Emmerdale airs a big moment for bad boy Ross Barton this week as he comes face-to-face with his mum Emma for the first time in years. When Ross accompanies his brothers on a night out, he is surprised to be approached by Emma (Gillian Kearney), who is keen to have some contact with her sons following Finns recent visit. We recently caught up with Michael Parr, who plays Ross, to hear more about the new chapter in the Barton familys storyline and his reaction to being shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards. How do you feel about Emma Barton finally being introduced? Its so great to have a new member of the Barton family. Its always nice having somebody new in the show because it brings in a different energy. Its also been really good to have a woman this time, as the new Barton arrivals had all been boys before this. Gillian is a brilliant actress, so its great to have somebody join who I actually look up to and admire as well. Have you all been helping Gillian to settle in? We have. I took Gillian up to the scheduling department on her first day and showed her around a bit. Its not like she isnt used to it as she has worked lots before, so its just a case of showing her how things are done around Emmerdale. Its been a really nice dynamic because Gillian is just so lovely and Im thrilled to bits to have her playing my mum. Can you understand why Ross is hostile towards Emma? I can understand it, because you just cant walk straight back into peoples lives after all that time. Ross is a bit reserved about that because hes had 20-odd years of his mum not being around. Theres also an underlying tension and a big history between James and Emma, which Ross is not fully aware of. There are lots of unanswered questions, so thats also giving Ross a bit of an attitude towards his mum. What happens when Ross and Emma finally come face-to-face again this week? Ross and Pete take Finn out for a few drinks because hes been a bit down recently. The boys all just happen to be in the same place as their mum, so thats how they all see each other again. Its a bit strange at first because Ross doesnt recognise his mother - its been so long and he was so young when she left. So its actually Emma who approaches him. Its then Ross who tells Emma the truth about Moira and James after all these years! Does he do that spitefully? No, its not a spiteful move from him. Ross is not trying to hurt his mum but it just happens. Theres so much history between them and theres so much information flying around. You know what Ross is like - hes not one to mince his words, so he tells it how it is! Will the viewers be surprised by the other Barton secrets that will be revealed in the next couple of weeks? I think the viewers will be surprised, but its going to make good TV. Theres a dark history there and its going to be very entertaining to watch. Later this week, James hints that Emma will listen to Ross more than anyone else… Why is that? Its because of the history between the family, but I cant give anything away! Theres a bigger story between Ross and his mum than perhaps with the other brothers. Lots did go on when James and Emma were breaking up, and Ross might have played a bigger part than the others… Emmerdales producer Kate Oates has previously said that Ross may need his mum more than he lets on. Do you hope they will form a bond? Id like them to, yes. I think Ross doesnt know how to handle women too well. He hasnt grown up with his mum and the love of his life has just passed away, so its all new territory for him. I think its going to be good for him to have Emma around. Fans have also loved the Ross and April scenes recently. Have you enjoyed filming those scenes with Amelia Flanagan, and are there more to come? I love working with Amelia. Shes absolutely adorable and you always have fun when youre with her, just because shes so bright and she knows exactly what shes doing. Amelia also knows what everyone else should be doing and if you make a little mistake, shes on you! (Laughs.) Shes got a bright future and I love working with her. I hope there are more Ross and April scenes to come. From what Ive seen in scripts for the next few weeks I dont have anything with her, but Id like to have more. It would be nice for April and Ross to carry on the bond that theyve got. Will Ross be getting up to no good in future storylines? Ross isnt getting up to mischief at the moment, but its his general attitude towards other people that is getting him into trouble. I hope that Ross stays as a darker character, though. I think youve seen enough of his light and softer side with the Donna story, so Id like him to revert back to type. Would you like Ross to get a new love interest? It would be nice and Im sure there will be a new girlfriend at some point, but if it was up to me Id like to give it a bit more time. The work that me and Verity did and the relationship between Ross and Donna was quite a big thing, so I dont want to discredit that by having Ross jump into bed with the next girl that he claps his eyes on! How do you feel about being shortlisted for the Best Newcomer NTA? Im chuffed to bits. Its a great feeling to be nominated. Im nervous too, and its one of those things where the more I think about it, the more I would like to win. Im not very good at self-promotion, though. Even my mum keeps saying You need to keep bigging yourself up!, but I think Id be even more disappointed if I gave it loads of energy and still didnt win! Im just grateful to be nominated and Im trying to see that as a victory in itself. It must also feel nice that you and Verity are the two individual nominees this year! Yeah, thats great too. Verity deserves it so much, she really does. I remember one day I had to do a scene where I had to cry and it took a couple of takes. I realised then that Verity had been crying a couple of times a day for the past five months! It does take it out of you. Never mind everything else she did, that alone is worthy of the award I think! Have you got your suit prepared? Its funny you should say that, as Ive been getting a bit of advice from a few different pals about what I should wear and everyone is telling me different things! I want to stand out a little bit, but not too much. A while back there was an awards event where the invitation said black tie and party attire, but I clearly just looked into the party attire! I wore light trousers, a brown jacket and a white shirt, but everyone else was in a black tie and I think I stood out a little bit too much there! Why should fans be voting for Emmerdale as the top soap this year? I just think its been a great year and weve got another great year coming. Were all working so hard and we just really want the fans to enjoy the show. Votes for the Best Newcomer award and the other National Television Award categories can be cast via the official website.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 09:04:27 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015