef) March 11, 2018
The forthcoming scenes pave the way for David’s dad Martin to return to the soap after 12 years away.
Actor Sean Wilson – now a chef and award-winning cheesemaker – will make a comeback later this month.
The soap announced the news in January, saying: “We are very excited to confirm that Sean Wilson will be returning as Martin Platt for a short time in March. Welcome back, Sean!”
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
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