Casualty's Iain Dean star says character has 'reckless DNA' after huge stunt scenes
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Stevenson, who plays Iain Dean in Casualty, has been at the centre of some of the show's most explosive stunts in recent months.
Casualty: Iain performs dramatic underwater rescue
Casualty star Michael Stevenson is usually at the thick of the action as heroic paramedic Iain Dean on the long-running BBC medical drama. In recent weeks he has been part of two huge stunts that wouldn't be out of place in Hollywood action movies.
Firstly a few weeks ago he was caught in the middle of a motorway pile-up with crashes and explosions happening all around him. Then, in the most recent episode, he performed a daring underwater rescue saving a man trapped in a car that had driven into a lake.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk the actor admitted the huge set pieces are his favourite part of the show. Despite his character always being in the thick of it, he thinks he is "lucky."
"The stunts, for me, that's my favourite part of the job. I'm very lucky that the show allows me to do the stunts.
"And although Iain gets himself into situations and maybe there are times where we need to let somebody else jump into the water, for me as an actor, it's the most, biggest privilege that the show gives me," he enthused.
Michael actually filmed the dramatic underwater rescue which aired on June 22 last January at Pinewood Studios' famous underwater stage. He took to his Instagram at the time to express his excitement at getting to work in the legendary studio.
"Feeling pretty bl**dy lucky to have spent two days filming at the legendary @pinewoodstudios. This is a dream come true for me to be on a studio lot steeped in so much film history," he wrote alongside a selfie outside the underwater stage.
Unfortunately for his alter ego his bravery wasn't very well received by girlfriend Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell).
His recklessness reminded her of her late husband Paramedic Lev Malinovsky (Uriel Emil) who lost his life in 2021 when he was hit by a train after being called out to a crash on the tracks.
"I know you always go above and beyond for your patients and for your friends and for me. But you jumped in a lake and you've cut your arm and I'm grateful because it could have been a lot worse," she said. "Remember what happened to Lev? Iain if anything ever happened to you I would just..." she choked up.
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As he tried to reassure her nothing was going to happen, she told him: "I'm not gonna stop worrying about it, am I? When you jumped in the water did you even think of me?
"It's not just me, there are three kids who adore the ground you walk on and we come as a family and we're your family if you want us. I just need you to stop doing stupid things, I need you to think and be safe and not do stupid dangerous things to yourself," she cried.
It appears her pleas may fall on deaf ears however as Michael believes Iain just can't help himself. "His instinct is to go and be the hero or do the reckless thing. That works out well usually, but it's in his DNA. At his very core he is somebody that will risk his life in order to save a life," he admitted.
Fans will have to wait until Saturday, July 13 to see if he gets into any more reckless situations as the show takes a break tonight (July 6) for Wimbledon.
Previous episodes of Casualty are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.