PASH RASH
EastEnders’ Max Bowden says he got beard rash after epic TWO HOUR snogging session filming Ben and Callum scenes
EASTENDERS star Max Bowden has revealed he was left with a beard rash after filming a mammoth TWO HOUR kissing scene with co-star Tony Clay.
Max, who plays openly-gay Ben Mitchell in the BBC soap, recalled shooting the steamy scenes where his character first hooked up with closeted Callum Highway.
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"Tony and I were in a park kissing for about two hours - it was a massive bonding experience," Max, 24, told Inside Soap. "We both had beard rash by the end of it!"
But, blotchy skin aside, Max - who took over the role of Ben in April from actor Harry Reid - is thrilled by the impact Ben and Callum's affair has had- with fans even giving the couple the nickname Ballum.
"What was beautiful was the common ground between them - these are two proud, masculine men who've come from a similar background," Max says.
"Ben can see something in Callum he once saw in himself, and I think their chemistry showed in that scene. It's worked."
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Ben and Callum have been having an affair ever since Ben returned to Walford earlier this year.
Callum, who has not yet come out, was so thrown by his feelings for the bad boy, he proposed to girlfriend Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).
When Callum's brother Stuart (Ricky Champ) caught Ben and Callum romping, he beat Ben up and since then the simmering passion between the boys has been on the backburner.
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But Max has teased that the explosive storyline will be front and centre once again with Callum and Whitney's wedding approaching later this month.
"Ben is starting to develop feelings, something he's usually capable of dismissing - but Callum and Whitney are planning a wedding, so it'll get complicated," Max said. "We'll have to see what happens there."
Last month, The Sun Online revealed that Ben and Callum's affair would be exposed when they are caught kissing at the wedding.
While it remains to be seen how the storyline will pan out, Max, for one, is hoping the plot will run and run as he loves working with Tony.
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"Anybody at EastEnders will tell you what a gift that man is," he said. "He's a wonderful person to have around. He's positive all the time and a phenomenal actor."
And it's clear Tony feels the same, as he recently sung Max's praises in an interview.
He revealed: "With Max, there's always going to be this worry at the start that you might not get on with the other person, but me and him have a great relationship.
"We have a lovely chemistry and, although we make each other laugh a lot, there's always a level of professionalism there when we have big, intense scenes."
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