Hollyoaks star opens up about playing major villain Abe Fielding
"Who doesn't want to play the villain?"
Hollyoaks star Tyler Conti has opened up about playing villain Abe Fielding, in the show’s harrowing abuse storyline.
The actor spoke exclusively to Inside Soap about what is next for the dramatic plot, after Cleo reported her shocking ordeal to the police.
The soap has explored Abe’s abuse of his partner Cleo, which included him keeping her captive in his flat for over a year following the motorbike accident.
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But his horrific actions have also targeted other women in the village, as he recently became abusive with his new wife Peri and then raped her while she was unconscious.
Peri’s mum Leela is also keeping a dark secret, as she was raped at Theresa’s party during the show’s missing year and recently realised that Abe is the culprit.
With Mercedes deciding this week that they have no other option but to kill Abe, Conti has explained what it has been like to portray such a villainous role.
“Who doesn’t want to play the villain?” he told the magazine. “It’s always fun to do a take and see the other actor opposite you look at you like they didn’t know you have it in you!
“I really enjoy exploring behaviour and relationships, and that’s why I love acting so much. When you get to play these dark and twisted characters, you get to dive into the psyche of why people do things, and it’s really interesting. You don’t want to play a half-villain, you want to play the worst.”
Conti also spoke about the impact of the important storyline on viewers, who have opened up about their own experiences to him after watching the plot unfold on screen.
He said: “You want to bring truth to these stories and make people question their own relationships and help them through.
“I’ve had so many people come up to me and message me to say they’re glad you’re telling this story as they’ve been through a similar situation, and it encouraged them to speak out.”
