EE: Jake Wood interview

faceless · admin Joined: 25 Apr 2006

MAX LIVES TO GET HIS ENDER AWAY
By Steve Hendry
www.sundaymail.co.uk

When EastEnders star JakeWood says he is enjoying domestic bliss with his wife and daughter, he is obviously a long, long way from Albert Square. As the soap's ladies man, Max Branning, he is a love rat earning his whiskers the hard way. He is cheating on his wife Tanya (Jo Joyner) with his son's ex-girlfriend, mouthy teenage market trader Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner). And things are about to get very messy. Tanya is pregnant and Stacey wants Max to tell her the truth about their affair - and if he doesn't, she will.

Tanya already suspects he is playing away and has accused him of cheating with Carly Wicks (Kellie Shirley), then threatened to abort their child. But that's not the least of Max's problems. Because there's no telling what his son Bradley (Charlie Clements) will do if he finds out, or his already estranged dad Jim (John Brandon). The pair have been fighting since Max arrived - and the warring pair show no sign of making peace. It's a right old mess, vintage EastEnders - but Jake is happy to be slap, bang in the middle of it.

Speaking from his peaceful home, he laughed: "I'm thoroughly enjoying the quiet life. "I've got some time off at home with my wife and two-year-old daughter after a heavy filming schedule and it's very nice indeed, to say the least. It's incredibly hard work. You do 35 pages of script a day, eight pages of dialogue, whereas on a film you do two or three pages. You just have to go for it and do the best you can. You can't do something like EastEnders half-heartedly. It's got to be all or nothing. But I'm having a fantastic time. It's been hectic but I'd rather be there and be busy than not, so no complaints from me."

Despite being happily settled in real life, the actor has a bit of sympathy for dirty dog Max, who he claims isn't so much bad as a creature of habit. Jake said: "It's Max's character. He's always had affairs. Tanya was an affair when he was with Bradley's mum. It's history repeating itself. When he came to the Square he was on his last chance with Tanya. He sold the idea of moving to Walford as a fresh start because he knew his son Bradley was there. Now he's sleeping with his son's ex-girlfriend. But she is his ex, that's how he'll justify it. He sees it as unfortunate circumstance beyond his control. I don't think there's much guilt there."

The plot has meant Jake, 34, has had to get up close and personal with Lacey Turner, who is just 19. It's not something he relished but he has nothing but praise for his young co-star. He said: "You've both got to be professional and get on with it. It's been fine - easy really. I've been acting since I was 10 myself, so we've got an equal standing in that way. I've been lucky. Lacey is a remarkable actor for her age, as is Charlie who plays Bradley. They are instinctive actors, great to work with. And when you put in Jo Joyner, John Bardon and June Brown, who plays Dot Cotton, I couldn't be happier with our family unit. I think it's a really strong group."

Jake has a CV as long as your arm and it includes appearances in some classic shows as well as movies and theatre. He was in Only Fools And Horses special The Jolly Boys Outing back in 1989 and also featured in cult comedy Red Dwarf 10 years later. Other roles include Inspector Morse, One Foot In The Grave, A Touch Of Frost, Casualty and Doc Martin. But he has never experienced recognition like the fame which has come with EastEnders.

He said: "On The Jolly Boys Outing, I did just one day with Nick Lyndhurst. Even so, with Only Fools And Horses, as with Red Dwarf, it's just great being in something that's so iconic. But people don't really recognise you from it unless they are massive fans. With EastEnders, it's very different. People always thought they went to school with me or thought they knew me but wouldn't be able to place me. Now it's definitely, 'You're Max from EastEnders'. It's fine. It's part of the contract when you sign on for something like EastEnders. You have to expect it and can't moan about it."

On the big screen, Jake has appeared in Vera Drake and recent hit The Illusionist with Hollywood stars Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti. He said: "It was set in Vienna in 1900 and was a fantastic experience. I loved working with those guys. It's great to work in film and to work with people of that experience and calibre. I'd love to do more film but it's difficult for an actor to say, 'Right, that's what I'm going to do.' Unless you are going to head across the Atlantic, get an agent and really go for it, it's not really going to work."

For all his experience, Jake found himself a little intimidated on his first day on set at Albert Square. He said: "The only thing which made me nervous about joining was... the whole thing! It's such a part of British life. I've been watching it on and off since it started. All the characters and setting are so familiar. It's a surreal experience when you first arrive. The first time I went round the building, I saw Pam St Clement and instinctively said hello like I knew her. I'd never met the woman in my life. Even now working on the show you still think, 'Blimey, Albert Square.'"

But Jake is getting used to it and is obviously enjoying himself. While there's no telling what the outcome of Max's love triangle with Stacey and Tanya will be, the actor has just signed up to appear in the show for at least another year. It's definitely good news for Jake, who is thrilled to continue playing Max. He said: "When I went for it, it just seemed right. There's a lot of cracking actors and new characters and the timing was just right. I've just signed for a second year, they've got the offer of a third year, so I'm committed to the show and I hope I'll be around for some time. A big part of my decision was the stability it would give me for the next few years, especially given I've got a two-year-old daughter. I've got lots of friends who have been in EastEnders before and I've seen how they dealt with it, in particular Kacey Ainsworth, who played Little Mo Slater. She was one of the first people I called when I got offered the job and she was extremely positive about the whole experience."

Of course, Kacey played Little Mo - Stacey's cousin. What she would make of Max Branning bedding her niece? He laughed: "Nothing you could print!"

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Skylace · Admin Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks for posting the article Face. They forgot to mention that on his CV he is also the Geico Gecko. A bit funny that he is trying to flog insurance on American tv's as well!