EastEnders star Sonny Kendall has caused a stir among soap fans astounded by his real age.
The actor made his debut on Albert Square as Tommy Moon in 2021 and has recently been embroiled in a distressing child abuse storyline involving his family. The young character has been showing violent behaviour towards his mother, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), which has escalated over time.
After a brutal outburst during a family meal, Tommy was revealed to be hurting his younger brothers, Bert and Ernie. This incited fear in Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), leading her to contact social services, resulting in Tommy being taken from his family home.
Kat was heartbroken as Tommy packed his things and prepared to leave Walford. However, neighbour and certified foster carer Zack Hudson (James Farrar) stepped in to care for Tommy while the family received help.
Recently, the teenager returned home to Kat and Alfie (Shane Richie) but immediately became upset when he discovered his mum had disposed of his gaming console, reports Plymouth Live.
It was later revealed that Tommy felt isolated and had made an online friend named Matt, who turned out to be an AI chatbot.
As regular viewers of EastEnders will know, Alfie is considered Tommy's father, but his biological dad is Michael Moon, portrayed by Steve Shepherd.
EastEnders enthusiasts have been left in a state of disbelief after discovering that actor Sonny, who plays Tommy, is actually 19 years old, despite his character's younger age on the show.
Fans took to Reddit to express their astonishment, with one user commenting: "I honestly thought he was cast right for his age and would be 14/15 irl but he's 19! Never would have guessed."
Another fan responded in disbelief: "There's no way," accompanied by a crying face emoji.
A third fan noted the age discrepancy with another character: "Amy is also 19 I believe but her character is meant to be 15/16. It's interesting seeing them outside of character and how much older they look."
The revelation continued to shock viewers, as one exclaimed: "I never ever would have thought he was 19, omg!" while another reiterated the sentiment: "How the hell is he 19? !".
EastEnders airs weekdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer
English (United States) ·