Yahoo News EastEnders star Tony Clay opens up about real-life impact of Callum Highway's sexuality
EastEnders star Tony Clay has revealed that the real-life impact of his character's storyline has been huge.
He told Stacey Dooley on EastEnders: Secrets from the Square that he received numerous messages from people who shared how Callum Highway's storyline "helped them to come out and accept who they are".
Tony said that he originally didn't have a clue Callum would end up in a relationship with Ben Mitchell, especially when he and Whitney Dean were planning a future together.
"At that point, I didn't," he explained. "I didn't know. I was quite like, 'I don't really know where this goes. He's got some lovely stuff – what me and Shona [McGarty] had at the time – but then we have it, it's like one episode, then it's done and then never spoken about again. I'd like to know is this the end of the road? Is it not? But let's know sort of now.'
"They were like, 'Boom!' They came out with this big story. I was very happy! I was like, 'I'll take that one!' It was almost because of how awkward Callum was and all that sort of stuff, [his sexuality story] made sense. We look back at the scenes and that fits perfectly."
Related: EastEnders boss explains why Callum Highway's storyline was changed
The actor went on to say that playing a character like Callum and being involved in a storyline which resonated with a lot of people was "a joy".
"That's the beauty of playing a part like that," he added. "There's so many people who are like, 'This is my story'. That is important and when you carry that weight to play that, it is a joy.
"You want these stories. You want that chance to do that sort of stuff. I had untold messages and lovely stories of people saying this has helped them to come out and accept who they are, or they saw an element of their past in that. What a lovely thing to go, 'I'm glad I've done that justice'.
"I think what makes it lovely as well is the fact that it's two boys from broken homes who are just everyday lads and they found each other. That's a beautiful thing."
EastEnders: Secrets from the Square, continues on BBC One on Monday (July 13) at 8pm.
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Want up-to-the-minute soaps news, spoilers and gossip on your social feeds? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Soaps Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @soapscoop Twitter account.
You Might Also Like
