Welcome back to Waterloo Road. How excited are you to be back and did you ever think it would happen?
I never in a million years thought this was going to happen. I’m so excited to be back. I mean, I remember getting the phone call from Cameron, no, it was off the casting director and she was like, I want you to come and meet this producer and I was like what? She couldn’t tell me much about it so said okay then, looked him up and I was like oh my god, Cameron, he’s a big deal. So I went and met him and he basically said that he was thinking of bringing Waterloo Road back, and I had to act cool at the time and say let me have a think about it, but no, I was over the moon. It hadn’t been green-lit at the time so we had to wait a little while, but once it was and we got the ball rolling, I was just so happy to get back into it. You know, I left Emmerdale about 4 years ago and I’ve not really done much acting since then, so to get back on the horse again, to start doing what I love again, it was incredible. Just picking up where we left off. It’s great.
There are some very dedicated fans of the series. What can you say to them about the new series?
That it’s just gonna be bigger and better than ever. It really is. This series – I’m not just saying this – is probably gonna be the best series yet. I’ve had a sneak peek at episodes one and two so far and I was just blown away. You just never know how it’s gonna look or how it’s gonna feel and we got to watch it on the big screen with all the cast and all the crew and it was just incredible. I think all the fans are gonna love the show. If they loved the old show, they’re definitely going to love this one.
What can you tell us about where we find Donte. Please tell us that him and Chlo are still together?
Him and Chlo are still together, thankfully. They’ve been together since day dot, they’ve been in school together, they grew up together, they got married, now they’ve got kids and they live together. They’re just very very happy and it’s just great to see how they’ve gone from being kids to being a married mum and dad, just enjoying life. And yeah, it was really nice. It’s a little bit like my life to be fair, he’s got two kids, I’ve got two kids, and they’re happily married, so it wasn’t too hard to portray.
Speaking of that, he’s got two kids, Tommy and Izzy. What sort of dad do you think Donte is?
Donte, well, with his kids he’s a great dad, but I think he relies a lot on Chlo, you know, she is the one that holds it all together in the family. Donte definitely just goes out, puts his head down, grafts and just does what he can.
But look, he is an amazing father and husband and he dotes on his wife, but yeah, I think without Chlo he’d definitely be lost.
Are you anything like Donte in real life?
There’s elements definitely, 100%. I mean, he’s a hard worker, he’s a grafter a bit like myself, if I do say so myself. But no, he’s a great dad and I like to think I’m a great dad so yeah, there’s definitely elements but I think he does rely on Chlo quite a lot and I think that will come out later in the show.
You’re working with your son Teddy and your niece Scarlett, how special has that been? And were there any times you slipped out of character into dad mode?
Yeah, working with Scarlett and Teddy has definitely been a handful. At first I was so happy they were working on set with me, but I think it was like day two and they were having a fight on set, Teddy was crying and I was like oh my god, what have I got myself into here. But no, it’s all part of the fun and it’s amazing, just being in a show that I was in when I was just a bit older than they were and just watching them in a show like this it’s just a great platform for them, especially Scarlett as well because she’s just incredible and I get to sort of teach her and guide her in the right way. Just watching them grow on set from when she was a little bit nervous on day one and now she feels at home. It’s been an amazing experience for us all.
Have you been able to give you niece, Scarlett, who plays your daughter Izzy any advice?
The only advice I’ve given her is just don’t do what I do. I was like, Scarlett, have you learnt your lines and she was like, well no, I’ll just learn it now. Well, what do you mean you’ll just learn it now, and she was like, well – you do. Don’t do what I do. But no, she’s been amazing and I don’t think she needs any advice from me. I mean, she’s got her dad who’s been there and done it, and her mum as well so between the three of us, we’ve definitely helped her a little bit.
