As Fair City gears up for more drama this Christmas, we caught up with actor Michael Sheehan to see what's in store for Dean.
Dean knows the truth about Cian trying to sabotage Dearbhla's business venture by posting a photo to Instagram. Does his loyalty to Cian stop him from telling her?
I don't believe Dean has any loyalty to Cian. I believe his decision to not tell Dearbhla is twofold. First of all, it's his feelings for Dearbhla. He cares deeply about her and doesn't want to see her get hurt. I think there's almost an element of him feeling sorry for Cian. Dean has done a lot of stupid things himself and lived to tell the tale. I think he gives Cian the benefit of the doubt and takes the view that it was an honest mistake and not anything malicious. Whether he's correct about that we will have to wait and see.
Does Dean feel bad for concealing the truth?
Yes, he is definitely conflicted. Dean is a direct guy and isn't afraid to speak his mind. Secrets and deception aren't his thing. I think he's very protective of his friendship with Dearbhla and would see the withholding of this information as betrayal of her trust.
Is Dean convinced Cian and Dearbhla are good for one another?
Dean doesn't trust Cian at all. He just wants Dearbhla to be OK, but there is something about Cian that doesn't feel right to him. He sees him as very spoilt and dishonest. Everything Dean is not.
If Cian and Dearbhla end up splitting, does Dean think that he'd be good for her?
I'm not 100% sure Dean harbours romantic feelings for Dearbhla. He absolutely adores her, obviously, and would do anything for her. But I think when they broke up originally Dean knew that he was a little older and that Dearbhla needed space to herself, so I think he was happy to maintain the friendship. Who knows, though? It wouldn't take much for him to fall back into a relationship again.
Will all of this pale into insignificance as Christmas plays out?
Christmas always heightens emotions and relationships can sometimes get more intense, so I very much doubt it.
Do you know what's ahead for Dean in 2022? What would you like to see happen?
I have no idea what happens in 2022. However, the Christmas period, we have filmed those scenes and I guarantee the audience will be shocked. So tune in. As far as the future holds, I just hope to get good meaty stories.
Fair City airs on RTÉ One on Sundays and Tuesdays to Thursdays.
