Emmerdale spoilers follow, while this article also discusses subject matter such as modern slavery.
Though Bear Wolf has been spared some time behind bars, Emmerdale star Joshua Richards has explained that his character will have some long-term effects following his horrifying ordeal at the hands of Celia Daniels and Ray Walters.
Bear was at the centre of a modern slavery storyline on the ITV soap over the past few months, and killed Ray. He was charged with murder and headed to court, but was found not guilty by a jury earlier this week.
ITV
Related: Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw reveals “final piece in the jigsaw” at Home Farm
Though his son Paddy was given a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice, things are somewhat looking up for Bear as the village rallied around him, with a job offer at the depot coming his way.
“Everybody is being supportive towards him, but it’s taken a little bit of time to get himself back into a community where he does feel properly supported,” explained the actor during an appearance on the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap.
Despite the community coming together, Richards shared that it won’t be so simple for Bear to move past his trauma, with the actor noting: “He did have a very bad time that led him into this unfortunate predicament.
“I don’t think that will go away so easily. He has trust issues now, with what he believed to be right with Ray. He realised that he’d been duped and fooled, which made him feel very sad and stupid. I think his distrust is still very prevalent.”
ITV
Related: Emmerdale’s Jurell Carter lands next big TV role alongside Hollyoaks villain
Furthermore, Bear will also harbour a degree of guilt regarding the court trial. While he and Dylan Penders were found not guilty, Paddy wasn’t so lucky, and Richards explained that his character will be worried regarding his son’s future.
“Bear feels incredibly guilty that Paddy got the suspended sentence and had the risk of his whole career as a vet being taken away from him. He still believes it was a mess of his own making, which of course it wasn’t. He was a victim.”
Though Paddy believes he is now practically a free man, Bear is nevertheless worried. While Richards said that the storyline could go in any direction, the actor expressed hope that Bear will give himself grace at some point.
ITV
Related: Emmerdale confirms new role for Lewis Barton as he solves a problem next week
“It could go any way whatsoever. The beauty of a continuing drama is that you really don’t know. I do feel that Paddy has been incredibly supportive, and it wasn’t his neglect that put Bear in this situation.
“As for the guilt going forward, I’m sure he’s going to bear that for quite some time. Hopefully there’ll be some kind of reconciliation along the way where Bear realises it wasn’t his fault, and that he was a victim who couldn’t do much about it.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Emmerdale is working on Bear’s storyline alongside The Salvation Army and Unseen. Further help, support, and resources relating to the issue of modern slavery are available on the charities’ websites.