Jason Durr reveals the secret meaning behind David Hide’s home-life in Casualty. There’s much more to come!
By the time the credits rolled in Casualty in August 31st's episode, nurse David Hide had bravely rescued his son Ollie from drowning, thoughtfully realised his ex-wife Rosalene needed a break, and subsequently invited Ollie (Harry Collett) to live with him for a while.
But before all that kicked off the clever people at Casualty treated us to a rare glimpse of enigmatic nurse David at home. And there's more of Mr Hide at home to come very soon!
We talked to Jason Durr, who plays David in Casualty, for the inside story on David’s private life…
It was a real treat seeing David at home in Casualty. The attention to detail was wonderful…
Jason Durr: "It’s absolutely true that the devil is in the detail! Detail is what the audience pick up on. Detail in performances or the things that surround a character in their life speak volumes. Casualty is a very collaborative process. The Art Department, scriptwriters and I all talked because it’s really important to get those details right and you don’t have a huge amount of time to show them."
The tattoos on display were stunning – are they yours or David’s?
JD: "The tattoos are David. They were a decision of mine right at the very beginning. You just don’t expect David to have those sorts of tattoos. They’re very beautiful. And these specific tattoos say a huge amount about where he’s been, what he’s about, his history..."
We’d love to know more about them…
JD: "We don’t often get to see inside David’s heart and soul. That idea that you as the audience are getting a front row seat into this guy’s life, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It’s really important to constantly ask questions about David, while leaving them unanswered and letting people make their own decision. Then maybe, one day, explaining them!"
MORE: Jason Durr reveals how David's daring rescue of Ollie was filmed
What do you think this episode reveals about David at this point in his life?
JD: "It shows a really deep, rounded, slightly fragile but at the same time funny, quirky guy. David’s lovely. He’s compassionate and kind yet so multifaceted and always there for everybody else."
There was a touching moment when David, his ex-wife Rosalene (Lorraine Pilkington) and her new partner Mark (Alex Avery) open up to each other at the end of the episode…
JD: "You look at David, and he’s quite a damaged character. Ollie’s a damaged character. Rosalene is quite damaged character. So putting lots of damaged characters together, who are trying to help each other mend is always rather beautiful to watch."
Will we see more of his home life in the future?
JD: "We do… You’ll get to see behind the mask as we start to delve a bit more deeply into what makes David tick, how he works, how he lives his life and what matters to him."
Can you reveal whether things will change substantially after Ollie moves in?
JD: "Going forward there’s a whole sort-of-triangle between David, Rosa (Jacey Salles), Ollie and Rosalene… and lots of scope for fireworks!"
Before we let you go we’ve (another) bumbag question… Does David have a collection of them and will we ever get to see them?
JD: [Laughter] "If you were able to open up David’s wardrobe you’d be able to see a collection of 15 to 20 bumbags hanging up. We can’t give away too much, too soon, but there will come a day when the audience will see all his bumbags. That’s a promise!"
Will David’s meticulous home life be turned upside down when Ollie comes to stay? Find out as Casualty continues on Saturday evenings on BBC1 this Autumn.
