Ross Kemp says stepping back into EastEnders as Grant Mitchell is more terrifying than war zones, admitting Walford still pushes him harder than real-life danger
Ross Kemp has revealed that returning to EastEnders as Grant Mitchell scares him more than the years he spent dodging bullets in real conflict zones. The actor first joined the soap in 1990 but still gets the jitters, despite returning on and off throughout his career.
In a chat with Radio Times, Ross confessed that slipping back into Walford life is still the ultimate adrenaline rush, saying: “Nothing I’ve done fills me with fear more than EastEnders… It is still the one that pushes me the most.”
Which is saying something for a bloke who has literally stared down danger in Afghanistan and Syria and lived to tell the tale. But according to the TV star, nothing compares to the pressure of being back in the Queen Vic orbit. Forget war zones, it is the Mitchell clan that really gets his pulse racing.
Grant is back on the Square once again, returning from Portugal to face his estranged son Mark and deal with the emotional fallout of Nigel Bates, played by Paul Bradley, who is sadly deteriorating in the storyline.
And while fans might think he just rolls back into character like he never left, Kemp says it is anything but easy.
“You get up early, turn up on set, and the first thing you read is ‘Grant heaves with tears’,” he told Radio Times. “And you think, right, no pressure then.”
He also revealed one early shoot day took a very real emotional turn off screen too, after a family situation meant he was dealing with genuine upset before stepping straight into a grieving scene.
“It was one of those days where life and work just collide,” he said, admitting it made the acting hit a bit harder than usual.
Away from all the shouting in the Square, Ross joked that his post soap plans are far more civilised.
He is set for a lads’ trip with Steve McFadden and Paul Bradley on a 72ft fishing boat down the Thames.
“It’s sort of a three-men-in-a-boat type of thing… We’ll end up having a nice dinner together, which is what gentlemen of our age should be doing,” he laughed.
Still, don’t expect total peace and quiet for long. With Grant Mitchell back in full flow, chaos in Walford is never far behind.
