Mark Charnock, who plays Marlon Dingle in Emmerdale, has spoken about a particular acting technique he used to help with his upcoming big storyline.
Tonight, the veteran village character will suffer from a stroke, with the impact of it set to play out for weeks on the ITV soap.
Charnock appeared on This Morning earlier to talk about the upcoming plot and how he found playing the issue-based storyline – while there, he revealed he didn’t look in any mirrors while he was having a prosthetic fitted to show one of the symptoms of a stroke, dropped eyes and mouth.
“I’m not a method actor at all,” Charnock explained. “But I asked them to cover all the mirrors up in make-up when they put it on.
“What the viewers will see tonight is when I see it, the first time I’d seen it. It had an impact on me. The reaction viewers will see tonight is real, you know?”
The prosthetic used can be seen in a trailer released by the ITV soap ahead of the hard-hitting storyline.
Emmerdale has worked closely with the Stroke Association to bring the story to screens from tonight onwards.
Speaking about the upcoming storyline, Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw said: “Warm, witty and kind-hearted Marlon is undoubtedly one of Emmerdale’s most loved characters and with Mark Charnock’s sheer skill, craft and incredible range, it felt totally right to play such an incredibly important story as this, with Marlon highlighting that a stroke can happen at any time and showing the catastrophic consequences it can have on the person affected and their whole family.
“When we first started researching this storyline I was shocked by the stark statistics that the UK alone has 1.3 million stroke survivors, so we knew we wanted to do those people and their families justice by showing the raw reality of a stroke as truthfully and honestly as we could.
“Extensive research was done for the actual stroke episode so we could step outside of our usual storytelling style and show the stroke from Marlon’s POV in a really impactful way because we wanted viewers to see what a stroke feels like in the moment.
“As the story unfolds, we follow the tragic and heartbreaking long-lasting repercussions it has on Marlon and his friends and family and how their love for each other shines through as they all pull together at this most difficult time.”
Read more:
- Emmerdale star Zoë Henry: ‘Rhona feels helpless after Marlon’s stroke’
- Emmerdale star reveals a long road ahead for Marlon after stroke
- Emmerdale spoilers for next week: Marlon collapses and Manpreet makes an announcement
You can find more information about stroke symptoms, as well as advice and support by visiting the Stroke Association website.
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