Nina Wadia wants positive 'EastEnders' impact

Nina Wadia has explained that she would like her EastEnders character's long-running homophobia storyline to have a positive impact and lead to acceptance.

The actress's alter ego Zainab Masood currently remains estranged from her son Syed (Marc Elliott) as her strict Muslim beliefs have prevented her from giving her blessing to his relationship with Christian Clarke, played by John Partridge. The family feud has been running for nearly a year.

In an interview with the Guernsey News, Wadia commented: "It's a challenge to play a bigot, I'll be honest - it's not something I've found easy to do. I do get a few comments on the street and things, which are not pleasant but I deal with them.

"I'm hoping that, if nothing else, it's opened the conversation for being gay and being Muslim - to show that there is a conflict in that, but it does exist. And to hopefully get people talking about it and allow the acceptance to happen, which is what I'm hoping eventually will happen with Zainab."

Wadia said that while she does not agree with Zainab's views, she believes that her portrayal as a homophobe is realistic.

"I believe that my character would think that way," she continued. "From the research they've done, 90% of the women they interviewed in that situation do feel that way, because of their religious background, because of their culture - they find that they're at odds with each other.

"So I'm hoping that somehow this woman learns that it's important to be a mother and support her son before it's important to be a Muslim woman."

Discussing the success of her screen family, Wadia added: "I think we manage to make people laugh, cry, go through all of the emotions that you would as a family unit. And if nothing else, I want them to be able to open conversations that are otherwise closed to the general public."

Zainab's latest storyline has seen her marriage to Masood (Nitin Ganatra) come under severe strain due to the family's financial problems and the return of her ex-husband Yusef Khan.

Read more about the Masoods:-
> EastEnders set for surprise proposal
> EastEnders star wants Chryed wedding drama
> EastEnders actor promises Masood shocks
> EastEnders' Masood 'to kidnap Yusef'
> EastEnders actor: 'Yusef gets very nasty'