“Vincent’s exit won’t disappoint you – everyone will be talking about it!”
The end is nigh for Kim’s harassed husband, but Richard Blackwood is thrilled to be ending his Walford career on a high…
The first thing we tell Richard Blackwood when he joins Inside Soap for his final
Eastenders chat is how disappointed we are that he’s leaving the role of Vincent. “Thank you, that means a lot!” grins the 45-yearold star, whose final episodes go out on screen this week. “It’s a strange feeling, as naturally when your time comes to an end on a show like this, you remember how much you enjoy it – and know how much you’ll miss it. Having said that, the time has come for me to move on.”
It was a mutual agreement between Richard and Walford bosses to write out Vincent when the star was presented with what sounds like an epic exit storyline. The former gangster turned police informant is so desperate for money after losing The Albert to evil Aidan, he turns to the cops and offers to snitch on the villain in return for cash. However, the odds are stacked against him as Vincent faces the threat of jail for his part in the heist – not to mention the wrath of Aidan if he finds out what Vincent is up to…
Blimey, Richard! Vincent must be desperate if he’s willing to risk both his freedom and his life.
Put it this way – even when filming it, I felt sorry for the character. There are little glimmers of hope where you think it might be okay, but then something happens and Vincent is back to square one. The audience will definitely sympathise with him!
“When Vincent turns to the police again, it’s out of pure desperation!”
Does he think twice about turning on Aidan, and potentially stitching up Phil, Mick and co in the process?
It’s hard for Vincent, as you have to remember that being a grass was a part of his life that he has always been ashamed of. Vincent was never built to be a gangster, so he went straight for a while and embraced family life – but then when Aidan came along, he went down a road without really knowing what the set-up was. Before he knew it, he was in over his head with serious people who will kill you as soon as look at you – but
Vincent isn’t like that. So when he turns to the police again, it’s out of pure desperation. He doesn’t know what else to do.
By grassing on Aidan, does Vincent worry that he’s a dead man walking now?
Yeah, you’ll definitely get a sense of that! He understands quite quickly what the ramifications are for doing it. If you start going down that road, eventually you’re going to get hurt.
The police give Vincent a deadline to get the information on the gang members – so one way or another, time is running out…
Yes, it is. Vincent is working against the clock anyway – he’s run out of money, things are going bad, and he doesn’t want his family to know. Kim thinks her husband will be fine, as that’s just what he does, but little does she know that he could be putting them all in danger.
Was it sad for you knowing that Vincent’s exit would spell the end for his marriage to Kim?
It’s a horrible thought! But Eastenders is very good at leaving the audience wanting more – this machine has been going for many years. The writers are exceptional at what they do, so they understand the audience are rooting for these characters. However, no one can be happy in Walford – otherwise it would be a boring show!
After Vincent meets with his police contact and incriminates Aidan and
Phil over the New Year’s Day heist, Kim begins to grow suspicious that her hubby is up to something. He promises to tell her everything, until a twist in the tale forces him to drop a huge bombshell on his stunned wife. How will Kim react? And how will Vincent leave Walford? Will it be in a black taxi – or a wooden box?
It’s a shame that Vincent has come unstuck because of Aidan. We’d have liked to have seen the gangster in him come out fighting!
This is where I had love for Patrick Bergin [aka Aidan] because there were scenes
where he’d d go, “I wouldn’t be able to do this to Vincent in real life!”. We laughed about it as we understood that it had been written that way for a reason, but there were times when I would say, “C’mon, can I just hit him a little bit?”. And they’d say, “No, Richard. It’s not in the script!”. [laughs]
The nature of Vincent’s exit is secret, but are you pleased with it?
I really am. When I read the scripts, I thought, ‘Okay, if this is what we’re doing, I’m going to deliver it so that the viewers at home are left going wow’. I know that it sounds like a clichéd thing to say, but Vincent’s exit is definitely going to be a talking point for a while. Once again, Eastenders doesn’t disappoint! They leave you in a space where, as soon as you hear the ‘doof doof’, you’ll be on the phone saying, “Oh my God”!
It’ll be one of those moments.
When Walford bosses came to you with Vincent’s exit, was it easy for you to go along with that decision?
After three years of playing him, I felt I’d made a name for myself on the show and that people believed in the character. I wanted to leave on a high, and together with Eastenders,
I think I’ve achieved that.
What was Tameka’s (Empson, aka Kim) reaction to you going?
Tameka and I have the best relationship as we’ve been friends for a long time, and working together made us so close. We were actually on set when I tried to tell her, and I saw her well up and she said, “I can’t do this now, we’ve got to do the scene”. Afterwards, when I told her properly, she came to my dressing room and gave me a gift, and we both cried.
What was the secret of the success of your on-screen partnership?
Tameka and I had a real journey together. Anyone will tell you that the way we would laugh and joke on set, it’s a miracle we got any filming done! Among other actors who looked out for me on the show, Tameka was very hands on. She’d never let me sink, she’d always make sure I delivered – and that’s the reason we cried. That’s what we represent to each other.
What’s next for you then, Richard?
I’ve got a film coming out towards the end of the year, and some theatre has come up which is also good – but really and truly, my dream is to be a Hollywood actor like Jamie Foxx or Will Smith. This probably sounds a bit crazy, but I believe that I’m meant to be doing what I do out there on a grand scale. That’s the reason why I work out, do my kung fu, my comedy and acting. I want to have the all-round package so I can go out there and do it all!
“Anyone will tell you that the way Tameka and I would laugh and joke on set, it’s a miracle we got any filming done!”