Jason Watkins has opened up about his tragic personal connection to his latest role that made some scenes “very difficult” to film.
Tragically, the 60-year-old actor lost his daughter, Maude, to sepsis, when she was just two-years-old.
For the first time, Jason is playing a character who relates to his profound personal loss in Channel 5 drama, The Catch, as they have lost a son, Josh.
Appearing on This Morning, Holly Willoughby said that actors often talk about drawing from personal experience for a role, but it must have been the “hardest thing in the world” to do for this project.
Jason began: “It is. Each time I come on this show, you’re always so kind in mentioning Maude. Our family and on the show they have lost a child, Josh, in the show ten years ago, and myself and Clara and bless him Gilbert my son, who wasn’t born at the time, we lost our daughter ten years ago.
“So, you think why on earth would you do something like this? But it’s a good script and it feels real and it comes from a real sense of family. It seemed to be a good chance to explore with an audience what it’s like to lose a child in this context of a drama.”
The McDonalds & Dodds star said he knew that some scenes would be incredibly hard to film but he put measures in place to support himself throughout the process.
Jason explained: “I knew there were some scenes that were going to be very, very difficult but I mean it’s a gift that we have as storytellers that we bring bits of our lives and show them particularly in dramas.”
He continued: “I knew there were days that were going to be difficult so I prepared for them and went there, as it were, emotionally, and protected myself after it.
“I think if you do it really connects with the audience, as you think well what would it feel like if I lost a child? Maybe someone I know has lost a child, how can I approach them? What are the things I might be able to say to help them?”
As part of a new documentary with ITV, Jason is sharing more of his family’s personal loss to open up the difficult conversation about losing a child, as well as raising awareness of sepsis.
He said: “I spoke to Sarah Parish and she’s lost her own daughter, Ella Jane, with her lovely husband Jim Murray, so it is about spreading awareness of sepsis and it’s about letting people know that if you’ve lost a child always mention it.”
“As there’s nothing worse than thinking they’re ignoring it, it’s like your child never existed if it’s not mentioned. The documentary is the sharing of our story in a family and it was very hard to make, but the hope is that people do get an idea.
The actor also shared his advice for other families who have lost a child and encouraged their friends to start the conversation and keep talking about their child.
He advised: “If you know someone who has lost a child do mention it, ask are you alright? How are you feeling? Even that. Just open the door, sometimes they might want to talk about it, other times they might not, but give them the right to talk about it.”
He added that he hopes the documentary helps other families, Jason finished: “It is to say to other families you know we’re alright, we got through it, it’s difficult and you’re not alone and there is help.
“By talking about it and sharing it with people who haven’t lost family members, and with people who have, particularly in groups, it can help you and make you feel less alone as that’s the thing it’s a terrible, lonely journey.”
