Casualty's Charles Venn reveals he discovered sister's tragic death while filming show
Casualty star Charles Venn, who plays Jacob Masters on the BBC medical drama, has opened up about the heartbreaking moment he discovered his sister had died while filming
Casualty actor Charles 'Chucky' Venn has shared the emotional turmoil he experienced while filming the popular BBC series.
Portraying paramedic Jacob Masters, known for his supportive nature on-screen, Charles found comfort in his castmates after receiving devastating personal news just before a scheduled break from shooting.
Only two days shy of his intended annual leave, the 52-year-old Londoner learned of his sister's sudden death.
In the midst of grief, he continued with his shooting commitments, leaning on his co-stars for support, reflecting on them as family.
Describing to the Mirror the most difficult part of being involved in a medical drama, Charles said: "It's about being switched on and delivering when the camera says 'action'.
"You might be all over the place in rehearsals, just figuring it out, mapping out what's going on and how you're going to deliver this.
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"But when the camera rolls, you deliver because we're presenting a show for our audience."
Charles Venn plays Jacob Masters on Casualty
(Image: BBC )
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Charles added, touching upon his personal struggles: "We're humans like everybody else, and then we go through what we go through. Speaking for myself, I've had challenges and still somehow being able to deliver, that's the hardest challenge."
He continued: "In my case, when my junior sister passed away, unexpectedly, this would have been three years ago on June 7. I was in my hotel room. I had to go to work the next day. She officially passed away around 4am. I had two days at work before I was due to go home," reports the Mirror.
"In my insane mind, I thought I could get through those two days. I really thought I would. It was still very raw in my head and my brain.
"I came to work, I was subdued, anybody who knows me would tell you I'm lively, full of energy, but I was very subdued, and it was still reeling, what just happened was very raw."
The actor was working the week he discovered the news of his sister's death
(Image: BBC )
Reflecting on the support he received at work, he continued, "I believe I got through the scene, I think I did, someone asked me 'Are you ok?' in my dressing room and of course, I wasn't. They were kind enough to let me go home.
"But it's the that same thing of despite what's going on, the challenges, being able to put that to the side and deliver a performance, play the scene, play what's required for the character to tell his story - that's the biggest challenge."
Charles, who first made waves in Casualty back on July 18, 2015, has become a beloved character among the audience and co-workers over nearly a decade.
Charles opened up about the support he received from co-stars
(Image: BBC )
When speaking about his tenure on the show, he expressed surprise at its length: "I never foresaw that," referring to his long-standing role.
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Expanding on his feelings towards the supportive environment on set, Charles remarked, "It's such a familiar feeling here and you feel as though you're not going through anything on your own.
"There's always someone to talk to and that's beautiful, it's really refreshing, somewhat rare. Any changes, interfaceable, it doesn't matter. As a team, guaranteed, we'll get through it together."
Casualty airs Sundays at 8:50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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