[user104658]

Originally Posted by Ammi

...I don’t know what the actor is called who plays Gray...but I wonder how playing such a character in a soap particularly when people are more typecast...impacts on any future roles or no ...whether it would make it more difficult to get roles beyond Eastenders because he’s become such a ‘hated/detestable’.../..interesting...

I think it generally does, especially when it's a new actor, it can be hard for them to avoid being associated with that role forever. It's why a few things have made the very conscious choice of using very established and recognisable actors to play these difficult roles e.g. Patrick Swayze in Donnie Darko, or Bill Pullman as the paedophile/child killer in Torchwood: Miracle Day. Actors like that are at no risk of being mistaken as being "like their character" or typecast because of it, but "new faces" in soaps definitely can be.

On the flipside of that of course, using well known actors can lessen the impact of the role because its much harder to get emotionally involved in a storyline with a detestable/abusive character if you have a tonne of memories of the actor being a "good guy" in other roles... It takes a very good actor to make you hate or fear their character if they're an established and likeable actor.