Hollyoaks actor Oscar Curtis has spoken out about returning to the soap as Lucas Hay, after an extended break in which his character went to prison for several months17:43, 12 Jul 2026Hollyoaks star Oscar Curtis has opened up about his return to the soap and how he's "found peace" amid his extended break. The actor, who plays Lucas Hay, has been away since his character was sent to prison in March.‌In a Q&A posted to his Instagram Stories, Curtis admitted that he needed a "break" from the show. He said: "I think I was filming most days for three days straight. You need a little bit of a break and it just came at a perfect time with the story - the character going into prison and everything."‌But he added that he was happy to be back, even if he was "s****ing" himself. "Now that I'm back - honestly, the first day, you're just s****ing it because it's your first day again," he said. "But after a couple of days of filming, it's just like you never left and it's brilliant. I'm really glad to be back. And I'm excited for everyone to see what we've got going on."‌Later, he was asked about the best advice he'd ever received and shared how he had "learned to love" himself more. Curtis explained that his manager told him to "be fully yourself" when you first meet people and to avoid trying to "say what you think they want to hear"."In doing that," he added. "I found a lot of peace in being myself and learned to love myself more." Curtis has started filming for Hollyoaks again, but his re-appearance as Lucas has not been aired yet.‌Fans will reportedly have to wait a bit longer for Curtis and his character to return. A source told Digital Spy: "Lucas will be heading back to the village after being released from jail."When we last saw him, he was ready to face the consequences of his behaviour after months of violent outbursts, so it'll be interesting to see if he's a changed lad once he's back."They added that he would be trying to "make a fresh start" with dad Ste (Kieron Richardson), after the "horrors of their child-to-parent abuse story". They also teased that there would still be more drama on the way, especially with Lucas' long term boyfriend Dillon (Nathanial Dass) gone.‌Dass' exit from Hollyoaks was unexpected. His character, Dillon, had tried to break Lucas out of prison, but his boyfriend decided to stick out his sentence, and Dillon decided to leave the village with baby James to start over in Canada.When asked about his exit, Dass said: "It’s been three years for me, and I’m absolutely gutted that every day I won’t be able to come in and see everyone."Article continues belowBut, he added that he was "ready" to go and was happy the door was left open so that he might play Dillon again in the future. "I thought my exit was lovely," he continued. "I got some really beautiful scenes with Oscar, Anya and the Maalik/Clarke family, which was a really nice way to end my Hollyoaks time here."Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .