Andrew Moss (Rhys Ashworth, 'Hollyoaks')

Hollyoaks' Rhys Ashworth faces one of the most difficult weeks of his life later this month, as Gilly Roach stands trial for allegedly raping Jacqui McQueen. Rhys has been torn between his best friend and his girlfriend for weeks, and the situation is about to get a lot more difficult as he's one of the witnesses called to give evidence in the court case. His testimony ends up having a bigger impact than he'd expected and as the trial continues, the plot reaches a big turning point as Rhys finally makes a choice between Gilly and Jacqui... Here, actor Andrew Moss chats to Digital Spy about Rhys's role in the storyline.

Have you enjoyed being involved in this massive storyline for Hollyoaks?
"Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. When you get a really prominent storyline like this one, it's a lot to get your teeth into, there's many different emotions to play and it's a bit of a rollercoaster journey, so it's more interesting than just going to the SU Bar for a pint or arguing over girlfriends, which happens in Hollyoaks a lot! So it's been a change and a real challenge to play out."

Did you have to do any research for your part in the storyline?
"I did some research by going to meet a barrister to discuss how a case like this would be likely to unfold and what constitutes rape in the court's eyes. I felt I had a pretty good understanding of the legal process and I could use that for my scenes."

Rhys's role in the storyline has been an important one, hasn't it?
"Yeah, what I was told by our producers was that I should play the audience's point of view because he doesn't know what really happened. Rhys doesn't want to believe Gilly, because that would mean Jacqui has cheated on him with his best friend and is now saying that he's raped her. But he doesn't want to believe what Jacqui is saying either, because Gilly is his best mate of 20 years and he doesn't want to believe the possibility that he's a rapist. Rhys feels trapped but that doubt means that he's seeing everything from the audience's point of view."

What kind of feedback have you had over the storyline so far?
"I think what's been the most rewarding part for us is that it's one of those storylines that has got people really talking about Hollyoaks, and has got the audience thinking more in-depth about the issues we're exploring. I think what's really interesting about this story is that, in these cases, no-one ever really knows what happened and often it's not just black and white. I hope that the viewers will engage with the online content and learn from the educative videos we produced with the charities."

As a real-life jury will be used to determine Gilly's fate, you don't currently know the outcome of the storyline. How has that affected the way you've played the scenes?
"I think it's been nice to be able to play it that way and it's made it all the more realistic. Normally we know the beginning, the middle and the end of the story and we can tailor the performance with peaks and troughs. But here, we just have to play what is written on the page and we've filmed a few different scenarios, depending on the outcome. The fact that we've got everyone talking and that we're filming the storyline in such a unique way has been a really good thing for Hollyoaks."

We've seen Rhys unable to make a choice between Jacqui and Gilly. Do you think he's handled the situation in the best way, or should he have taken a side?
"I think Rhys is in an impossible situation because he doesn't know who to believe. He is concerned that he may be responsible because he challenged Jacqui to go to the police, which means he's put Gilly in this situation. But on the other side, by doubting Jacqui, he's making this harder for her and after her terrible ordeal, that's unforgiveable."

What can you tell us about Rhys taking the stand at the trial?
"When he's on the stand, he's still impartial after two months of not taking a side. But he basically gets tripped up by Jacqui's barrister and almost drops Gilly in it - not through any fault of his own, but by explaining that he and Gilly have had fights over women in the past and things like that. He spills too much on the stand and he ends up fighting Jacqui's corner, really, as the barrister has tripped him up."

What happens next?
"It looks like he's chosen Jacqui's side, but he doesn't truly decide that he's backing Jacqui until he hears Gilly's evidence. At that point, it dawns on him that there must be more to it than just them sleeping together."

Given the hard-hitting nature of the storyline, are you able to switch off from it once the working day is over?
"Well, with this story, because it has been such a big deal, I've been going home, reading the scripts for the next day and then ringing Claire Cooper or Anthony Quinlan to ask what they think about various bits, and we'll discuss how we're going to play it the next day. So it's been difficult to switch off in that respect, because we want to make it as good and realistic as we can for the audience, and that's meant taking it home with us and doing those extra bits. Also, with Twitter and everything now, we've got so many people writing to us after each episode to say, 'I believe Gilly' or 'I believe Jacqui', so I'm just constantly in the zone of this storyline."

Do you have a gut feeling over which way the jury might go?
"It's difficult as we've still not watched the court week back yet. Also, because we all know Gilly's background and he's been on TV for the past five years, people would say that he's not a rapist - but the people who are Jacqui fans and have watched her over the years would say that Jacqui's not a liar. So I'm still on the fence, and I think that when we all watch it back, we still won't know what decision to make. I don't think Gilly would rape anyone, but at the same time, I don't think Jacqui would lie about being raped. It's such a realistic scenario and I still can't call it."

> Click here to read more from Andrew Moss in Soap Scoop

Gilly's trial week begins on Monday, March 28 at 6.30pm on Channel 4.