Coronation Street viewers were shocked when Ryan Connor became the unintended victim of creepy stalker Justin’s acid attack.
Justin intended to attack Daisy on her wedding day, but as he threw the acid on the bewildered bride, it was Ryan who got in the way and who suffered the effects of the acid burns.
Life changing injuries
The Coronation Street acid attack was a shocking twist to the stalker storyline, and Ryan Prescott, who plays Ryan Connor, says his alter ego will never be the same.
In intense scenes, a frantic Daisy called 999.
As they waited for an ambulance, she dragged Ryan, who was in agony, into the shower to wash him in running water in an attempt to reduce the burns.
But despite her brave efforts, viewers will see Ryan suffering badly as the storyline continues.
Coronation Street acid attack
So how does actor Ryan Prescott feel about being involved in such a heartbreaking tale?
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” he says. “I had no idea it would be something that gritty. Ryan usually slides into the more humorous episodes of the show so I was excited to have something gritty to get into.”
The acid attack was shocking to watch as a Corrie viewer, and actor Andrew Still – who plays Justin – says it was hard for him to get into the mindset of someone who could do such an awful thing.
But Ryan says he found filming the scenes was quite fun!
“They were very high energy,” he reveals. “Everyone had this respectfully curious urgency to tell the story.”
And he says his co-star Charlotte Jordan, who plays Daisy, was a great help.
“Charlie made it easy for me because she’s a very talented actor and we work well together,” he told us.
But one thing wasn’t so easy – being doused in cold water!
“If I’m honest I completely underestimated the temperature of the water, it was so cold!” Ryan laughs. “There was no acting! That was just me trying to breathe. We couldn’t show steam so the water had to be cold. And actually it would be cold water anyway. It was freezing! But it was great.”
Doing research
Obviously a story like this one takes a lot of research, and Ryan worked with the Katie Piper Foundation, meeting with survivors of similar attacks.
“I met this amazing guy with a warrior spirit,” says Ryan. “He had such an interesting, brutal story to tell. All the reading in the world can’t make you comprehend the reality of violence of this extreme nature. It’s one of these things you can’t comprehend unless you’ve been through it.”
Ryan says the after effects of this attack will stay with his character forever.
“His life is never going to be the same again,” he tells us. “Slowly, bit by bit, he starts to understand the gravity of what’s happened. It’s going to change his life forever, because it’ll change the way he interacts with the world. But despite the massive shift the incident causes he’s determined to find his way back to that infectious spirit he had. It’s a long road to recovery.”
Is Daisy to blame?
Even though the aftermath of the acid attack is shocking, Ryan reveals his alter ego doesn’t ever blame Daisy – who was the intended victim, of course – for what’s happened.
“If he has any blame it’s reserved for Justin,” he says.
Special effects
One of the things that actor Ryan has had to get to grips with, is his alter ego’s scarring. He has been wearing prosthetics and putting the Corrie make-up team through their paces.
The crew worked with prosthetics expert Davy Jones on Ryan’s wounds.
“We went into his workshop to have a mould set, to create a cast of my face, and then create pieces that would be layered to form the types of scarring,” explains Ryan. “It was a wicked experience, and I enjoyed it. His workshop was out of this world!”
And the make-up team have had to work extra hard too. “I think it’s about 15 people within the make-up team who will have to get used to putting it on,” Ryan reveals. “They’ve been incredible. It’s about an hour in the chair to put it on and then the same to take it off. It’s a huge job, and they’re absolutely smashing it!”
It seems actor Ryan is thoroughly enjoying his part in this dramatic storyline. But will his alter ego come to terms with the horrific results of Justin’s attack?
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV.
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