The Big Questions: Richard Blackwood reflects on the role of soaps, lessons and chasing fame-Mel Evans-Entertainment – Metro

Welcome to Metro.co.uk‘s The Big Questions, where we ask, well, the big questions (and the smaller ones too) and this week, we’re diving deep with Richard Blackwood.

The actor, presenter, comic, singer – what can’t he do? – has been a staple of British pop culture since the 90s, when he helmed shows including Singled Out, The Richard Blackwood Show and Top Of The Pops.

Rising through the ranks of stand-up before releasing an album, he’s now a beloved fixture on our screens in the world of soaps.

From Walford to Chester, Richard, 50, stars as Felix Westwood in Hollyoaks, where he was recently part of a powerful storyline, alongside his character’s son DeMarcus (played by Tomi Ade) around knife crime.

Soaps are often the bearer of some of the most dramatic storylines in TV, with characters rising from the dead and small villages being a hot spot for explosions, serial killers and enough scheming than you can poke a well-poured pint at.

But they also shine a light on society and, to Richard, they carry a responsibility to reflect society.

‘Sometimes people will gravitate to us, even as escapism, so I think it’s very important for soaps to sometimes play on the fantasy,’ he says, ‘but I think sometimes it’s important to touch on the real so that people can get some help from it.’

Richard is an icon of British pop culture (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Let’s dive into some big questions with the ultimate icon.

I guess you probably can’t tell me too much about what you’re working on at the moment, but what’s Felix up to?

Felix is trying to move on with his life, moving on from Martine [Deveraux, played by Kéllé Bryan]. He’s like trying to open those doors again, so at some point you will see, potentially, he fills that spot. Also, everything that’s happened with his son, with the knife allegation and so forth, recovering from that as well, and being there for DeMarcus.

I wouldn’t say the worst of it’s over, but you know, he’s been through the storm trying to come out the other side now.

The dynamic between Felix and DeMarcus is such an interesting one, especially with the knife crime storyline. How has it been exploring with Tomi?

I mean, working with Tomi’s very easy. We have an instant rapport. I think it’s down to, we’re both Taurus, we’re both earth star signs, so there’s just a mutual line of respect, and he’s genuinely a nice guy as well, very professional.

Richard graces screens as Felix in Hollyoaks (Picture: Lime Pictures)

Then in terms of the storyline, we both come from that world, where unfortunately it happens, growing up in inner-city London, so we were both familiar with it – if it’s not happened to us, it’s happened to people around us, and the objective is to bring awareness so that we can bring on change. We’re both really up for that.

What do you think the role of soaps have in portraying these important conversations?

I personally think it’s a responsibility. The people that watch the show, there’s a high percentage that really look at it as real life. Sometimes they find it hard to differentiate between the actors and the real person, they think you’re that character, and that’s fine, because it takes them into that world, but if we are captivating an audience in that kind of way, and have that kind of power, then we’re supposed to use that mantra to highlight things that people are going through to give them solutions the best way we know how.

Sometimes people will gravitate to us, even as escapism, so I think it’s very important for soaps to, sometimes play on the fantasy, but I think sometimes it’s important to touch on the real so that people can get some help from it.

He admits in the early days of his career, he was wanting fame (Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

From music to TV presenting, acting, comedy, you’ve been in the industry for a long time. How has your approach to fame evolved?

I think initially it started out with wanting the fame. That was the drive. You’d see people that you respected in the business, who were living this lifestyle that just seemed like this fantasy that only being famous could give you, right?

You felt like you were in this little world where it was the normal world, working nine to five, and everybody around you was normal and went through the same things as you, was in the same tax bracket as you, all these things, but you looked at this other world – everybody is revered by everyone, you make all this money, the world seems like your oyster, and you get all the perks of being successful.

For some, that’s a really difficult world, it was for me because I knew I had a talent, which was stand-up initially, and then wanting to get into acting, but the whole drive was I would love to see myself on that big screen, go do these movies where I’m a superhero, or I’m this cop, or even a bad guy, whatever it may be, walking the red carpet was the initial kind of motivation for me.

Then, as I started to get into the industry and started to get some of that success, I started to realise that it wasn’t necessarily real, that you’re as good as your last show.

The star rose to fame in the noughties (Picture: JMEnternational/Getty Images)

So over the years as I got older, my motivation to continue in the industry changed. If anything, I just matured and I grew to love the art form and be grateful that after so many years, I’m still relatively successful, because that’s the next part, the longevity.

What do you think the biggest lesson is you’ve taken through tough times [Blackwood has been open about his depression after filing for bankruptcy in 2003] that still sticks with you today?

Initially, my whole premise was ‘why me?’ When I was going through that, I didn’t think that I was doing anything wrong, to deserve what I was going through.

I’m a firm believer in karma, if I do something wrong, I pay karma for it, then so be it, I’m very accepting of that. But I couldn’t see what I had done that warranted everything.

In hindsight – they say hindsight is 20/20 – I’m grateful. What I took from it was that, and I say this to people all the time, people have dreams and aspirations of who they want to become, what they don’t understand is the journey it takes to get there. Ultimately, most times where you’ve aspired to be whoever it is you want to be, the dark times are also what you’ve asked for.

For example, when we look at great athletes, we’re not privy, or we don’t even care to watch the training period, we just want to see the result, we want to see who set a world record or we want to see Anthony Joshua knock somebody out or Tyson Fury or wherever. The period in between fights, we’re not there to see the blood, sweat and tears, passing out, dehydration, trying to keep motivated for this fight. We just see the win, the big money, the cars, and we’re always at the end, at the celebration.

But if we had to suffer it with them, we’d have a greater appreciation of what it is they actually go through. So that is what I had to learn, those gruelling times are what moulds you.

Throughout your career, what would you say has been a misconception about you?

When I was younger, the misconception, which sounds kind of a weird thing to say, was that I was actually a nice person and people didn’t think I would be.

I understood it, because I was so successful so young, and being a stand-up, you have to be extremely confident to go on stage and tell jokes. So your personality is very powerful and it can be somewhat, not overwhelming, but people can feel intimidated by [you], they could think, oh, you’re a bit cocky. You have to be the showman. I understood it, I get it. I’m this young guy that’s having this success and I’m on TV, saying ‘who’s the man?’, naturally, you would just bet that I will be arrogant.

In comedy, there’s a conversation around its evolution and what some people perceive to be offensive jokes that weren’t seen through the same lens five, 10 years ago. What’s your take on the conversation around comedy and where it’s headed?

I think people, I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are people that abuse their power as comedians and talk about things that they know they should leave well alone.

There is this argument that there is nothing sacred, I don’t necessarily believe that. My thing is that there are certain things that I just don’t believe should be made light of. Like, paedophilia, anything to do with kids, rape, there’s nothing funny in that, and nine times out of 10 it’s either an adult or it’s a man that speaking on those things and we’re not taking on what that could be like for a woman that’s more subjected to rape then men are, just statistically.

I’m a Taurean and so one of my traits is that we’re naturally empaths, so I’m able to put myself in somebody’s shoes and go ‘wait a minute, maybe that’s going a bit over the line.’

That’s me personally, but I do believe in the same token we have become more sensitive, but not through being sensitive.

What’s happened is the slippery slope of social media, everybody can be heard now. If you pursue the world of entertainment or being in front of the camera, you’re trained to be heard, you know how to give the audience what you need to give them and you know what to keep for yourself.

There are certain things you speak on or you don’t speak on and you have tact when we speak on these things, because you naturally know that you’re a brand – but when you are a person, maybe you’re an accountant, or maybe you’re a fireman, all of a sudden you’ve got this camera and you can unveil this other side of you that has no training in that part, you just speak because it’s easy to do.

Not every joke is going to be for you, but now you want to tear that person down for the fact that maybe you didn’t get the joke, but you’re not trained in that world to go, ‘well, it’s just not for me, I don’t need to take offence to it’.

I keep using the term slippery slope, but I think it’s a dangerous thing because you have people speaking out on things that you can tell they haven’t really thought deeply about, it’s just fashionable to be incensed by something. Not on everything, obviously there are certain things [where] I would get it, but there are others where you go ‘really? Was it that serious?’

Watch Hollyoaks, weeknights on Channel Four or stream on All4.

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