Josh has his heart set on Lauren
ACTOR EDDIE EYRE GIVES US THE LOW-DOWN ON NEW BOY JOSH…
Josh is a guy who gets what he wants,” insists Eddie Eyre, as he joins us on his day off to chat about Canary Wharf’s answer to
Clark Kent – and we can’t argue with that! When Lauren popped into her father’s new office for a look around a few weeks ago, little did she realise that she was about to cross paths with a handsome stranger who would change her life.
Seemingly overnight, Josh has snogged her face off and set her up with a fancy new job – not bad for a bloke who apparently doesn’t know one end of a photocopier from the other! And actor Eddie is having a ball…
“Being at Eastenders is fantastic,” beams the 28-year-old. “Josh is such an exciting character to be playing. There’s a lot of mystery and secrecy surrounding him. But he’s not the kind of guy you mess with. He’s very driven and very focused!”
Lauren didn’t stand a chance when Josh gave her his number following their fateful first meeting. Since then, the good-looking fella has wasted no time in sweeping her off her feet with inspirational career advice – he even kept his cool after she gave him an almighty slap across the chops! But now she’s set to be working alongside him (and her dad) every day at Weyland & Co, should she be worried that heartbreak could be in store?
“I don’t think Josh is messing Lauren around – he’s got feelings for her,” claims Eddie. “He definitely likes the ladies, and they like him – but with Lauren, he admires how matterof-fact she is. She’s different from the girls he normally surrounds himself with, and that’s attractive. Plus, she’s very beautiful, of course!”
Eddie caused quite the stir after Josh popped up on screen out of the blue, and it transpired the mysterious newcomer had previously starred in Game Of
Thrones. As the sword-swinging knight Gerold Hightower, Eddie bore little resemblance to the suited, booted and bespectacled Josh – but his former role has proved a talking point on set… “Aaron Sidwell [Steven] is a big Game
Of Thrones fan,” reveals the star. “He knew exactly which scenes I’d appeared in, and even started quoting my lines at me. So we’ve had a conversation about that, and it was a nice way to get to know him.”
While Steven doesn’t seem keen on his girlfriend climbing her way up the career ladder, he’s so far oblivious to the chemistry between her and Josh. Lauren is far from impressed when Steven brings little Louie to visit her at work this week, but has meeting her family given Josh food for thought?
“There’s a moment where he thinks, ‘Ooh, a boyfriend and a kid…’” admits Eddie. “He’s not expecting it, but I don’t think it fazes him. A romance with
Lauren is what he wants, but we’re going to have to see!”
Of course, since joining the show, Eddie has been working particularly closely with Jacqueline Jossa, who plays Lauren – but we only recently witnessed the working relationship that Josh shares with Lauren’s dad
Max. And while boss Josh shows no fear where underling Max is concerned, it was a different story for Eddie…
“I have to admit, I felt a little nervous before filming my first scene with Jake Wood [aka Max],” chuckles the star. “He’s such a fantastic actor, so it was quite nerve-wracking. Max doesn’t scare Josh, but he might scare Eddie! Jake is a great person to work with and learn from, though – as is Jac.
“She’s really welcomed me with open arms, and she’s brilliant,” adds Eddie. “She’s been at Eastenders for a long time and knows all the tips and tricks, so she’s guiding me through.
It’s great to be working alongside her!”
I was nervous filming with Jake Wood – Max scares me!