Craig Dean - Character Development

Character Development

Craig Dean was not at first outlined as harbouring homosexual feelings or tendencies. The character was originally scripted as heterosexual, and actor Guy Burnet wanted to maintain this aspect of the character in his portrayal. He relayed, "The thing that I wanted more than anything was to convey confusion – if Craig could go and sleep with John Paul and afterwards the audience can say 'hold on a minute – maybe he's not gay'… If I've provoked that question, then I've reached the goal I wanted to reach. If I'm confused, in turn Craig is confused and so is the audience – that's the way I see it."

Burnet was at first against the writers decision to have Craig become romantically involved with another male character. "I'll always be completely honest," he stated. "I'll always be real. The truth is that it was difficult to play. It was talked about for a long while and I felt uncomfortable with the idea because I didn't think it was justifiable. I thought 'how can you make a straight guy who's a bit of a cheeky chappy, loves the girls and has a sort of camp sense of humour, gay?'" Burnet stated that he sat down with the produces of the series. "It was sitting with Bryan and the other producers, discussing it and saying 'right, if we're going to do this, it's not a story about a character being gay, it's a story where we have to justify the guy's sexual confusion – why is he like this? And the most important thing is that he still has the love for the woman in his life'". Burnet conveyed that he does not see Craig as gay or bisexual, and was adamant on the series not portraying Craig as either. "It was a love for this one person," he cited, "which threw him." Burnet detailed, "Craig was always a lonely character. He never had that many friends surrounding him, even during the times of Bombhead and Lee. These guys were in a different year to him. He was always a lone soldier." Further elaborating on Craig and John Paul's connection, Burnet stated, "JP was not only a best friend but when he came out, it was a coming to terms moment for Craig – asking himself 'perhaps these feelings are OK to have for JP and I don't want to lose him as a mate'. It's confusion but it's also a love story – an obsession almost."

Burnet revealed that his main goal within acting is to provoke a reaction. "...and I don't just want to provoke a good reaction," he noted. "I want to provoke a reaction that's hatred – hate me, but hate the character. If I've achieved that, then that's great. Variation is fantastic." He stated, "The thing about Craig – whatever character you play is always going to be slightly similar to you. Whoever says that they're completely different is lying because it's your face, its your expression – it is you." He added, however, that the personality "might be completely different" and pointed out that personality-wise he is nothing like Craig. "There are a lot of parts that are similar, things that you draw from reality," he noted.

In regards to whether or not he became comfortable with portraying Craig's sexual attraction to John Paul, Burnet clarified: "Even towards the end, it was always difficult for me… You've got to remember that the room is full of people and it's not so much that which bothers you, but you're sitting there and – this isn't meant in a homophobic way – I just didn't feel comfortable doing it. It literally would be a silent set, we'd do it and hopefully it was one take and it was out of the way. That's a genuine answer."

In late 2007, Burnet decided to leave the series, stating that he wanted to pursue other acting ventures. However, he agreed to return to the series in late 2008. "I’ve had so much support from fans since I left the show, so it’s great to have the opportunity to reprise the storyline and give viewers a resolution to the Craig and John Paul story," he revealed. Burnet's return was revealed on 10 June 2008. The exact date was revealed to be the 2 September.

Burnet cited his appreciation for the show giving him a unique character to portray, while maintaining the distinct difference between John Paul's sexuality and Craig's. "I really appreciate the freedom and the opportunities that they've given me to really make something different of this storyline, not just the conventional 'coming out' storyline – it's been a sexual confusion storyline," he stated. "For James, it's been a 'coming out' storyline but for me, I really didn't want to mimic that or mirror it any way. It's important to show something different, something original and they gave me the freedom to do that. I'll never forget that."