Casualty Ethan’s painful grief
AS HIS ALTER EGO STRUGGLES TO DEAL WITH CAL’S DEATH, GEORGE RAINSFORD HINTS AT TROUBLING TIMES AHEAD FOR ETHAN…
It’s actually been like genuine grief since he’s gone – it’s been incredibly weird,”
Casualty star George Rainsford (Ethan) tells us, as Inside Soap probes him about Cal’s shock death on screen last Saturday night. “Richard [Winsor, who played Cal] and I joined the show at the same time – we auditioned together, we did our screen tests together, and we got on straight away. So it does feel like I’ve lost a brother – it’s been a really difficult adjustment.”
Casualty viewers are no doubt still reeling from Cal’s tragic demise, which happened after brute Scott Ellison stabbed him outside the ED – and they’re not the only ones. As we pick up the drama this week,
Ethan is struggling to come to terms with the loss of his brother…
Hi George! We still can’t believe Cal is dead – how did you and the rest of the cast keep that one a secret?
It was hard! I always try to steer clear of making work comments on social media, but I think some of the superfans probably had an idea what would happen, based on who they saw were filming. Hopefully for most viewers it would have been a surprise, though.
Poor Ethan is in bits right now – how is he coping with Cal’s death?
In the immediate aftermath, he’s in shock – he’s just numb. He has a voicemail message from Cal on his phone, which he can’t listen to. But he’s coaxed into it by Charlie, because it could have some information about what happened to Cal – and it does. It’s Cal warning Ethan that Scott is after him, so in that moment, Ethan realises it should have been him who took that knife.
How does Ethan feel when he hears that? It must be devastating…
It obviously brings up all manner of emotions like guilt and anger, and he’s just mortified. Especially as Cal finally told Ethan that he knew about him and Alicia, and gave them his blessing. Ethan’s wracked with guilt, and he doesn’t know how to cope with that.
How important is it to Ethan to catch the person responsible for murdering Cal?
Ethan has a very strong moral compass, so he wants justice – and he has trust in the system that will bring him that justice. So when he hands the information he has over to the police, he thinks that it will be dealt with. But actually, it’s not resolved so successfully – and in the episodes that follow we’ll start to see his morals challenged, and it all gets darker quite quickly…
Blimey, we can’t imagine Ethan going over to the dark side! But could Alicia be the one to get him through the trauma?
Well it’s typical that after a year of ups and downs and procrastinating, they finally get together on the day that
Cal is murdered! I think Ethan really needs Alicia, he needs her support – but obviously because of what has happened, it’s going to be incredibly difficult for the two of them.
Are the viewers of Casualty in favour of Ethan and Alicia finally getting together?
Hopefully – we’ve tried to invest as much honesty in the relationship as we can. I think the only trouble is that people are so in support of Cal and Ethan’s relationship, even though they’re always falling out, so putting somebody between them has probably riled some fans! They’d rather just see the boys getting along, but hopefully we got to that point before Cal’s demise.
What was your reaction when you first found out Richard was leaving?
Oh, I was so sad! I still remember our train journey back from our screen test in Cardiff three-and-a-half years ago, where we chatted all the way home and found out we had loads in common. We even lived together for a while! Richard actually came back to Cardiff this weekend to watch Cal’s death episode with me – and now it just feels so final.
Did Richard’s departure make you question your future in Casualty?
No, I’m very happy here. I don’t know what the future holds, but I will definitely be here for a while longer!