Louisa Clein says Joe-Warren Plant has "always got chaperones around" on the 'Emmerdale' set.
Louisa Clein
The 40-year-old actress and the teen - who celebrated his 17th birthday just two weeks ago - are currently involved in a teacher-pupil grooming storyline, and they have tried to ensure there isn't much "physical stuff" on screen between the pair because they want to tell a story of "manipulation" rather than show "titillating" situations.
She said: "He's always got chaperones around, and the story is such that we've tried to stay away from as much physical stuff on screen as possible.
"We don't want to make it titillating and a bit kind of raunchy, that's not the story we're telling.
"It's about the manipulation, and it's about the suggestion of what she's doing to him."
Louisa admits it is "awkward" filming the intimate scenes but insists it would be with an older actor, too, and she praised Joe-Warren's "maturity" and "professionalism".
Speaking on 'Loose Women', she added: "Listen, it's a job, that's what we do as actors isn't it. It's awkward when it's someone your own age as much as when it's someone young.
"Joe-Warren's been on the show since he was eight years old, he's grown up on that show. He has a family on that show that love him and look after him.
"He's incredibly mature and professional as an actor, and we all look after him and he looks after us as well."
Last month, Louisa said the star is a "joy to work with".
She explained: "It is difficult, but Joe-Warren Plant is a joy to work with and he's so mature for his age.
"He's been on the show for such a long time and has been working with adults since he was eight years old, so he's very happy around adults. You wouldn't necessarily pin him as 16 when you met him."