Emmerdale star Jurell Carter responds to Nate's sad exit
Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale aired Jurell Carter's final scenes this week as he bowed out from his role as Nate Robinson.
Nate left the village to take on a new job in Shetland, heading off alone following some explosive rows with his dad Cain and estranged wife Tracy.
The farmhand's final storyline saw him wrongly accused of betraying his family by starting an affair with his stepmum Moira again. Moira sparked the confusion by making a move on Nate, which was witnessed by Caleb Miligan.
It was only after Nate left the village that Tracy and Cain both learned that Nate was innocent and Moira was behaving erratically due to the symptoms of a brain tumour.
Here, Jurell reflects on his departure from Emmerdale after five years with the show.
How is Nate feeling after his dramatic week?
"The fact that Tracy initially agreed to go to Shetland with Nate was huge. He was quite taken aback by it. I don't think he expected Tracy to go to a completely different location, especially somewhere so far away.
"Now that it's all gone so wrong with both Tracy and Cain, I think Nate is just devastated. All he's ever wanted is a relationship with his father. As far as Nate's concerned, Moira came onto him, so he's just devastated and heartbroken after being wrongly accused.
"As Cain believed Nate would do such a thing, he's taken their relationship back to square one. Nate is just heartbroken that Cain thinks he has gone there again."
Did you have a fight arranger on set for the scene where Cain attacked Nate?
"Yeah, we had a fight arranger. The scene was understandable from Cain's point of view, because he thought Nate and Moira were having an affair again. Nate chose not to fight back because I don't think he could even imagine harming Cain again.
"Nate understands the frustration that Cain's holding. The fight was amazing to do, but from Nate's perspective, it was heartbreaking to be going down that road again."
It looked like Nate would get a happy ending, but things went wrong very quickly…
"Yes, Nate wanted a relationship with Cain and to be part of the whole Dingle family. That's been massive for him and he felt that he'd got everything together. He had the Dingles, he had Tracy, he had Frankie.
"Now it feels like everything is just falling apart overnight. It's huge for him, as family is everything to Nate. So this was a pivotal moment in terms of Nate going forward and his decision to leave everyone behind. It's not what he wanted to do, but he's been left with no choice."
Why was Nate planning to leave in the first place?
"Nate's initial decision of moving to Shetland was for his family. He just felt stuck in a rut. He was working at the farm and wasn't making a massive amount of money. He mentioned that he could barely afford to rent a place on his current wage, so he knew that things had to change. Moving to Shetland was the drastic change that he needed.
"Nate wanted to have his own space for him, Frankie and his family unit. Everything has now shattered apart, as he's lost his family and everything else."
Does part of Nate feel guilty for leaving Frankie behind?
"Yeah, of course. He's an old-school gentleman in that way. He feels like he has to provide and take care of his family – Tracy and Frankie – so not having that is huge for him.
"Nate just feels helpless, because he was trying to convince Cain and Tracy that Moira came onto him, but nobody really believed him and they shut him out."
How was it to say goodbye to all of your friends on Emmerdale?
"It's been massive for me as well. The character of Nate and myself share a mindset of wanting to go onto a next chapter, but also feeling emotional and sad over leaving everything behind. That's how I feel as an actor, in terms of leaving a show that I love.
"Before I left, I would speak to some of my colleagues and say it's a weird one, because it's not like I hate my job. It's not like I hate my surroundings or the people that I'm working with. I love everyone and I love the job.
"I'm excited for my future, but I'm also sad to be leaving behind such a beautiful show and beautiful people."
It was your decision to leave. Was that a conscious career choice to move on?
"Yeah, it's always been in the back of my head. My agent was itching for me to go probably a few years ago, but I said to him that it didn't feel like the right time, I was in the right place and I'd know when the time is right. It never felt like the right time.
"But I feel like I've reached the point where it's now or never. If I don't do it now, I'll always be wondering 'what if?' I just didn't want that feeling. I feel like five years is the perfect time for me as an actor to try and move onto something else."
What are your fondest memories?
"It will probably seem like a cop-out answer, but every time I was on set, I was always having a great time with people who I enjoy being around. Especially when we did the big Dingle scenes – everyone's a friend.
"The Dingles became not just mentors but like a family to me. It's been such a tight-knit family feel on set and even being around the building, I feel like I'm at home there.
"I've got so many memories, but every time I worked with the other actors on set – especially the Dingles – it's always been special memories and a really nice experience to be part of."
What was your favourite storyline?
"I will never forget the massive fallout of Nate and Moira's affair with all the boat stunts, for so many reasons. It was intense, dramatic and there was so much adrenaline rushing through that whole week.
"That was such a pivotal moment for me as an actor, but even going on from then, there was the reconciliation of trying to get in with the Dingles. They'll always be my favourite scenes.
"Even scenes with the family unit – Tracy and Eden, who plays Frankie. They'll always be part of my fondest memories there as well. Eden who plays Frankie is such a beautiful girl and we've got a special relationship.
"There are so many things I'm going to miss – the fallout, the drama, the lovey-dovey scenes, just all of it. There's so many memories."
Did you have a leaving party?
"They really spoiled me, mainly the Dingles! They organised a party at a music hall and they bought me gifts, gift cards and champagne.
"I told myself on my last day of filming that I was going to be fine, I was making the right decision and I was going onto the next chapter. But as soon as Jeff [Hordley, who plays Cain] started his speech for me, I started getting emotional and I didn't think that was going to happen. This was in the village and you know how beautiful the village is.
"Basically, there's a running joke at work because everyone seems to love the smell of the fragrance that I use, but I never tell anyone what I'm wearing!
"Jeff mentioned that they'd got me a gift card for one of my favourite fragrance places. He joked: 'No-one needs to know!' But obviously that's for me to go and get my favourite fragrance."
Did they figure out the right shop, then?
"Yeah they did, because cheekily, Amy [Walsh] who plays Tracy was asking about gifts and things like that and she mentioned about fragrances. I told her where she could go to get some nice fragrances and obviously she clocked on that that's my favourite spot.
"They really spoiled me. It was a beautiful send-off, just being around people I love and people I care about. It meant a lot, because they all mean a lot to me as well."
Did you take any souvenirs?
"They gifted me my first script and they all signed it with some really nice messages. That's a present I will keep forever. Jeff took my dressing room name label and gave it to me. Just little stuff like that, but it means everything. I'll always treasure it."
Will you keep watching Emmerdale to see what the Dingles are up to?
"Of course. It's going to be weird because even now, there's such a big cast so we have a few weeks off here, a month off there. At the minute it feels like I've just got some time off and I'm going back soon. But knowing that I'm not, it's such a weird feeling.
"I'm definitely going to be supportive because we do some amazing storylines, like the story with Eden's character Belle at the minute, which she's playing beautifully. I'm definitely going to be watching and supporting because I've made friends for life with the cast, so it's special."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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