Eastenders star Chucky Venn has said that he is delighted to show a more serious side to his character Ray Dixon.
Earlier this week, viewers saw Ray telling his girlfriend Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) that he had been a victim of racial profiling. Kim encouraged Ray to focus his energy on something positive and suggested that he become a mentor to young people.
Speaking on This Morning about his upcoming storyline, Venn said: "For me, of course, I was very impressed by EastEnders for even making the choice to tackle such a pertinent, very relevant issue. It felt very close to my heart.
"It happened to me when I was younger a couple of times - I was stopped by the police for random reasons. I felt violated and disrespected, and their reasons as far as I'm concerned had no weight behind them. I thought, 'This just isn't right'. A number of my friends have experienced similar situations."
Asked about Kim's suggestion that Ray could become a mentor, Venn replied: "That's exactly what will be taking place. Ultimately he does start up a potential scheme for youths and kids to help empower them, so they can equip themselves in situations similar to that - [to have] a bit more self-respect, know how to carry themselves and not deal with it in a violent or aggressive manner."
Venn further explained that he hopes the storyline will help to make his character more well-rounded, adding: "It's about levels. There's different sides to every individual. It's nice that EastEnders have given me the opportunity to allow Ray to show the other sides. It just shows versatility."
