“Hard? I’m squeamish!”
River City star Alexander Morton says his gangster character, Billy, gives his family the shivers.
But the hard man mobster is a million miles away from his real self.
“I’ve played a few nasty people in the past but I can’t think of anyone more evil than Billy,” Alexander told The Sunday Post.
“There’s no remorse, nothing. He’s never sorry about anything.
“He can kill somebody just like the rest of us have a drink.
“My family get quite freaked out when they watch me play him.
“It sounds awful, but I don’t find it difficult.
“You’ve got to believe me, though I’m the complete opposite in real life.
“I can’t even watch horror films as I’m quite squeamish. I don’t like watching nasty stuff but I seem to be able to do them.”
One of Alexander’s previous roles as Take The High Road baddie Andy Semple saw him pinned against a wall by four irate lady fans at Glasgow Airport, thankfully not seriously.
“I’d hope people recognise I’m just an actor if anyone did accost me, I’d be shouting: ‘Not the face!’” he laughs.
This week’s River City is an explosive affair that’s definitely no laughing matter.
The growing tensions between Billy, wife Mandy, lover Gabriel and fellow gangster Lenny come to a shattering climax.
A confrontation sees police marksmen being called and someone is left seriously injured.
“People are going to get hurt,” says Alexander, who’s been with the soap for a couple of years after initially coming in for just one episode.
Filming in Dumbarton is a welcome chance for the Glasgow-born 69-year-old to get “home”.
He’s been London-based with wife Jane whom he met when she was his landlady and her kids for the past 15 years.
“They’re all hard and fast Londoners, but Jane adores Glasgow,” confides Alexander.
“Had we been younger and with no kids she’d have leapt at the chance to live in Glasgow.
“But because the kids were at school, if we came up and it didn’t work out they’d have been trapped, basically.
“I’m very fond of London so it’s easier for me to travel up and down.”
Alexander is still best known to many as Golly, the ghillie in Monarch of the Glen.
He’s the only one to have appeared in every episode.
“It still follows me about, especially in London, because it was so popular,” adds Alexander.
“People stop me to say how much they enjoyed it and how sorry they were when it ended.”
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