Don Gilet torn over shock Walford twist

EastEnders star Don Gilet has admitted that he had mixed feelings when he was told about his character's forthcoming murder twist.

The actor's malevolent Lucas Johnson will provide a new Walford shock next week when he kills off his fiancée's ex-husband Owen Turner (Lee Ross).

In an interview with DS, Gilet revealed that while he was thrilled to be offered such a high-profile plot, he also felt sadness when he realised that Lucas's Albert Square journey could soon be over.

He commented: "I was excited. I was very happy but of course it's a double-edged sword. You can only do so many bad things in a soap or any kind of drama. There's a ticking clock to say these characters can only stay for so long once they go down the path of doing so much evil.

"Somehow they have to make an exit, if it's not with their own death they do a runner or go to prison, but they're not going to be a regular for much longer if they carry on doing these things. That was a secondary thought because I thought that I can't let that get in the way of doing the job itself."

Gilet also confirmed that he likes to blur the lines between good and bad behaviour in his performances on the BBC One soap.

"[Lucas is] a very good character to play because of his complexity," he explained. "I think that's partly because he's a guy who always strives to do the right thing but his path for doing that gets warped as time goes on. I think his heart started off in the right place but - partly because of his drug-addled years - he has a slightly warped outlook on life."

> Click here to read our interview with Don Gilet
> Click here to read more from Don Gilet in Soap Scoop