Emmerdale star Joe Absolom confirms villain Ray is "dangerous" in big county lines story
Ray has Dylan firmly in his grip.
Joe Absolom has revealed just how dangerous his Emmerdale character Ray Walters is, as the county lines villain steps up his manipulation of Dylan Penders (played by Fred Kettle).
Although Dylan has tried to step back from doing drug drops, his job search continues to prove fruitless, so Ray persuades him to come back and work for him.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media at a press event earlier this summer, Absolom shared just how ruthless Ray really is.
"He's very ruthless. Gosh, he's dangerous! I hoped his second name is Gunn, Ray Gunn. It's not, it's Walters!" he laughed. "He's Mr Big! It's how I see it, he is top of the tree! [But] he does allude to having bosses that are merciless."
Teasing just how far Ray will go to get what he wants, the actor added: "I think we'll find out as we go along."
On how his alter ego operates, Absolom explained that it's kids like Dylan, and April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan), who has already completed what she believes is a one-off drug delivery, that Ray is counting on as easy targets.
"Dylan's a vulnerable character, and that's exactly what Ray needs. Wherever Ray does his business, he needs to find that weak link into a community.
"Dylan and April are very much that weak link; cash impresses, Ray's got a nice car."
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Tasked with playing such an insidious character, the star, who is known to the soap world for playing Matthew Rose in EastEnders from 1997 to 2000, gave RadioTimes.com and other press some insight into finding the right balance with Ray.
"You don't really see Ray being evil, you just see him kind of manipulating things, so it's a fine line between playing an evil kind of guy and playing someone pretending to be evil," he mused.
"You don't want to be like a pantomime villain, winking at the camera, but at the same time, it's got to be obvious what's happening.
"That's why those parts are always fun, because there's a lot more you can do in terms of where you can push it and where you can be genuinely feigning care for Dylan or April. It does feel quite strange reeling off 50 pound notes to a youngster!"
Having also appeared in ITV thriller Code of Silence earlier this year, playing gang member Braden alongside EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis, does Absolom enjoy playing villains?
"It's much more fun! It's actually easy, I think I'm intrinsically miserable, that's my setting; my standard setting is miserable so it's much easier to be grumpy than it is to be smiley.
"So I'm dreading the day where they write a scene where I'm happy!"
Read more:
- Emmerdale must avoid these tired soap twists with John Sugden's downfall
- 7 Emmerdale spoilers next week: Aaron and Robert succumb to temptation and Mack finds John clue
- Emmerdale's Ryan Hawley teases Robert and Aaron "love scene" that sparks the next chapter of his storyline
- Emmerdale star on Robert's suspicions over scheming John and Nate's murder: "He's onto him"
- Emmerdale's Joe Absolom teases bad boy Ray’s future and mystery link to the village
- Bradley Johnson reveals Vinny's "emotional" sexuality story takes a dark turn in Emmerdale
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1. Stream on ITVX.
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Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.
