Interview: Robert's Double Life
Robert has been keeping secrets but are his lies about to catch up with him in the most devastating way possible? Tristan Gemmill hints at what's to come...
How did you feel knowing you would have to tackle this ‘double life’ storyline?
Well it’s always fun to play that as an actor and you do hear of these crazy stories where people intend to live a double life… I don’t think that’s the case with Robert though. Robert gets into it by accident, he and Michelle had split up and he has a fling with Vicky. She obviously takes it a bit more seriously that he does, but he thinks he’s doing the decent thing as soon as Michelle starts warming towards him and he realises they could get back together. So, he does the decent thing in his mind and goes to tell Vicky that whatever it was, it’s over now.
How do you think Robert will cope with the fact he is going to be a dad?
Well, Robert doesn’t yet know she is pregnant and is completely unaware he has all of this to come. As he is getting things back on track with Michelle, finding this out will definitely come as a shock to him, making his life a lot more difficult than he would hope.
What are Robert’s feelings about his relationship with Michelle?
Robert thinks they had split up for good and he tells Ryan he had gone too far about wanting a baby and I think he blames himself for split as he had driven her away. Michelle overhears this which changes her position as she thinks that not having a baby, which was the main stumbling block for them two, may not be such an issue and there may be a chance for them to have a future together. Michelle clears the Bistro of bookings for the evening and has a candlelit dinner set for the two of them. She basically ‘woos’ him back and they get back together.
How does Robert deal with the fact he’s lied to Michelle?
I think he probably intends to tell Michele at some stage that he had a little fling when they were broken up and they love each other so she would probably understand. But the fact of Vicky being pregnant complicates that and he is obviously sensitive towards Michelle with all the horrendous experiences she has been through with Ruairi. So, he keeps it from her to protect her feelings, but then of course the longer he keeps something like that from her, the heavier the weight will be around his neck. Now it’s about time for Robert to come clean, but will he?
Do you think this will have an effect on the way the fans see Robert?
Yeah, I am sure they will see him as absolute cheat and a snake, because you can’t do anything to harm those Connor women in Coronation Street - they are the heart and soul of the show. It’s going to be interesting what the audience do, I would hope they come on his journey a little bit and realise he’s in a bit of a corner really as it escalates out of his control and he spends a lot of time trying to fight fires.
What advice would you give to Robert in this situation?
Just be honest! You get the script and you go, "Dude, just tell her! She loves you, you love her. If you are meant to be together, this is the sort of thing you could probably get over".
Do you think Robert and Michelle will have their happy ever after?
I would like to think that they would, but this being a soap opera there are always many obstacles thrown in the way of that!
Do you share any similar character traits to Robert?
No… only that we have the same head. I think Robert tries to please people and doesn’t like hurting their feelings, so there’s probably an echo of that in me. He’s pretty much a good guy, but he makes bad decisions. I would like to think I make better life decisions than he does.
What do you think is in store now for Robert?
I think a very tricky period of spinning two plates at the same time, without one plate finding out about another plate’s existence, which is going to be a very tricky prospect and sooner or later, they’re going to come crashing down!