Mercy Olubunmi
Encyclopedia
Mercy Chubb is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20
, played by Bunmi Mojekwu
. Mercy is one of four main characters in EastEnders: E20, alongside Zsa Zsa Carter
(Emer Kenny
), Leon Small
(Sam Attwater
) and Fatboy
(Ricky Norwood
). She was the only character from the spin-off not to be automatically transitioned into EastEnders. It was subsequently announced that she would join EastEnders due to positive reaction to the character, and made her first appearance in the soap on 31 May 2010. In May 2011, it was announced that Mercy was to leave EastEnders and she departed on 12 July 2011.
Mercy makes a cameo appearance in series 2 of EastEnders: E20 when she witnesses an argument between Fatboy and Naz Mehmet
(Emaa Hussen) that Zsa Zsa also gets involved in.
). Mercy and Fatboy are extremely pleased to see each other but when a fight breaks out, they escape into Fatboy's van. Mercy then returns to Walford with her friends. Mercy's grandmother Grace (now played by Ellen Thomas
) arrives in Walford and urges Mercy to tell Fatboy of their plans to return to Lagos permanently, however, when Mercy cannot find the right moment, Grace tells him. Fatboy soon realises that neither Mercy nor Grace want to leave London, and after Mercy hands in the keys to their home, he gets them to meet and helps them to realise it for themselves. They move into a property on Albert Square.
After an argument between Mercy and Fatboy, she pushes him and he falls onto a tree planted in memory of Trina Johnson (Sharon Duncan Brewster
), breaking it. Worried that Trina's ex-husband Lucas Johnson
(Don Gilet
) will be angry with them, they enlist Leon and Zsa Zsa's help to replace the tree. However, as they dig up the tree, they discover the body of Owen Turner
(Lee Ross
) buried beneath it. The next day, Fatboy comforts Mercy when she says it is all she can see when she closes her eyes. She attends Lucas's Bible class and questions him about false prophets and a passage that states that anyone who questions a priest should be put to death, causing Lucas to make an excuse to leave because he cannot answer her. Grace asks Mercy to write a letter of apology to Lucas, but Mercy throws it away. Mercy and Fatboy play rounders but smash Dot Branning
's (June Brown
) window, which Fatboy repairs. Mercy asks Dot if she can attend her church. When Zsa Zsa is left homeless, she asks to move in with Mercy and her grandmother.
Leon breaks one of Grace's commemorative plates, but Mercy gets the blame. However, Fatboy later admits it was his fault. When Alfie Moon
(Shane Richie
) sets up a drinking den in the cellar of The Queen Victoria
public house, which is closed due to being burnt down, Mercy and her friends attend, and Alfie gets Mercy to serve drinks while he is not there. Later, Grace tells Mercy she cannot work in an illegal drinking establishment and says Fatboy corrupted her. Mercy then tells Zsa Zsa that she cannot go to France with Leon, as he slept with Glenda Mitchell
(Glynis Barber
). Zsa Zsa and Leon both leave, but separately, leaving Mercy and Fatboy upset at the loss of their friends.
At a New Year's Eve party, Mercy kisses Fatboy to put Kim Fox
(Tameka Empson
) off flirting with him. As the party continues, Fatboy cuts his finger and Kim starts to crawl along the bar offering to kiss him. Enraged by this, Mercy walks over and pushes Kim off the bar onto the floor below. She takes a liking to Seb Parker (Tommy Bastow
), which leaves Fatboy jealous, and later he accuses them of having sex, to which Mercy does not reply. She then reveals she may face deportation as she only has a Nigerian passport and her visa has expired but she has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of nine. When Fatboy mentions this to his father Ashley Chubb (Colin Mace), Ashley reports Mercy to the UK Border Agency
. Seb ends his relationship with Mercy, and then she is approached by Daniel Mansard (Richard Galazka) from the Agency, saying she is four months past her permit. She decides to leave the country before she has been asked to and says an emotional goodbye to Fatboy, but as he sees her saying goodbye to Grace and leaving in a taxi, he stops the car and asks Mercy to marry him. Mercy agrees in the hope she will stay in the country. Mercy confides in her friend Lauren Branning
(Jacqueline Jossa
) that the wedding is a sham. She later says she is worried about going to court as she feels she is being treated like a criminal. On the morning of the wedding, Mercy feels guilty when everyone comments on how much she loves Fatboy. She tells Lauren that she wants to do the right thing, and there will be no wedding. However, they do marry, and Mercy soon learns that she is able to stay in the country. However, she feels guilty about what has happened and decides to go to Nigeria anyway. She tries to tell Fatboy but eventually decides to leave without telling him. However, he finds out and tries to stop her. They say an emotional farewell before she leaves in a black cab. Mercy's sister Faith (Modupe Adeyeye) later arrives in Walford to tell Fatboy that Mercy has had the marriage annulled.
. Mojekwu's casting was announced on 25 November 2009, on which she commented: "I feel so blessed to be part of EastEnders: E20. My first day on set was just crazy. I was on Albert Square
—a dream come true—I'm enjoying every second." When Mojekwu was asked in an interview with media website Digital Spy
how she felt about being the only main cast member from EastEnders: E20 not appearing in EastEnders, she said: "If I was meant to go into the main show, then I would have done. Obviously I'd have loved to but for someone like my character, it'll be the support of the viewers that decide[s] her fate. I don't feel upset or anything, I just thought that it's the way these things go." It was announced on 24 January 2010 that Mercy would appear in EastEnders later in 2010. Executive producer Diederick Santer
said that once he had seen the completed episodes of EastEnders: E20, he wanted Mercy in the main show as well, and stated: "Mercy's also been a huge hit with E20 viewers—she's funny, warm, sensitive and rather mysterious. [...] I'm delighted Bunmi will be bringing those qualities to the wider EastEnders audience." Mercy and her grandmother Grace's introduction to EastEnders made them the first Nigerian family to appear in the series. Mojekwu was surprised at how long it took the programme to represent her community in the series, but congratulated them for doing so, saying "they have a long way to go in representing us." Mercy's younger sister Faith Olubunmi was introduced in series 3 of E20.
The character is described as having "always been a good girl, but when her parents head back to Nigeria she feels abandoned." Mojekwu described the character as "very strong-willed and bound within her faith. Her best attribute is that she's very motherly and takes people under her wing to look after them. Her worst is that she takes the world on her shoulders and you just want to tell her, 'You don't have to worry about [that], you can't deal with it alone'. Mercy takes too much on."
In April 2011, Mercy faces deportation to Nigeria, and Fatboy plans to save her by proposing. Norwood revealed that Mercy is shocked by the proposal, adding "Mercy thinks he's lost his marbles, but soon comes round to the idea. Fatboy reckons that this isn't about his feelings, it's all about keeping her in the UK. Of course, he's also hoping that if she stays, maybe she'll end up liking him in the way he likes her. [...] You can get into a lot of trouble for [trying to fool immigration officials], [b]ut all Fatboy can think is, 'How can I save Mercy?' She's the girl he loves."
On 10 May 2011, it was announced that Mojekwu would be departing EastEnders in July 2011. An EastEnders spokesperson said "Bunmi has done a great job of bringing the role of Mercy to life and we wish her every success in the future." In an interview with The Stage
it was revealed that Mercy's family will remain in the series. Mojekwu told The Stage that she felt she was leaving at the right time, as she did not want to spend too much time in a soap opera and hoped to gain recognition and to be able to take on more challenging roles in the future.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20
EastEnders: E20
EastEnders: E20 is a British Internet soap opera, which began airing on 8 January 2010. A spin-off from the established BBC soap EastEnders, it is set in EastEnders regular setting of Albert Square, a Victorian square in the fictional borough of Walford, in the East End of London...
, played by Bunmi Mojekwu
Bunmi Mojekwu
Oluwabunmi Ruth Mojekwu is a British actress of Nigerian descent. She is best known for playing Mercy Olubunmi in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
. Mercy is one of four main characters in EastEnders: E20, alongside Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Emer Kenny. She made her first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Emer Kenny
Emer Kenny
Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny is an English actress from Haringey, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20, as Zsa Zsa Carter.-Career:...
), Leon Small
Leon Small
Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Sam Attwater
Sam Attwater
Samuel "Sam" Attwater is an English actor and singer best known for playing Leon Small in the British soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20...
) and Fatboy
Fatboy (EastEnders)
Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off...
(Ricky Norwood
Ricky Norwood
Richard Colin "Ricky" Norwood is a British actor who plays Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. He was born in Tower Hamlets, London, and lives in Forest Gate. From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and he also...
). She was the only character from the spin-off not to be automatically transitioned into EastEnders. It was subsequently announced that she would join EastEnders due to positive reaction to the character, and made her first appearance in the soap on 31 May 2010. In May 2011, it was announced that Mercy was to leave EastEnders and she departed on 12 July 2011.
EastEnders: E20
In series 1 of EastEnders: E20, Mercy, who is friends with Fatboy, is trying to create a project for the local church with the youth minister Benjamin (Damien Lynch), to attempt to bring younger people to the church, and if it is successful, Mercy's grandmother (played by Jay Byrd), will fund her university place. She enlists Fatboy's help but his ideas leave them humiliated. Mercy, along with the others, ends up squatting in 89b George Street, where she takes a pregnancy test and then tells her grandmother she will not be coming home. She goes to a clinic to discuss abortion, and later tells Fatboy she is pregnant. It is soon revealed that Benjamin, who is married to Celia (Marsha Henry) is the father, but Fatboy accuses Leon of being the father, and after an argument, Mercy doubles over in pain and is rushed to hospital. She suffers a miscarriage and Benjamin tells her it was probably for the best. Back at home, Fatboy looks after her. She attends Leon's boxing match where Fatboy gives her the completed project. Knowing they can no longer stay at the flat, Fatboy invites her and the others back to his house but she decides to return home to her grandmother.Mercy makes a cameo appearance in series 2 of EastEnders: E20 when she witnesses an argument between Fatboy and Naz Mehmet
Naz Mehmet
Nazan "Naz" Mehmet is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emaa Hussen. Naz is a main character in series 2, where she is joined by brothers Asher and Sol Levi , and Stevie Dickinson...
(Emaa Hussen) that Zsa Zsa also gets involved in.
EastEnders
Several months after the events of E20 first series, Mercy attempts to contact Fatboy as she has returned to Walford following a visit to her parents in Nigeria. She finds out he is at a party in Hampshire so she travels there with Billie Jackson (Devon AndersonDevon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
). Mercy and Fatboy are extremely pleased to see each other but when a fight breaks out, they escape into Fatboy's van. Mercy then returns to Walford with her friends. Mercy's grandmother Grace (now played by Ellen Thomas
Ellen Thomas (actress)
Ellen Thomas is an English actress who has appeared in many different television and film roles, but is perhaps best known for her recurring role in the Channel 4 Bristol-based comedy, Teachers or as Grace Olubunmi in EastEnders.-Career:...
) arrives in Walford and urges Mercy to tell Fatboy of their plans to return to Lagos permanently, however, when Mercy cannot find the right moment, Grace tells him. Fatboy soon realises that neither Mercy nor Grace want to leave London, and after Mercy hands in the keys to their home, he gets them to meet and helps them to realise it for themselves. They move into a property on Albert Square.
After an argument between Mercy and Fatboy, she pushes him and he falls onto a tree planted in memory of Trina Johnson (Sharon Duncan Brewster
Sharon Duncan Brewster
Sharon Duncan-Brewster, more commonly known as Sharon Duncan Brewster, is a Black British actress...
), breaking it. Worried that Trina's ex-husband Lucas Johnson
Lucas Johnson
Lucas Aaron Johnson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Don Gilet. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 April 2008. Lucas is introduced as a preacher and estranged father of established character Chelsea Fox. He has a son, Jordan, and goes on to marry...
(Don Gilet
Don Gilet
Don Gilet is a British actor, best known for his roles in BBC productions Babyfather, EastEnders and 55 Degrees North. Don's surname is actually pronounced 'Gillit' but takes the stage name 'Jillay'.-Personal life:...
) will be angry with them, they enlist Leon and Zsa Zsa's help to replace the tree. However, as they dig up the tree, they discover the body of Owen Turner
Owen Turner
Owen Turner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lee Ross. He originally appeared in the show in 2006, and then returned in 2009. His character left in 2009 after being murdered by Lucas Johnson.-Storylines:...
(Lee Ross
Lee Ross
Lee D. Ross is the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, and an influential social psychologist who has studied attribution theory, attributional biases, decision making and conflict resolution, often with longtime collaborator Mark Lepper...
) buried beneath it. The next day, Fatboy comforts Mercy when she says it is all she can see when she closes her eyes. She attends Lucas's Bible class and questions him about false prophets and a passage that states that anyone who questions a priest should be put to death, causing Lucas to make an excuse to leave because he cannot answer her. Grace asks Mercy to write a letter of apology to Lucas, but Mercy throws it away. Mercy and Fatboy play rounders but smash Dot Branning
Dot Branning
Dorothy "Dot" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by June Brown since 1985. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of...
's (June Brown
June Brown
June Muriel Brown, MBE is a British actress, best known for her role as the busy-body, chain-smoking gossip Dot Cotton in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders and for making other high profile television appearances on shows such as Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Minder, The Bill and...
) window, which Fatboy repairs. Mercy asks Dot if she can attend her church. When Zsa Zsa is left homeless, she asks to move in with Mercy and her grandmother.
Leon breaks one of Grace's commemorative plates, but Mercy gets the blame. However, Fatboy later admits it was his fault. When Alfie Moon
Alfie Moon
Alfred William "Alfie" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005...
(Shane Richie
Shane Richie
Shane Richie is an English actor, comedian, singer and media personality, known for his portrayal of the character Alfie Moon in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.-Early life and career beginnings:...
) sets up a drinking den in the cellar of The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria is a fictional Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Appearance and development:...
public house, which is closed due to being burnt down, Mercy and her friends attend, and Alfie gets Mercy to serve drinks while he is not there. Later, Grace tells Mercy she cannot work in an illegal drinking establishment and says Fatboy corrupted her. Mercy then tells Zsa Zsa that she cannot go to France with Leon, as he slept with Glenda Mitchell
Glenda Mitchell
The following is a list of characters who first appeared or are due to appear in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2010, by order of first appearance...
(Glynis Barber
Glynis Barber
Glynis Barber is a South African actress of Afrikaner descent, born and brought up in South Africa. She was born Glynis van der Riet. When she was five years old, her parents divorced, and she and her mother moved to Johannesburg. She is best known for her portrayal as Sgt...
). Zsa Zsa and Leon both leave, but separately, leaving Mercy and Fatboy upset at the loss of their friends.
At a New Year's Eve party, Mercy kisses Fatboy to put Kim Fox
Kim Fox
Kimberley Harmony Angelica "Kim" Fox is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tameka Empson. She is the half-sister of Denise Fox , and aunt to Chelsea Fox and Libby Fox...
(Tameka Empson
Tameka Empson
Tameka Empson is a British actress and comedienne who is perhaps best known for being one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show 3 Non Blondes.Tameka also featured in a episode of MI High : Red Button Rampage, Series one...
) off flirting with him. As the party continues, Fatboy cuts his finger and Kim starts to crawl along the bar offering to kiss him. Enraged by this, Mercy walks over and pushes Kim off the bar onto the floor below. She takes a liking to Seb Parker (Tommy Bastow
Tommy Bastow
Tommy Bastow is an English actor and musician from Epsom, Surrey. He is best known for playing the character Dave the Laugh in the 2008 film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, as Joe in the BT adverts and as the lead singer in the band FranKo.-Education:Bastow attended the independent City of...
), which leaves Fatboy jealous, and later he accuses them of having sex, to which Mercy does not reply. She then reveals she may face deportation as she only has a Nigerian passport and her visa has expired but she has lived in the United Kingdom since the age of nine. When Fatboy mentions this to his father Ashley Chubb (Colin Mace), Ashley reports Mercy to the UK Border Agency
UK Border Agency
The UK Border Agency is the border control body of the United Kingdom government and part of the Home Office. It was formed on 1 April 2008 by a merger of the Border and Immigration Agency , UKvisas and the Detection functions of HM Revenue and Customs...
. Seb ends his relationship with Mercy, and then she is approached by Daniel Mansard (Richard Galazka) from the Agency, saying she is four months past her permit. She decides to leave the country before she has been asked to and says an emotional goodbye to Fatboy, but as he sees her saying goodbye to Grace and leaving in a taxi, he stops the car and asks Mercy to marry him. Mercy agrees in the hope she will stay in the country. Mercy confides in her friend Lauren Branning
Lauren Branning
Lauren Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She first appeared in the show on 3 July 2006 played by Madeline Duggan, was absent from 23 June to 27 September 2010, and returned as played by Jacqueline Jossa.-Storylines:...
(Jacqueline Jossa
Jacqueline Jossa
Jacqueline Mary Jossa is an English actress from Bexley, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Lauren Branning.Jossa was born in the London Borough of Bexley...
) that the wedding is a sham. She later says she is worried about going to court as she feels she is being treated like a criminal. On the morning of the wedding, Mercy feels guilty when everyone comments on how much she loves Fatboy. She tells Lauren that she wants to do the right thing, and there will be no wedding. However, they do marry, and Mercy soon learns that she is able to stay in the country. However, she feels guilty about what has happened and decides to go to Nigeria anyway. She tries to tell Fatboy but eventually decides to leave without telling him. However, he finds out and tries to stop her. They say an emotional farewell before she leaves in a black cab. Mercy's sister Faith (Modupe Adeyeye) later arrives in Walford to tell Fatboy that Mercy has had the marriage annulled.
Development
Mercy is one of four characters created by a team of 13 writers aged between 17 and 22 for the Internet spin-off series EastEnders: E20. The characters were created in August 2009 and open auditions were held for the cast at Theatre Royal Stratford EastTheatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
. Mojekwu's casting was announced on 25 November 2009, on which she commented: "I feel so blessed to be part of EastEnders: E20. My first day on set was just crazy. I was on Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
—a dream come true—I'm enjoying every second." When Mojekwu was asked in an interview with media website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
how she felt about being the only main cast member from EastEnders: E20 not appearing in EastEnders, she said: "If I was meant to go into the main show, then I would have done. Obviously I'd have loved to but for someone like my character, it'll be the support of the viewers that decide[s] her fate. I don't feel upset or anything, I just thought that it's the way these things go." It was announced on 24 January 2010 that Mercy would appear in EastEnders later in 2010. Executive producer Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
said that once he had seen the completed episodes of EastEnders: E20, he wanted Mercy in the main show as well, and stated: "Mercy's also been a huge hit with E20 viewers—she's funny, warm, sensitive and rather mysterious. [...] I'm delighted Bunmi will be bringing those qualities to the wider EastEnders audience." Mercy and her grandmother Grace's introduction to EastEnders made them the first Nigerian family to appear in the series. Mojekwu was surprised at how long it took the programme to represent her community in the series, but congratulated them for doing so, saying "they have a long way to go in representing us." Mercy's younger sister Faith Olubunmi was introduced in series 3 of E20.
The character is described as having "always been a good girl, but when her parents head back to Nigeria she feels abandoned." Mojekwu described the character as "very strong-willed and bound within her faith. Her best attribute is that she's very motherly and takes people under her wing to look after them. Her worst is that she takes the world on her shoulders and you just want to tell her, 'You don't have to worry about [that], you can't deal with it alone'. Mercy takes too much on."
In April 2011, Mercy faces deportation to Nigeria, and Fatboy plans to save her by proposing. Norwood revealed that Mercy is shocked by the proposal, adding "Mercy thinks he's lost his marbles, but soon comes round to the idea. Fatboy reckons that this isn't about his feelings, it's all about keeping her in the UK. Of course, he's also hoping that if she stays, maybe she'll end up liking him in the way he likes her. [...] You can get into a lot of trouble for [trying to fool immigration officials], [b]ut all Fatboy can think is, 'How can I save Mercy?' She's the girl he loves."
On 10 May 2011, it was announced that Mojekwu would be departing EastEnders in July 2011. An EastEnders spokesperson said "Bunmi has done a great job of bringing the role of Mercy to life and we wish her every success in the future." In an interview with The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
it was revealed that Mercy's family will remain in the series. Mojekwu told The Stage that she felt she was leaving at the right time, as she did not want to spend too much time in a soap opera and hoped to gain recognition and to be able to take on more challenging roles in the future.