Emmerdale newcomer Will Ash has offered a brutally honest assessment when discussing one of the appeals of taking on the role as Caleb Milligan.
Will, 45, is portraying Cain Dingle’s long-lost brother in the ITV soap. Viewers will see lots of drama between the two characters over the festive period’s storylines.
Will, who previously appeared in Waterloo Road and Coronation Street, has spoken about how excited he is to appear alongside childhood friend Jeff Hordley - who plays Cain Dingle. Will has also opened up about the harsh realities of being an actor looking for work.
Read more: Jeff Hordley to be replaced as Cain Dingle in special episode
Speaking during a press event, when asked about what appealed to him about joining Emmerdale, Will answered: “So, there’s three things. The first thing is probably how complex he is (Caleb) and how layered he is. He comes in and has this backstory of being adopted as a child. Around 14 or 15, he finds Cain and tries to reconnect with his family and he’s told by Cain his mum is dead and he needs to steer clear of the family.
“So, he spends the rest of his time in care. When he finds out Faith wasn’t dead he comes into it on Christmas Day with bitterness and anger. There was the complexity of that.
“Also, I knew that I’d be working a lot with Jeff. That was a massive draw. Not to put anything down but it is work and it is nice to be working. A lot of the time you spend out of work as an actor. You spend a lot of time, as an actor, out of work so to do what I like doing every single day is amazing really. The main thing though was working with Jeff and the scripts are amazing.”
Emmerdale legend Jeff, 52, is pleased to welcome his childhood friend to the show. Jeff said: “The character (Caleb) is written so well and he’s got a charm which WIll brings across really beautifully.”
Will’s character Caleb will be a major part of Emmerdale’s festive episodes and the acting star is really enjoying village life. Will said: “It has been great. I’m getting used to the pace of it. It is a lot quicker and a lot more relentless and intense than some other jobs I’ve done but I’m enjoying it. The scripts have been brilliant, the character is great and working with fantastic actors.”
Emmerdale executive producer Jane Hudson previously worked with Will on Waterloo Road and was determined to see him play Caleb. Jane explained: “Poor Cain is still in prison (accused of killing Al Chapman). He will get a visit from his brother on Christmas Day called Caleb - played by Will Ash. I last worked with Will about 14-years-ago when I produced Waterloo Road so when our casting director suggested Will for Caleb I was absolutely transfixed. He’s absolutely brilliant and I think the viewers will fall in love with him.
You can vote for your favourite Emmerdale storyline of all-time below. Alternatively, you can vote here
“When Caleb visits Cain in prison we will discover Cain knew Caleb exists and he’s known about him for 30 years and on Boxing Day we will rewind to 1992 and we will discover how Cain and Caleb first met.”
There’s sure to be many twists and turns between the estranged brothers in the coming weeks.
As ever, we'll continue to bring you the big Emmerdale news about what is happening in the village. You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars.
Read next:
