{"id":26959,"date":"2022-12-11T01:01:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T00:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1752789"},"modified":"2022-12-11T02:09:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-11T01:09:38","slug":"eastenders-newcomer-jonny-freeman-lifts-lid-on-reiss-and-sonia-spark","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/eastenders-newcomer-jonny-freeman-lifts-lid-on-reiss-and-sonia-spark\/","title":{"rendered":"EastEnders newcomer Jonny Freeman lifts lid on Reiss and Sonia \u201cspark\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lewis Knight\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 11 December 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Actor Jonny Freeman has revealed more about EastEnders<\/a> newcomer Reiss Colwell.<\/p>\n

The character is introduced this coming week as the late Dot Branning\u2019s great-nephew<\/a> who comes to Walford for her funeral.<\/p>\n

The emotional funeral episodes, directed by Richard Lynn, come following the death of Dot\u2019s iconic actress June Brown at the age of 95 earlier this year<\/a> and sees the characters of Albert Square gather to mourn Dot\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n

At the head of the mourners is Dot\u2019s beloved step-granddaughter Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) who swiftly makes a connection with Reiss.<\/p>\n

Speaking to RadioTimes.com<\/a> and other press at a screening of Dot\u2019s funeral episode, actor Freeman discussed Reiss\u2019s arrival in the soap.<\/p>

Freeman revealed: \u201cIn terms of my first day \u2013 it\u2019s not filmed in sequence \u2013 and in my very first scene I met Richard the director and Natalie.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yeah, I mean, I found myself by Albert Square, standing over a car with the Queen Vic behind Sonia from EastEnders. So I thought it was pretty surreal. I mean, that\u2019s pretty much the weirdest introduction to any job anyone could ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n

It could be pretty daunting to join such an iconic soap and as a relative of such an iconic character, but Freeman saw himself as more honoured than anything else.<\/p>\n

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Jonny Freeman as Reiss Colwell \u2013 the new man in Sonia\u2019s life<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n
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Freeman explained: \u201cThe truth is, it\u2019s actually a bit of luck because I think whatever job you do, when you start a new job it\u2019s tricky. Unless you\u2019re you know, not very nice, people are doing the job and you\u2019re moving into it and you hope it goes well and you hope everyone\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd behind all that [on EastEnders], in every department, cast, crew, everyone, directors \u2013 they care about the show. And people might not think there\u2019s time for people to do that. But when you join something like that it makes your job easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe writers, everyone, is so passionate that you feel inspired every moment you\u2019re there. So it\u2019s a privilege. And to join [at] this sort of time is all the luckier because I think it was a time when the cast were reflecting on June. And they\u2019re sort of positioning the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I was getting fast-tracked into people\u2019s experiences in a way that might take me a lot longer because people were reminiscing and of course, they\u2019ve shot on location. So there were a lot of actors there for a few days of shooting, so I was very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Reiss and Sonia first meet outside the Queen Vic pub after Dot\u2019s funeral<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

He continued: \u201cRichard came up to me, because for my character, their narrative is he\u2019s on his own. You know, his late granddad is 10 years dead, he used to go on about Dot, so he\u2019s going to pay his respects. We already knew that three of June\u2019s kids were going to be there, Richard came up and said, \u2018Do you mind if they sit with you?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so I had this extraordinary experience of not only getting fast-tracked to meet all these cast members, but sitting with three of June\u2019s kids<\/a> and, you know, they were delightful and it\u2019s a credit to the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only that they were considered to be a part of it, but that they wanted to come and I won\u2019t lie to you there was a time \u2013 and I had already filmed a lot of my scenes then \u2013 but I suddenly thought if I was just a bloke at Dot Cotton or Dot Branning\u2019s funeral, I guess it\u2019s a pretty bloody good couple of days out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teasing what fans can come to expect from Reiss Colwell and his relationship with Sonia Fowler, Freeman made clear that his character is a little socially awkward.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess he\u2019s introduced to the Square and there\u2019s a spark with Sonia and I wouldn\u2019t say he\u2019s a human dynamo, but he\u2019s got a good heart,\u201d revealed Freeman.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I guess what\u2019s to come is to see whether he can navigate his way through fairly basic social interactions to come out a winner or all alone, but I guess that\u2019s the big reveal down the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reiss is first seen in the background of Monday\u2019s funeral episode (12th December 2022), but has his first scenes with Sonia in Tuesday\u2019s instalment (13th December 2022).<\/p>\n

Could Reiss be the unexpected man of Sonia\u2019s dreams?<\/p>\n

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Natalie Cassidy as Sonia Fowler at Dot\u2019s funeral in EastEnders.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Executive producer Chris Clenshaw added about Reiss: \u201cI mean, it\u2019s absolutely lovely to have another, you know, a relative of Dot\u2019s in the show. I think Reese is a very unique character that we\u2019re very excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussing the character\u2019s shyness, Clenshaw added of Reiss: \u201cHe\u2019s a little nervous. He\u2019s a little anxious. He\u2019s a little socially awkward. But\u2026 there\u2019s a real spark immediately between Reiss and Sonia. And I think he comes into Sonia\u2019s life at the very right time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actress Natalie Cassidy also teased that it\u2019s a lighter chapter for Sonia with Reiss\u2019s arrival, noting: \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely what Chris has just said. It\u2019s so clever what the writers and Chris have done, because Sonia has been a bit miserable. Yeah, not only miserable but she\u2019s had a lot going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to remember she\u2019s a nurse. She works really hard. She\u2019s got Dotty on her case all the time, Dot\u2019s not been around and I just feel saying goodbye to Dot and being very, very upset and having this little shining beacon of light coming in is going to be a step forward. I feel like it\u2019s going to be a really exciting time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I won\u2019t give too much away because we can\u2019t, but what I would say is the stuff that I\u2019ve been doing lately, I really feel like you\u2019re seeing the comedic side of Sonia come back, and the light, and I really enjoyed playing that because I\u2019ve not done it for a while and I think it\u2019s really special. Reiss is gonna bring that out more.\u201d<\/p>\n

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