Jason Watkins has opened up on his uncertainty of taking up the role of a man who lost his child – 12 years after his own daughter passed away.
The actor, 60, sadly lost his daughter Maude in 2011 after she developed a respiratory infection and subsequently sepsis. She was two years old.
But since, Jason has gone on to star in the new Channel 5 series The Catch, where he plays a fisherman struggling with the death of his son in an accident several years before.
Speaking about his hesitancy on taking up the role, Jason told The Times: ‘When I first read the script I thought, “Oh God, can I do that?”‘
He added: ‘I decided if I really looked after myself, I could go there. But I needed to be careful because it’s obviously a difficult place to tap into.’
Candid: Jason Watkins has opened up on his uncertainty of taking up the role of a man who lost his child – 12 years after his own daughter passed away
The actor has previously been very open about his journey with grief.
And speaking about the particular importance of men opening up, he said: ‘It’s really important for men.
‘In my experience they are most likely to drift away and try to deal with bereavement alone.
‘They struggle with the language of grief, so it’s important I step up. If I can help, I will.’
‘We are not ‘everything happens for a reason’ people,’ Jason added in his interview.
‘I don’t hold with that Forrest Gump attitude: life is a box of chocolates and you don’t know what you’re going to get. I felt we had been cheated and bullied by fate.
‘It was a random terrible act, and that made us determined to have another baby.’
Last month, the actor appeared on BBC‘s The One Show to discuss his role in the show.
Tragic: The actor, 60, sadly lost his daughter Maude in 2011 after she developed a respiratory infection and subsequently sepsis. She was two years old
Jason, who lost Maude on New Year’s Day in 2011, said he thought the show would be a good way of getting to ‘express’ his grief and hopefully help others.
He said: ‘I always wanted, and my wife Clara, we lost our daughter Maude to sepsis in 2011. We’re part of bereavement charities but one always wants to express oneself if you’re an artist to things that really matter.
‘Along came this script about a regular guy who’d lost a child and how it traumatised him and affected him and how he tried to cope with him.’
Interview: Jason discussed the death of his daughter Maude and how it releated to his role in new Channel 5 series The Catch
Jason said there were a few scenes he found ‘very difficult’ to film but considers himself lucky he got to tell such a story.
He said: ‘Perhaps it’s a male thing, that men perhaps try and cope: “I’m not going to go there, I’m not going to be emotional.”
‘I think that’s where men struggle mentally. Ed does that. I knew what I was taking on.
‘There are two or three scenes that were very difficult to film but we’re lucky as actors that we can share our stories in a way and hope that connects with the audience.’
In 2010 a persistent cough and consequent respiratory problems prompted two consecutive visits to a hospital A&E, where Maude was initially diagnosed with croup, a type of respiratory infection.
But within two weeks of developing her first symptoms she had died. She had in fact fallen victim to sepsis, an insidious illness in which the immune system reacts violently to infection, attacks its own tissue and eventually leads to organ failure.
Role: The actor appeared on BBC’s The One Show to discuss his role in the show, where he plays a fisherman struggling with the death of his son in an accident several years before
Sepsis, known as the ‘silent killer’, strikes when an infection such as blood poisoning sparks a violent immune response in which the body attacks its own organs.
If caught early enough, it’s easily treated with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, but these must be given as soon as sepsis is suspected – it strikes with frightening speed and, for every hour of delay, a patient’s chance of dying increases 8 per cent.
Earlier this month, the star and wife Clara marked 12 years since Maude’s death, with Jason also sharing a heartfelt tribute to his girl on Twitter.
So sad: In 2010 a persistent cough prompted two consecutive visits to a hospital A&E, where Maude was initially diagnosed with croup but two week later died from sepsis
Detailing how they marked the occasion, he told The Mirrror: ‘Clara and I both get quite emotional on that day and in the lead-up to the anniversary. We just walk to her bench as a family, and with friends, then everyone comes back to our house. It’s a nice thing to do.’
Jason and wife Clara – who already had an older daughter Bessie – decided to try for another child after Maude’s death.
Their son Gilbert, now 11, was born a year later.
Couple: Last month, the star and wife Clara marked 12 years since Maude’s death, with Jason also sharing a heartfelt tribute to his girl on Twitter (pictured 2019)
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