Emmerdale’s John Sugden actor Oliver Farnworth says fans ‘cross street’ to avoid him
Emmerdale's k.i.l.l.e.r John Sugden's dark crimes could finally catch up with him, and now actor Oliver Farnworth has told The Mirror the reaction his storyline has had from viewers
Emmerdale’s k.i.l.l.e.r John Sugden’s dark crimes could finally catch up with him(Image: ITV)
It’s safe to say not all Emmerdale fans are keen on John Sugden at the moment, following his k.i.l.l.e.r secrets coming to light.
So much so, some ITV soap viewers have literally cross the street to get away from the actor who plays him. Oliver Farnworth told The Mirror and other press that his soap alter ego has sparked quite the reaction with the public.
While many viewers have been talking to him out and about, wanting all the latest on the plot and wanting to have their say, other fans are clearly not able to get past the fact Oliver and John are not the same person. Oliver confessed people have actively avoided him in public, especially after it was revealed onscreen that John had m.u.r.d.e.r.e.d Nate Robinson.
He explained of the reaction he’s been getting from fans: “I think initially the good thing from my point of view was having Victoria there as an anchor point and then the relationship with Aaron, because they’re really well-established characters that everyone loves. It was a gift in terms of being able to come in and play scenes with them. I enjoyed the development of both of those two relationships.
“More and more as things have been revealed I get people crossing the street! The reaction’s been great and people are really interested in where it’s going.”
It’s safe to say not all Emmerdale fans are keen on John Sugden at the moment(Image: ITV)
Actor Oliver tends to avoid social media and looking at all the theories shared online. That said, he’s often had members of the public asking him about what’s ahead when he’s out and about.
He explained: “I’m not on any social media so I don’t really look into that. Obviously I watch the show but I never really read comments just because I think for me it distracts from what I’m trying to do.
“My brain can’t really focus on too many things at once. I was talking to the lady on reception and she was saying, ‘Do you know what, I thought that was going to happen!’ Everyone thought that John was Aidan and had stolen his identity.
“That was quite a big thing. It’s fun when people offer them up to you in person but I never really go looking for them.” Speaking of k.i.l.l.e.r secrets, Oliver revealed he knew about the Nate twist for months and he filmed the m.u.r.d.e.r scene back in September.
He’d only been filming with the show for a matter of weeks, and before his debut scenes he already knew what was on the cards, while fans didn’t find out until it aired recently. He said: “It’s been difficult, it’s been hard.
“I filmed that in probably my fourth week of being here, so when I got the script and I was, ‘I’ve just k.i.l.l.e.d someone!’ Then they explained how it would, that it was being filmed for a flashback scene. It’s been quite hard and I had to constantly check myself, especially in interviews.”
Oliver Farnworth told The Mirror and other press that his soap alter ego has sparked quite the reaction with the public(Image: ITV)
On how much he knew about the character’s crimes when he landed the role, he went on: “From the point where I auditioned for the part and came for the screen test, not a huge amount. I knew the length of the initial contract.
“If it was a three month contract and they said ‘You’ve got a dark past and secrets,’ you’d think, ‘Right, this could escalate quite quickly.’ But because I had a year contract I was drip fed certain things, like the military past, the fact that he was Jack Sugden’s estranged son, the fact that he was going to get into a relationship with someone in the village and the fact that parts of his past might come back to haunt him.
“You get all that, but really that stuff is still being sketched out while you’re auditioning for the part. It’s often when you hit the ground running that new ideas come up and the storyliners, writers and producers develop ideas from that.
“I think they had a good idea, and I had a good idea, of where the character might go, but it wasn’t specifically set in stone right from the off. It’s important to know something from the start because you wouldn’t want to come in as a comedy role and then suddenly find you had a dark, mysterious past! That’s all offered to you so you’ve got an idea of where to pitch it.”
