Hollyoaks star James Sutton points out problem with Mercedes’s huge storyline

Former Hollyoaks star James Sutton has highlighted a problem with Mercedes McQueen’s cancer storyline. The actor departed as John Paul earlier this year, marking his third exit as the character over the last two decades.

The star opened up a bit about his decision to leave the soap in a new interview, sharing that within a few years of his 2019 return, he felt like he was “done” with the character.

“I don’t think there’s anything more that I can do,” he recalled on the Tis Yourself podcast. “I am sensing from the writing that they don’t really know what direction to take my character in.”

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James noted that there were “a few things that happened”, pointing out the fact that John Paul wasn’t getting scenes with sister Mercedes amid her cancer battle.

“Mercedes had cancer and I didn’t have one scene with her,” he stressed. “And I just thought, ‘Wow’. Listen, it probably wasn’t intentional – I’d like to think it wasn’t.”

The actor admitted he felt that if there was “no room for John Paul and Mercedes to have a heart-to-heart” then he didn’t know what his “place” on Hollyoaks was.

“I don’t know what it looks like anymore,” he continued. “So I came to the decision to leave Hollyoaks, I’d signed a one-year extension knowing that that would be my last year. I was done. I think I was emotionally checked out at that point as well.”

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The star further noted that the writers likely had “so many different things to juggle”, so John Paul wasn’t at the top of their minds, though James said he has felt he has gotten his “pride” back with other projects outside of the soap since.

James previously addressed his exit earlier this year, saying on Jeremy Vine that he felt he had “kind of done everything” he “could do with the character”.

“I’ve had a lot of heavy lifting over the years,” he added. “They just really like making me cry, I think. My character’s been through a lot of really quite difficult things.”

The actor also lamented the soap’s 2024 job cutbacks, admitting it was an “awful time” and especially “heartbreaking” for the crew.