Fair City actor John Cronin has said his character Will has constructed a version of reality in which he is the victim and not his former partner Cristiano.
Will's abuse of Cristiano culminated in a brutal physical attack where Will left him for dead. He is now facing charges of assault causing harm, false imprisonment and criminal damage - with fans hoping that Cristiano will see justice done.
In Wednesday night's episode, Will, going against the advice of his counsel, takes to the stand at his trial.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Cronin spoke about how Will's "ego and arrogance" is fuelling him, how he has constructed a narrative to suit himself, and how he confident he feels ahead of the verdict being announced.
Was Will blindsided after Dolores took to the stand and lambasted him? Did he expect to be able to control her, like the way he's manipulated others?
I don’t think Will felt he could control Dolores necessarily but he felt he had placed enough psychological and emotional pressure on her in the lead up to the trial to bring her onto his side. He didn’t think it would be easy and it took all of his skills of manipulation. But then as ever with Will he’s at his most effective when his back is to the wall. Ironically it is at the very moment where he feels he’s winning that he usually slips up and he does so again by making an unguarded comment that Dolores overhears…
Will told Phoebe not to attend the trial – was he secretly worried that she might turn against him?
Yes. Will has told Phoebe a very limited and self-serving version of what happened between himself and Cris and he is confident that he has poisoned her sufficiently against Mairead, Damien and Cris that nothing they can say will shake her faith in him. However I think he fears that the cold facts of the case presented in detail in the courtroom might make the scales fall from her eyes. Phoebe's regard is everything to Will now. He can take that everybody in the community hates him so long as he has her love and admiration.
He went against the advice of his counsel and decided to take to the stand at the trial. What motivated him?
Ego and arrogance. His pride is bruised by Dolores' testimony and he is determined to have the last word. But his Achilles heel here is his arrogance. He genuinely believes himself to be the smartest person in that courtroom and that he has the wit and eloquence to run rings around the prosecutor, the judge and indeed the jury. As we see, he is sadly mistaken…
Is he so divorced from reality that he believes his own lies, or does he just think he can control those around him?
I think its a mixture of both. Will's ego won’t allow him to admit the terrible things he has done. He is so committed to his sense of himself as a good man that he has constructed a version of reality where he is the victim and any wrong that he did was only a reaction to a greater wrong done to him. It's his full commitment to this narrative that makes him so convincing. He also does genuinely believe himself to be smarter than those around him and so capable of convincing anyone of anything. Often he is right but he usually overestimates himself in the end.
How confident is Will ahead of the verdict being announced?
I think he feels its 50:50. He knows he messed up on the stand and lost the advantage that he had built up through the good work of his barrister so I think its hanging in the balance for him. And it's an incredibly nervous time.
The verdict will have a huge impact on Phoebe and Mairead, is Will worried about turning Phoebe against her mother, or does he think only of himself?
No. At this point he is thinking only of himself. He does love Phoebe and ultimately he probably does want what's best for her but he is arrogant enough to believe that what's best for her is to be by his side, even if that means she ends up cut off from everyone else in her life... and the trial has increased the divide between Will and Mairead so much that its hard to see how Phoebe can have a relationship with both going forward. And in that case Will is determined to keep her with him.
Will continues to try and intimidate Cristiano when waiting to hear the verdict and comes out with some really nasty stuff, do you think his fury over the trial is fueling him?
Well it goes back to Will and his version of reality. We all know that Will abused Cristiano terribly, psychologically, emotionally and physically. But Will cannot acknowledge that to himself or anyone else so he’s constructed a reality where he is the victim and in that reality Cristiano is the one who caused all of the trouble in the first place and is now persecuting Will out of pure malice. So the anger and resentment he feels towards Cris is genuine even though to any objective observer its completely unfair and delusional.
Did you feel a lot of responsibility as an actor taking on the domestic abuse storyline?
I feel the responsibility is collective. From producers, writers, directors and cast once a decision is made to do a storyline on this sort of domestic abuse there is a massive responsibility to treat it with respect and sensitivity and with an appreciation that people will very likely be watching who have suffered abuse like that being portrayed. Within that my individual responsibility is just to play the role of Will as well and as honestly as I can.
Fair City airs on RTÉ One on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
