Emmerdale’s William Ash has landed a new role away from the ITV soap.
The actor, who plays the Dales’ Caleb Milligan, is set to appear in a new short film written by former EastEnders star Toby-Alexander Smith, better known as Albert Square killer Gray Atkins.
Titled Finding Calm, the film tells the story of a first-time father who becomes overwhelmed by the disconnection he feels from his son.
It aims to highlight the often-overlooked challenges that fathers face during the perinatal period, with money for the project successfully raised through a crowdfunder.
News of William’s casting was announced on the film’s Instagram page, with a caption reading: ‘With just one week to go before we go into production, we are thrilled to reveal the incredibly talented Will Ash joins the cast of Finding Calm and will be taking on a very pivotal role in the film.’
Metro assumes he is filming alongside his role as Caleb as there has been no indication he is leaving Emmerdale.
He made his debut as Cain and Chas Dingle’s (Jeff Hordley and Lucy Pargeter) long-lost half-brother Caleb back in 2022.
He is currently at the centre of a huge storyline on screen, as one of the suspects in the frame for the murder of his father-in-law Anthony Fox (Nicholas Day).
Caleb recently discovered that Anthony had abused daughter Ruby Fox-Miligan (Beth Cordingly) – Caleb’s wife – as a child.
William’s new role came about after Toby penned a script after becoming a first-time dad in December 2021.
The actor, who is married to former Emmerdale star Amy Walsh, said of the project: ‘When I became a Dad for the first time, it didn’t take long before I noticed a shift in my mental health. It’s an emotionally demanding time and everything feels so much more heightened. That can be pretty hard to navigate, especially if you don’t talk about it.
‘I did some research to try and understand more about my journey into fatherhood and it became clear that whilst there is a community out there for men struggling with their mental health during the perinatal period, there simply isn’t enough support.
‘We often associate postnatal depression being linked to women but actually similar signs can show themselves in men. This is something that doesn’t really get talked about nor is it something I have seen explored on screen.’
Toby, who left EastEnders in 2022 after three years as Gray, added: ‘I believe this film will speak to many Dad’s out there who may need some support and will hopefully spark those important conversations which was ultimately the catalyst for writing and wanting to make this film.’
