Coronation Street actor Andrew Still has told of his shock at being told his obsessed character Justin Rutherford would target Daisy Midgeley in an evil acid attack storyline. In tonight's episode (Monday March 27) bride Daisy is ready to set off for her wedding day with Daniel Osbourne, with Ryan Connor stepping in as chauffeur, when events take a shocking turn.
Daisy and Ryan are horrified to find Justin lurking in waiting for her in the Rovers Return. Her stalker advances on Daisy, holding a glass full of clear liquid, telling Daisy that no one will want her after this. He then throws acid at Daisy in a story that Coronation Street has worked on with The Katie Piper Foundation and Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI).
The ITV soap, filmed in Trafford Park, has decided to tell this story to highlight the devastating impact and long lasting effects of such heinous attacks. The Katie Piper Foundation, launched by model Katie Piper who was left with extensive injuries after acid was thrown in her face in 2008 when she was 24 years old, delivers mental and physical rehabilitation to survivors of burns and traumatic scarring. And the ASTI works to end acid violence at a global level. In 2021, there were 420 reported acid attacks in the UK.
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Justin targets Daisy, played by Charlotte Jordan, in revenge after she applied for an Stalking Protection Order against Justin. He managed to swerve the order and continued to harrass the Rovers Return barmaid after months of bombarding her with messages and flowers, turning up at a wedding fair, delivering her wedding cake samples and even dating her mum to get close to her.
After lunging at her in Victoria Gardens, Justin was arrested and charged with assault but released on bail. "I think he's stuck in this obsessive thought pattern and holds this attachment he's got to her. He has a real far of being left with nothing," said Andrew about his twisted character.
He says the recent clash in Victoria Gardens was the trigger for tonight's chilling attack. Asked what outcome Justin could possibly want from targeting Daisy with acid, he told the Manchester Evening News and other press: "He's not really thought that far ahead. It's an act of revenge and he's laser focued on that."
Andrew previously played Joel Dexter in the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks from November 2011 to January 2013. He didn't know about the acid attack aspect to the stalking storyline when he auditoned for the role of Justin, who Daisy met in December in a hospital waiting room while she waited for her test results following a cancer scare.
Asked about his reaction to the storyline he said: "I was pretty shocked. I had no idea he was going to go that far and to be honest I was a little bit intimidated because it's a really awful crime, obviously, and you want to do it justice and give it the seriousness it deserves."
He added: "As long as I did my research and gave it everything to the chracter and story then hopefully it will resonate with the audience. " Asked what it was like to act out the scenes, he said: "They were pretty grim and everyone on set gave it their respect."
He continued: "It felt really disgusting to go through with that action and I spoke about that with Charlie on the day as well. It's an incredibly evil and nasty thing to do. It is horrible but hopefully that translates well on screen."
On how he got into the mindset of this depraved character, he said: "I find his actions disgusting and to play that honestly and not just like the bad guy you have to find the truth in the character. So there's a lot of research goes into that and getting in that headspace where you feel those emotions and you feel that pain and rejection."
He says his friends and family find him in character as Justin "super creepy" and added "which is a shock because I'm not that creepy in real life."
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