Interview with Joe Warren Plant
Jacob is obviously grieving after Leanna’s death but how is he coping?
It has been and is going to continue to be extremely difficult for Jacob. He has never really experienced the death of someone this close to him and, given his age and how much he cared for her, I can imagine it being a hell of a struggle for him to come to terms with it.
Does he blame himself?
Jacob definitely holds himself responsible for Leanna’s death, especially after Liam‘s accusations towards him. After Jacob told her he had changed his mind about going travelling, he saw the effect it had on her and he believes that drove her to drinking excessively. Causing her to fall off the bridge. He’s constantly self-blaming, feeling guilty and upset because of it.
He lashed out at Liam at the scene of Leanna’s death. Why?
Because Liam was in total shock it left him empty and emotionless. When Jacob started questioning the investigator he noticed Liam’s lack of concern and as a result of that, Jacob’s anger took control and he instead released all the energy he believed Liam was missing. Even though Jacob never really showed it whilst she was around, he deeply cared about Leanna.
Does he have any suspicions over her death?
After her death he notices that the ring he had bought for Leanna has gone missing and hadn’t been collected from the crime scene. He is quick to then assume the possibility of her being attacked but the idea is quickly shut down by Meena, David and Liam. I think after the shock of the situation calms down it won’t be long before before another event could possibly raise Jacob’s questions and concerns again.
Jacob had decided to go travelling with Leanna but that’s now been taken away from him. What do you think is next for Jacob?
I’m not really too sure what’s next for Jacob going forward. No doubt it’s going to take him a while to recover from what’s happened. He hasn’t been fully happy since everything that occured with Maya and now he’s had another layer of his character stripped away from him with the trauma of Leanna. But hopefully he can soon get back to his old happy, enthusiastic self.
Does he have any suspicions about Meena?
She has shown a softer side to Jacob after Leanna died. He still doesn’t trust her 100% but no one thinks for a second that Meena has anything to do with Leanna’s death.
Who will Jacob lean on for support?
Jacob is cared for by a lot of people in the village, obviously David and Leyla, but also his friends. Gabby, Liv, Amelia, Sampson all helped to create the send off he would have wanted for Leanna’s funeral. Although it’s going to be very hard for Jacob there will be people by his side the whole time to look out for him.
Was Jacob in love with Leanna? Do you think he will ever fully get over her death?
Although Jacob ended up jetting off to Portugal for a while, I really do think he felt something for Leanna as he came back with a ring ready to propose. Whether that was the right thing to do, probably not, he is still very young. But now she’s gone Jacob is going to feel huge amounts of regret and remorse for the way he acted with Leanna. He feels he should have cherished her more and never have left her. I don’t think Jacob will ever get over the trauma fully. However, he has people always willing to pull him out of that dark place.