Why I’ll never go back to EastEnders where even the dog got more fan mail than me, Jake Wood reveals

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AFTER 15 years of drama on Albert Square, it’s no surprise Jake Wood needed a break.

Having been away from Walford for over a year, the 50-year-old has no plans to return – despite it being his most recognisable role.

Jake is enjoying being able to be picky about his next role after leaving EastEnders

The dad-of-two says he refuses to be typecast and claims he’s turned down roles because he’s earned the right to be picky.

Jake, who is working with the Diana Award for its anti-bullying assembly, tells HOAR: “I’ve been acting since I was 10 years old so now all I want to do is stuff that excites me.

“I don’t feel I have to prove anything and I don’t want to be working for workings’ sake.

“Whether my next move is a Netflix project or a big film, who knows.”

Jake’s last role was in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story in the West End, where he starred alongside Lily Allen, for just over a month last year.

He says he took the part because it was “probably the best play I’d ever read”.

When it comes to new projects, Jake admits being a dad of teenagers means he’ll think twice about more risqué roles – despite his buff body.

He says everything has to be “right for all of us” – but that hasn’t stopped him showing off his ripped physique on Instagram, which he puts down to running marathons.

Jake’s character Max Branning had an affair with his son’s girlfriend Stacey

Jake’s Enders character Max Branning was known as a womaniser; one of his most famous storylines saw him seduce his own son Bradley’s girlfriend Stacey Slater.

Their affair carried on even after Bradley and Stacey got married, culminating in an epic Christmas Day showdown in 2007 which saw them exposed to the whole family.

Jake admits he was chuffed to be named “weird crush of the year” by Heat magazine three years in a row – but he’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

He tells us: “I got hit by an old woman with her handbag in a supermarket once. She was telling me to leave Stacey alone.

“That was quite funny really. She didn’t hit me hard but I did try and tell her I was there with my family and that I’m not really Max, but I don’t think she was listening.

“She was just supporting Stacey which was sweet. Given soaps are in people’s living rooms most nights it was nice that she was so invested.”

Fan mail

Wellard the dog used to receive sacks of fan mail

Despite his character’s bad boy ways, Jake says fans are mainly positive and he’s never been so badly trolled that he’s had to involve the police – unlike some of his colleagues.

In his heyday EastEnders would draw up to 14 million viewers – but one unexpected star got more attention than most.

“When I started I didn’t realise that Wellard got sacks full of fan mail, as did a lot of the cast,” he says.

“They used to send photos back of him with a paw print in response. It was quite cute.

“You have to take it with a pinch of salt – if Wellard is getting sack loads of mail it says something. Everyone on that show is going to get a lot of attention. It’s a lovely thing.”

Future of soaps

He likes to show off his ripped physique on Instagram

While the door has been left ajar for Max to return, Jake has no plans to return anytime soon.

But he’s confident that despite dwindling ratings, soaps will endure.

He says: “They’re a British tradition. It doesn’t surprise me that viewing habits have changed. The stories they tell are universal so I think people will always watch them.

“People access things in a different way now – I was told a while ago that EastEnders is one of the most downloaded shows.”

Lasting legacy

Jake was close to co-star Dame Barbra Windsor until her death in December 2020 and remains friends with her widower Scott Mitchell.

The pandemic meant that it was hard for him to support the couple due to lockdown, but he is in awe of how well Scott has handled the complexities of Barbara’s dementia.

He said: “Scott has dealt with it with such dignity, I’m just so proud of him for achieving that.”

Jake praised former PM Boris Johnson for announcing a £95million funding boost for research into finding treatments and cures for dementia in Barbara’s memory.

He says: “I saw first-hand the effect it had on Barbara and those around her, it’s really difficult.

“I know the government made a pledge to fund research when she was alive and it’s great to see that has come through.

“I think she’d be extremely proud that this is part of her legacy and I’m extremely proud of Scott for all the work he’s done in her name.

“It’s an awful disease and the sooner they find a cure for it the better.”

The Big Anti-Bullying Assembly’from The Diana Award and Nationwide Building Society will be shown in primary schools and homes nationwide on October 3. For more information visit www.thebigantibullyingassembly.com

Max was close with Dame Barbara and thinks Boris’s pledge is fantastic