Love/Hate star Johnny Ward has insisted that despite playing drugged-out Pauley – he’s never used any.
The TV star – who is now set to play Peter Pan in the Gaiety panto – was seen with eyes popping out of his head before he was pushed to his death in the RTE series.
But the 35-year-old insists he didn’t need any drugs to help his performance – especially after friends have been hurt by using them.
Stoned: But Johnny has never taken drugs | RTE
Asked if he’s ever taken drugs, he said: “No, it’s not something I’m a fan of.
“I’ve had a few friends who have gone down the wrong road, got into it. Obviously with the drugs thing you have to study it.”
Instead, Johnny revealed that himself and Charlie Murphy – who plays Siobhan – would start getting ‘buzzed’ before shooting.
Speaking about the drugged-up scenes, he admitted: “I was very nervous and worried about it but Charlie was amazing. The two of us buzzed off each other.
New role: Johnny is taking on panto in Gaiety | PHOTOCALL IRELAND
“About ten or 15 minutes before the director David Caffrey would shout ‘action’, he put on music and we started to feel the vibe.”
Now a reference to his character Pauley’s murder has been added into the script for the Christmas panto.
“Obviously we have to say something about Pauley, so there’s a line in the show, ‘Be careful on the balcony Wendy’,” he said.
“We’re all prepared for people shouting things up because panto is all about people getting involved.”
