'Emmerdale' newcomer Darcy Grey hints at mystery: Marcus 'wears two faces'

Emmerdale star Darcy Grey says his character Marcus Dean is something of a lost soul.

The actor is joining the soap as the long-lost son of evil Pierce Harris. Viewers will recall that Pierce (Jonathan Wrather) is currently behind bars after raping ex-wife Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry) and going on to kill her partner Graham Foster.

A dying Pierce is set to make contact with a shaken Rhona, asking for her help in tracking down Marcus.

Speaking at a recent press event, Grey gives an insight into his alter ego for the first time. “Marcus is very interesting, I think, of course,” he muses.

Read more: Next week on Emmerdale

“He is such an open book, and it could go anywhere. In my brain I’ve sort of thought of him as a bit of a Gemini. He wears two faces, he’s got his Marcus Dean face, and he’s got his real [one] under that face.

"How much he reveals and which path he chooses is down to the writers. I’m excited to see where he goes.”

Everything changes for Marcus when Rhona locates him, with a bit of help from neighbour Ryan Stocks (James Moore). “All of a sudden this piece of information comes through about his dad,” Grey explains. “And it’s sort of just shifted things, and it’s sort of reverted it back to this unstable situation for him.”

Rhona’s friend Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) decides to meet Marcus in her place, wanting to cut off their connection, but this doesn’t stop Rhona from coming face to face with him.

Read more: Emmerdale: Turmoil for Rhona as Pierce's son Marcus arrives in the village.

“He’s also a bit of an outcast," Grey adds. "He doesn’t necessarily know what his position is. The reason I think he’s an outcast is because he’s always had that pressure from his dad, and he left when [Marcus] was so young, and so he never had that clear path that a lot of people do have, usually."

It’s not long before Marcus finds out exactly why he has been summoned to the village, and Grey reveals he prepared for the role by watching Pierce’s storyline.

Read more: Emmerdale 2022 spoilers revealed: Soap bosses promise 'biggest year' yet

“When I got my first audition I instantly thought ‘right, who is this Pierce fella?’ It’s one of those things where he is, and was a huge part of the show that you have to know exactly who he was, his mannerisms, what he’s done, the stories.”

The actor adds: “So to have all of that backstory at least personally, was absolutely crucial because I needed to know where all of this was essentially coming from.”

Marcus appears on Emmerdale from Thursday 3 February.