Fox in the henhouse
James continues digging his way back into the Price family and he’s determined to make his babymamma ex Felicity pay.
The shock and horror of Felicity’s (Mary-anne Barlow) now-teenage son Charlie (AJ Cullinan, Tyler in teen drama The Girl From St Agnes, 2019-now) returning in early February isn’t the only surprise for the Price iron maiden in the month of love: her babydaddy James (Robert Hobbs, Gary Clayton in The Girl From St Agnes) wasn’t far behind, arriving on her doorstep a little later in the month. “James has brought Charlie back to his family, but what’s motivating him is getting what he feels he is due,” explains Robert. “He was kicked out of the family by Felicity and her father Sebastian (Deon Lotz) when Charlie was still a baby. He wants what was taken from him and he won’t stop…” adds the actor, “…until he has his prize.”
KNOCK-KNOCK
While Robert doesn’t go into James’s backstory about what he’s been up to since taking Charlie to raise him in the United Kingdom, he is clear: legacy is important to James. “The Price family wrote them off. They were excommunicated, banished basically. James’s endgame, his return to South Africa and this family, is about more than status and money – he wants the relationship, being part of the Price clan. He wants his place, and his son’s place, in this legacy and he’s not above playing dirty to get it.” It’s obvious from the second James returned that Felicity is on the backfoot and that has implications for the future. “They were in love, all that young starry-eyed stuff for youngsters. James knows Felicity like the palm of his hand. He knows that she didn’t become this villain – like in the superhero movies – overnight. She’s always had that side of her. While he doesn’t know what she’s been through over the years, he knows which buttons to push to get the reaction he needs,” says Rob.
MOTHER-FATHER-SON
With two personalities as devious and wicked as Felicity and James, it’s not surprising that their offspring shares their traits. “James has groomed his son to hear one side of the story, one side of the coin that has influenced the way that he behaves with his mother,” says Robert. “They are most certainly working as a team. And while James is steering this ship (his quest to get back into the Price family), Charlie is not a victim. He is complicit in what his dad is doing and he is manipulative in his own way.” As for how James’s return will impact Felicity and her lover Stefan (Sean-Marco Vorster), Robert adds, “It is a love-hate relationship right now. James would probably like to get back with Felicity, but she got rid of him once, she could do it again…”