Sean Slater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| EastEnders character | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sean Slater | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Robert Kazinsky | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Kate Harwood | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2006–2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 22 August 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Single | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | 23 Albert Square | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Bartender, former soldier | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sean Slater is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is played by Robert Kazinsky.[1] Sean left the Square temporarily on 27 March 2007, as Kazinsky was suspended from work for two months.[2] He returned on 28 May 2007.[3] It was announced on 18 January 2008 that Kazinsky will leave the show in October 2008, and the character will remain on screen until the end of the year.[4]
Contents |
Creation
Sean was created as an addition to the soap's existing Slater family - comprised initially of sister Stacey Slater and mother Jean. He was first mentioned on 9 December 2005 when his sister, Stacey, unfolded a family picture to reveal a fourth member (Sean).[5] It was first announced on 13 April 2006 that the character would be joining EastEnders in the coming months,[6] with the revelation made that: "He's going to enter the Square with a bang and will be at the centre of some of the biggest storylines of the year."[7] A month later, on 18 May 2006, it was announced that Rob Kazinsky had been cast in the role of Sean. Kazinsky said of his casting: "I've grown up with EastEnders so I can't quite believe I'll soon be part of the Slater family."[8]
Development
Kazinsky has described his character as "a raging psychopath".[9] Explaining in greater detail his understanding of Sean's personality, he has expanded:
- He’s a violent person with a violent disposition. He lashes out. He can’t differentiate between friend or foe and he won’t allow anyone to get close to him. [...] He’s not naturally aggressive; he chooses to be because it gets a reaction. It’s a cry for help. The reason he challenges the alpha male characters in the Square is that he wants a father figure. He wants someone who can basically run him into the ground, then take him under his wing. [...] He’s a nice guy, a good kid. He does the things he does because he just wants someone to help him. He’s a charming, affable guy when he wants to be. It’s just that you don’t cross him, ever.[10]
Kazinsky has also spoken extensively on several of his character's romantic relationships, declaring in August 2007 that: "Until he knows himself and can forgive himself and actually let his guard down, he’s never going to be in a position where he can give to anybody other than himself. At the moment he’s a completely selfish, self-serving character."[10] At the time, he speculated that "There’s not a single woman who can bring him out of himself, because he’s plagued by inner turmoil. Women can have a tempestuous fling with Sean, but they can’t ever have love with him, because he doesn’t love himself."[10] This idea was expanded on during the character's relationship with Tanya Branning, of which Kazinsky explained: "I don't believe he loves Tanya, I think he's obsessed with her which is a different thing entirely. I think that unconsciously he wants to pay homage to his dad Brian by being the father that he was. And stepping into Max's shoes and taking over his family would have helped him to do that. It's all to do with the guilt he felt over killing his father which is silly really. He didn't stick a knife in him or anything. He hit him and the next day he died of an aneurism. But as a 16-year-old boy Sean blamed it on himself."[11]
In January 2007, Kazinsky was suspended from the show for a period of two months, following allegations he had sent raunchy, inappropriate text messages to a model.[12] The character was temporarily written out of the soap, with a statement released by the BBC which explained: "Following the story in the Sunday People on January 7 2007, EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer has taken the decision to suspend Robert Kazinsky from early February for a period of two months. In addition, Robert Kazinsky would like to apologise for any offence caused to EastEnders' viewers and for bringing the show into disrepute."[13]
On 18 January 2008, it was announced that the character was to be written out of EastEnders following Kazinsky's decision to quit the soap. The actor said of his decision: "If I had done everything I wanted to do as an actor before I joined EastEnders I would have wanted to stay forever. I have really enjoyed my time with the show - it's such a wonderful place to work and it's become more like a second home to me. I'll be sad to leave."[14]
Storylines
Sean arrived in Walford on 22 August, 2006, to take revenge on the newly arrived Al, who had caused Sean to lose his job in the armed forces. He broke into Al's flat, and later followed him into the Queen Victoria pub where, by chance, he saw his sister Stacey, whom he had lost contact with following the death of their father, Brian. After taking revenge on Al, Sean decided to stay in Walford to look after his sister.
Sean immediately started to pursue Tanya Branning, before deciding to start a relationship with Ruby Allen after discovering her to be wealthy. Sean proposed to Ruby, but continued to pursue Tanya and slept with numerous other women, including Karin Jones and Preeti Choraria. When Ruby's father died, she became infatuated with Sean, interfering in his relationships with his family, including his bipolar mother Jean, who Sean could not abide. Sean was furious when Ruby informed Jean that he was back in town; he threw Ruby's father's ashes at her and dumped her.
Sean then started a relationship with Chelsea Fox, but slept with her stepsister Carly Wicks, causing a multitude of rows in the process. Scorned, Chelsea enlisted the help of Carly's brother Deano and attempted to frame Sean for the assault of shopkeeper Patrick Trueman. Sean's attempt to escape arrest failed, and only made him look guilty. He was wrongfully imprisoned. From prison, Sean orchestrated an attack on Deano, so Carly broke up with him; however, she later discovered Chelsea in possession of CCTV footage, proving Sean was innocent of Patrick's assault. Despite her family's protests, Carly handed the footage into the police. Sean was subsequently released, and Deano and Chelsea were arrested for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Sean took revenge by cutting Chelsea's hair while she slept, and assaulting Deano.
Sean was furious when he discovered that Stacey had been sleeping with Max Branning, the father of her fiancée Bradley. He tried to put a stop to Stacey and Bradley's wedding, but eventually allowed it to go ahead. The affair was discovered on Christmas day 2007, and Sean comforted Max's wife Tanya in her hour of need. They became involved, and Sean confessed to her that he was responsible for his father's death. He had punched his father in the head, and the next day, Brian had collapsed and fallen from some scaffolding. Unable to cope with the guilt, Sean had fled, leaving Stacey to look after their mentally unstable mother.
Tanya pretended to split up with Sean and reunite with Max, but secretly the two conspired to bury her husband alive. Tanya later released Max, much to Sean's surprise, scorning and rejecting him. He took the rejection hard, and began a casual relationship with Roxy Mitchell, as well as tormenting his flatmate Gus Smith. He revealed that he planned to kill Gus and make it look like suicide. Before he could go through with this, he was stopped by Stacey, who decided he would move back in with the Slaters. Roxy and Sean split up. Gus revealed to the Slaters that Sean was involved in drugs. Sean was locked in his room but escaped by climbing down the drainpipe. He made a show of disposing of the drugs but what he really threw away was his mum's baking powder. He later told Stacey that he was keeping the drugs for an army friend and continued to deal them in secret.
Sean recently warned Tanya that he will kill the next man she goes with. He later saw Tanya leaving Jack Branning's flat as she and her girls had lunch with him. He broke the window and entered Tanya's house with a bleeding hand. Tanya reasoned with him and told him that he hasd to find someone else to save him. He accepted this eventually and left. He later saw Jack outside the club with Ronnie and Roxy, and attacked him, but was stunned when Ronnie revealed that Roxy was pregnant as he could be the father. Thinking Jean knew of the pregnancy, he smashed the dishes on the table in anger and then took her in his uncle's cab to the place where is dad died. To explain away his cut hand, he pretended he had slit his wrist. He calmed down eventually and brought her home. Having come round to the idea, he offered to be a father to Roxy's baby.
Roxy refused but Stacey told Sean he had rights as the father. She persuaded him to calm down slightly or he would scare Roxy to death. He turned up with flowers but Peggy pretended Roxy wasn't in. Sean found out she was and left a message, only asking if they could talk. When Roxy did not respond, he took a cherry picker from Bradley's site and raised himself to her window. He ttold her that he knew that he was not the best dad and knew that everyone on the square thought he was crazy. He explained about a friend in the army who feared death becausehe would leave his child fatherless. Sean also told her he had grown not to be afraid of or care about death but that he now wished to fear death and have a loving family. Roxy pretebded to give him another chance. He lowered himself down and everyone applauded.
Chelsea returned the drugs packet to Sean and a man overhearing told Sean he wished to score. Sean reluctantly told him this was his last packet ad the last time he would sell drugs. The punter confronted Sean when he found out it was sugar and Sean in turn confronted Chelsea who admitted sheused the cocaine and replaced it withsugar. Sean treated his family to fish and chips and invited Roxy along too, unaware that Roxy was playing him and was secretly planning to return to Ibiza. When Stacey told him, Sean stopped Roxy getting in the taxi and everyone went inside to talk. Peggy reasoned with Sean, saying that two people can't get together merely for the sake of a baby. However, when Sean started to become angry, Peggy told him he needed help not a baby. Eventually he relented and allowed Ronnie and Roxy to leave. Sean confided to Stacey that he did not want his child to look at him the way he looked at Jean. He decided to leave the square. Stacey saw him off and hugged him goodbye.
References
- ^ "A new man in town", bbc.co.uk. URl last accessed 2007-11-22
- ^ "BBC soap suspends 'obscene' actor", BBC News. URL last accessed 2007-11-22
- ^ "Dawn thinks Rob may propose", Digital Spy. URL last accessed 2007-11-21.
- ^ "Two EastEnders actors quit soap", Digital Spy. URL last accessed 2008-01-18.
- ^ BBC - EastEnders - Episodes - Stacey admits defeat
- ^ Kris Green. "'EastEnders' character clear-up", Digital Spy, 13 April 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ Kris Green. "EXCLUSIVE: Sean Slater WILL BE joining the Square", Digital Spy, 16 April 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ Kris Green. "'Enders character Sean Slater finally cast", Digital Spy, 18 May 2006. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ Rob Kazinsky's psychopathic love. lifestyleextra.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ a b c Rob Kazinsky on Sean Slater. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
- ^ Tanya's about to meet the REAL Sean Slater. What's On TV (20 March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ "UPDATED: Rob Kazinsky apologises to 'Enders viewers", Digital Spy. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ "EastEnders star Kazinsky suspended following sex scandal", Ireland Online. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ Kris Green. "UPDATED: Two 'EastEnders' actors quit soap", Digital Spy, 18 January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
External links
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