Jake Wood, who plays Max Branning in EastEnders, has opened up about his contrasting views on family life. While his character is a serial womaniser with four marriages and 20 affairs, the 53-year-old actor has been happily married to his wife Alison since 2001, renewing their vows in 2018. The couple live in Hampshire with their two children.
Speaking on his podcast 'Wood Wehn In The Membrane', Wood admitted: 'Family is f***ing hell. It's never straightforward, is it? Every family I can think of has got something, some secret or some trauma.' He noted that times have changed, and people are no longer expected to tolerate abusive behaviour simply because someone is family.
Despite his own stable home life, Wood finds crime dynasties fascinating. He said: 'It's fascinating, isn't it? When you get a whole family and then you get generations of criminals going back. It's like the family business. You're sort of born into those families and then you continue the family tradition. I suppose the Sicilians are like the daddies of that.'
Wood believes that core values like love, mutual respect and support are more important than traditional family structures. He said: 'If there's love in a family, that's everything. Love, mutual respect, support. If you've got all of those things, happy days, crack on.' He also emphasised the importance of being there for his children financially and emotionally, especially as rising costs make independence harder.
Wood recently rejoined EastEnders after a break, and his character Max was seen in a flash-forward episode waking up beside a mystery bride before being arrested for murder. The actor reflected on how families have evolved, noting that blended families, single parents and same-sex parents are now common, which he sees as a positive change.
