Jake Wood says he's got no plans to return to EastEnders after a viewer hit him with her handbag in the supermarket.
The actor, 50, who played Max Branning in the BBC soap, has been involved in some of the show's most explosive storylines.
Fans will remember the character's sordid affair with Stacey Slater - who was dating Max's bewildered son Bradley.
It was this tense triangle which Jake said prompted the outrage by an OAP.
He revealed: "I got hit by an old woman with her handbag in a supermarket once. She was telling me to leave Stacey alone.
"That was quite funny really. She didn't hit me hard but I did try and tell her I was there with my family and that I'm not really Max, but I don't think she was listening," reports The Sun.
Despite being one of the show's most exciting characters, Jake says he's not ready to reprise his role as Max after quitting the soap last year.
After 15 years in Albert Square, the father of two said: "I don't feel I have to prove anything and I don't want to be working for workings' sake.
"Whether my next move is a Netflix project or a big film, who knows."
Womaniser Max left Walford after four marriages, 10 affairs, being wrongly imprisoned, and being buried alive by wife Tanya.
Jake told us: “I never got bored playing him…although the scene when I was buried alive was tough. It was hard graft, but I’m really pleased that they’ve left the door open for the character to return. Never say never."
Last year the actor performed in the West End in 2:22 – A Ghost Story.
Recalling the moment he got the gig, Jake said: “When this turned up I thought it was one of the best plays I had ever read and found out that Lily Allen had been cast already.
"It ticked all the boxes and I couldn’t turn down an opportunity like this. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be involved with this production.
“It’s 18 years since I’ve been on the stage. But in some ways EastEnders was very theatrical. You’ve got four cameras and a 15-page scene and you’ll do it in one go so it doesn’t feel very different. You get used to that pressure.”
Looking back at his time in EastEnders, the star mused: “The thing I will remember the most are the great actors I worked with there – Jo Joyner (Tanya Branning), Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell), Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater)….that’s what I took away from EastEnders. I’m really proud of the work we did over the years.”
