Riley Carter Millington is “disappointed” his ‘EastEnders’ character didn’t get a “happy ending” and a chance to lead a “normal life”.
The 23-year-old actor played Kyle Slater in the BBC soap between 2015 and 2016 and was the first transgender man to play a regular transgender character on a British soap.
However, Riley felt “frustrated” that his character didn’t get a chance to have a “normal life”.
He told The Sun,
“I was disappointed it was not shown that Kyle had a normal life. He had the big coming-out story and it was dramatic and emotional, but we didn’t get to see a happy ending, like a relationship of any sort other than the reunion with his half-sister, Stacey. It was frustrating. I felt I let myself and the fans down as I could have pushed for something. It’s a shame to have gay characters and then you have to say goodbye.”
When Riley quit EastEnders, he revealed the reason for his departure was because producers believed his character Kyle’s story had reached a “natural end”.
He said at the time,
“When I landed a six-month contract at EastEnders it was a dream come true. For that to be extended to a year was something I never expected.
“However, as the time comes for Kyle to depart Walford I am looking forward to taking on new roles and who knows, Kyle may find his way back to Walford one day.”
When he was cast in the role, Riley admitted he had achieved his two biggest dreams.
He shared,
“I am extremely excited to be joining ‘EastEnders’. I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams – to be living my life as a man and to be an actor. I cannot wait to really get stuck in with filming and I look forward to seeing what is in store for my character.”