EastEnders star on Jack and Stacey passion: 'There’s genuinely got to be some feelings there'

Amidst this, Jack has been a support to and found support in Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), with whom he shares a newborn grandchild.

On Thursday (14th December 2023), Jack and Stacey finally gave in to their bubbling chemistry - but what now for Jack?

In a new interview shared with RadioTimes.com and other press, actor Scott Maslen talks about Jack's latest messy romance.

This week, viewers saw Jack and Stacey get together. Do you think this is a moment of madness for Jack or do you think there genuinely might be some feelings there between him and Stacey?

"There’s genuinely got to be some feelings there because you don’t do things like that without their being feelings. All roads point towards this as well, so there’s been a lot of tension, a lot of stress, a lot of contributing factors that have led to this point and miscommunications. Reading between the lines and thinking something is something when it isn’t, and it gets to the point where the you-know-what hits the fan. [Laughs]

"Is it expected? Is it something that was going to happen in Jack’s eyes? Definitely not, but that’s EastEnders."

Jack and Denise’s marriage has been on the rocks since Denise’s tryst with Ravi, and now Jack has slept with Stacey. Has Jack ever genuinely forgiven Denise for her actions, or do you think this act is a retaliation for Ravi?

"No, there’s no retaliation with Jack. I think for him it’s about wounding. Denise didn’t sleep with him, but Jack’s the sort of person where a kiss is just as bad, maybe worse. So, I think he has had that in his mind constantly, and he hasn’t dealt with the Ravi thing properly yet, and that’s just one of the elements that goes towards why he sleeps with Stacey. It is a big one, but as people will find out, it gets complicated and muddied. I don’t think he’s forgiven Denise."

Do you think that Jack and Denise’s marriage is beyond repair at this point?

"I think he’s in a desperate place. I don’t think you’re thinking about saving a marriage when it’s falling apart. You realise it’s falling apart so you’re more focused on that, and it seems to be the dominant factor.

"If Denise was showing signs that she wanted it to work, then maybe he’d see those signs and he’d react accordingly but he’s seeing it constantly deteriorate, so there’s only so much he can do. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink so I think he thinks that’s what is happening in his relationship, and it’s literally at its end.

"But he is holding on, because he does love the family, he loves the kids, and it’s a structure which is safe, and he is all about that because his life has been thrown all over the place before. He’s in a very unstable place right now."

What has it been like working up to the Christmas storyline since February?

"It’s been epic. I’ve been here sixteen years, and I don’t remember being as busy, as in it’s a really busy story. Christmas is the perfect time to do big, sensational stories and this is definitely that. It goes everywhere and people aren’t going to be able to work it out. Most of the actors can’t work it out. It’s very exciting times."

In light of Jack’s infidelity, do you think he could be wearing the dreaded cufflinks at Christmas?

"He could well be. All the journeys of everyone involved in this story go all different ways. That’s what’s exciting. What you expect characters to be, they break their character traits. There’s things going on where you go ‘hang on a minute what’s going on here?’ and ‘why are they behaving like that?’

"You’re going to see a lot of characters that you think you know and recognise do things that you don’t. The complexities of the storyline brings out traits in the characters that aren’t common to the audience. They’re going to see people going to new places."

Read more:

• Who dies and who is the killer in EastEnders Christmas special?
• EastEnders spoilers: Linda Carter confronts evil Dean after shock text from Mick
• EastEnders winter preview 2023: Chris Clenshaw on Christmas, exits, returns
• EastEnders' Kellie Bright: "The body wasn't who I thought it would be"
• EastEnders boss promises fans will be ‘guessing outcome until the end’
• EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth on Kathy and Rocky: "She can’t live with the constant lies"
• EastEnders' Diane Parish teases "heartbreak" in Christmas episode
• EastEnders' Lacey Turner on whether Stacey will kill again: "She will do whatever it takes to protect Eve"
• EastEnders' Balvinder Sopal: "People will be on the edge of their seats"
• EastEnders' Letitia Dean on whether Sharon can forgive Keanu for kidnap secret

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.

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