EastEnders' Danny Walters teases potential arrival of Keanu's villainous father

Long-running fans will be aware that Keanu's father Shane has been absent from his life after initially going to prison for stabbing Keanu's mother Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) when their son was a baby. After being released, Shane has been in and out of prison but has no relationship with Keanu.

In the absence of a father, Keanu very much tried to be the man of the house, even when his mum had other partners, including Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths).

Speaking on the red carpet of the TRIC Awards 2023, actor Danny Walters spoke to RadioTimes.com about the dramas on the way for his character.

When asked if we can ever expect to see Keanu's estranged father Shane in the soap, Walters made clear his desire to explore how this relationship shaped his character.

Walters commented: "It’s something I've always wanted to explore because, one, I think it's something that the audience will start to see a different side of Keanu’s character and where the father comes into it, and why Keanu has been shaped the way he is, and the decisions he's made over the years, and I think he's been very lost over the years, not having that father figure.

"And which is really interesting, which I don't know whether this was ever scripted, but the way I played it when we were being myself and Steve McFadden is that Keanu is like the son that Phil never had and Phil was like the father Keanu never had and that's why looking back over the years ago, what happened, the whole complexity of that, how much he loved Phil and admired him and adored him, but obviously Keanu’s decisions took them both down a very different path."

Fans will recall that Phil really became a mentor figure to Keanu and the latter even was in a romance with Phil's daughter Lousie Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) and sired a daughter, Peggy, with her.

However, Keanu burned his bridges with the Mitchells when it became clear he had engaged in a passionate affair with Phil's wife and Louise's stepmother Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

Recently Keanu has settled down with Sharon and their baby boy Albie, but seems the drama isn't over yet for Keanu and Phil.

Walters suggested: "So there's always been something really interesting about Keanu his relationship with Phil and I think it's something to be interested in that when Keanu’s father does come into the show, that you will start to see how that relationship can be very dramatic and very fun."

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