Yahoo News Coronation Street star Andrew Still "shocked" over acid attack story
Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street airs shocking scenes tonight (March 27) as evil Justin Rutherford plans a vicious attack on Daisy Midgeley on her wedding day.
Justin has been stalking Daisy since the start of the year and has ignored repeated warnings to stay away from her – including from the police and a judge.
In Monday's episode, Daisy is preparing to leave the Rovers Return for her wedding to Daniel Osbourne – accompanied by Ryan Connor, who's her chauffeur for the day.
Justin arrives unexpectedly and throws acid at Daisy, with horrifying consequences.
Andrew Still, who plays Justin, recently chatted to Digital Spy and other media about his role in the storyline.
Why is Justin continuing to harass Daisy?
"Justin is still stuck in his obsessive thought pattern. He cannot let go of this attachment that he's got to Daisy.
"After his mum died, Justin lost his purpose and he decided that Daisy was going to be his new one. He thinks that he's going to put everything into being with Daisy – and he's got this real fear of being left with nothing if they can't be together.
"I think this fear in Justin is growing – and it's leaving him more isolated and willing to go to greater lengths."
The police and authorities haven't been helpful towards Daisy. Is Justin starting to feel untouchable?
"I don't think Justin believes he has the upper hand. He's starting to see now that Daisy is pushing back against him. He's struggling to deal with that and process it, because it doesn't line up with the narratives that he's got playing in his head.
"The moment when Daisy managed to get Justin arrested in Victoria Gardens was a real tipping point for him in the story. He's got this delusional thinking going on and he believes that Daisy is trying to entrap him. The pressure of that 'betrayal' in his eyes causes him to crack and go over the edge.
"Justin is getting more desperate, and the longer this goes on, the more he's aware of Daisy rejecting him and he's unwilling to accept that. He's doubling down on this risk-taking behaviour and we see this new side to him, where he's willing to push things in a more dangerous direction.
"It means that for him, doing something like this – committing such a horrendous crime – doesn't seem so evil in his head."
What goes through Justin's mind on the day of the attack?
"After Justin's arrest at Victoria Gardens, he's finally starting to take on board all of the things that Daisy has been saying over these weeks. Daisy has told him that they're never going to be together and she doesn't want anything to do with him.
"As all of that is sinking in, that's hurting Justin's pride and his ego. That piles on top of the hurt and misplaced anger that he's already feeling about his mum's death.
"Justin was publicly embarrassed when he was kicked out of his mum's wake recently, and he's also jealous of Daisy's wedding to Daniel. He thinks Daisy has got the rest of her life to look forward to, while his world is crumbling around him.
"I think Justin is starting to think of ways to hurt Daisy, in the way that he thinks Daisy has hurt him. He's going to make all sorts of excuses in his head to justify why he did this, but it's a total act of hate."
Is Justin worried about the consequences?
"He hasn't thought about any of the repercussions. But almost immediately afterwards, he wonders what he's done and that's when he starts trying to justify it. You'll see that he's out of The Rovers quickly – and the reality of it is maybe starting to seep in at that moment."
What was your first reaction when you heard about the storyline?
"I was pretty shocked. I had no idea that Justin was going to go that far. To be honest, I was a little bit intimidated because it's such an awful crime. You really want to do it justice and give the subject matter the seriousness it deserves.
"I felt that, as long as I did my research and gave everything to the character and the story, hopefully it would resonate with the audience."
What kind of research did you do?
"When I first started at Corrie, I didn't know about the acid attack, so I did a lot of research into the different archetypes of stalking. I was trying to get an idea of that – what causes stalking and the thought processes for the person committing it.
"Then when I knew we were doing the acid attack, I read loads more articles. There were news stories and some charities too. Acid Survivors Trust International had a lot of stories about survivors and what they were going through.
"I thought it was really important to have an understanding of the story we were trying to tell and the impact that it would have on people."
What were the acid attack scenes like to film?
"They weren't very fun. They were pretty grim, but everyone on set was really brilliant and gave it the respect that it deserved.
"It felt really disgusting to give those lines and go through that action. I spoke about that with Charlie [Jordan, who plays Daisy] on the day as well.
"It's an incredibly hateful, nasty thing to do. If you're going to play it truthfully, you have to try and deal with those emotions, so it was horrible but hopefully that translates on screen."
How do you get into that mindset?
"Obviously I don't agree with Justin at all and I find his actions disgusting and disturbing. But again, to play that honestly and not just be 'the bad guy', you have to try and find the truth in the character and find their point of view.
"There's a lot of research that goes into that and I got into that headspace where I felt that pain, rejection and loneliness. Nobody thinks they're the 'bad guy' of their own story, so finding that journey is the hardest thing, but it's also the most rewarding part of the job."
How do you relax after filming such intense scenes?
"I'm a big gamer, so I bring down my Nintendo Switch and play it at the hotel or Air B&B so I can switch off. Obviously you have to learn your stuff for the next day and go over that, but I did try to switch everything off for a little bit."
What do your real-life friends and family make of your scenes so far?
"They all think I'm super creepy, which is obviously a massive shock to them because I'm not that creepy in real life!"
Will you watch the episode back?
"Yes, I'll watch the episode with my partner Fi. She's an actor as well so we watch our stuff together and chat about it. So I'll probably watch it with her."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Call 999 if you or anyone you know is in immediate danger, or report any concerning situations using UK government resources or the Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service. The National Stalking Helpline is open 9.30am-4pm on weekdays (and until 8pm on Wednesdays) on 0808 802 0300.
Coronation Street has been working on Daisy's storyline with support from The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which works to reduce the risk of violence and aggression through campaigning, education and support.
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