alan45
18-10-2009, 17:01
He's famous for playing one of the most popular characters in the UK’s favourite soap — but Corrie star Antony Cotton claims he’s a shy guy in real life. Antony, who plays larger than life character Sean Tully in Coronation Street, is an almost constant presence on the small screen as the camp knicker stitcher and barman.
Two years ago he won over the nation during
Soapstar Superstar and also had his own teatime chat show.
But despite this, the 34-year-old claims he tries his best NOT to stand out in a crowd.
“People don’t believe it but I am quite shy,” he told Sunday Life.
“I don’t really want people to notice me.
“I don’t go high-kicking into bars shouting ‘look at me!’ — I’m not that kind of person.
“In Manchester I don’t go to the big trendy bars, I go to the little pub round the corner.”
Antony, who was brought up in Bury, Co Lancashire, caught the acting bug when he was five years old.
“I had a beautiful childhood,” he said.
“I come from a very small, close-knit family and me and my brother were born 18 months apart.
“My brother ended up playing football and I ended up doing what I do.”
Despite being on stage from such a young age, it was never Antony’s ambition to become famous.
“Fame never, ever interested me — I wanted to be an actor,” he said.
“When I was a kid you weren’t aware of fame like you are aware of it now.
“Now people want to be famous and they don’t know what else they want to do apart from being famous.
“I’m not knocking it — if people want to be famous then good luck to them, but when I was growing up that wasn’t part of the deal.
“Now I realise that it is, and if you are on the telly five nights a week it makes you famous, but it was never something I chased.”
Antony’s fame has meant he’s been invited all over the country on personal appearances and last weekend he was in Belfast to open Northern Ireland’s first Poundland at Castlecourt shopping centre.
“I have been here about half a dozen times to open nightclubs so I have seen the nightlife,” he said.
“I once went to the Kremlin with my old friend Brian Dowling and during the day I had a fabulous tour of Belfast in an open-topped car.”
But he deliberately avoids the limelight when he’s not working and refuses to talk about his personal life.
“I don’t ever talk about that — I have no interest in talking about it.
“I will talk until the cows come home about my job and then that’s where it ends,” he said.
“I avoid confrontation — I don’t go to certain places where I know it will be difficult or where I know it will draw attention to me.
“Cap on, coat up, collar up — keep your head down and keep walking.”
Antony got his first taste of fame ten years ago when he appeared in controversial show Queer As Folk, a graphic drama created by Russell T Davies which charted the lives of three gay men in Manchester.
But he said the public’s reaction to Queer as Folk was similar to that of Corrie — “except ten million more people watch Coronation Street”.
He added: “Queer as Folk was a much-loved show. The British public are very smart — they know what they like and they are not shy about telling you what they like.
“It’s nice to be involved in anything that is successful, let alone as successful as Coronation Street, but no, it’s exactly the same.”
But at the time Queer as Folk was criticised by some for reflecting badly on the gay community.
“We spent so many years in the desert.
“There was never really a show that had those characters as the main part of the action,” Antony said.
“We had waited so long for that kind of representation — everybody wanted it to represent them.
“When it didn’t represent particular people they said ‘that’s not my life’.
“Queer as Folk at the time was the only one and as Russell said at the time if it doesn’t reflect your life and it doesn’t tell your stories go away and write it yourself.”
A few years later Antony also found himself taking that advice when he helped create the character of Sean in Corrie.
“I sent a card to the producer saying ‘gis a job’ and the next day I got a phone call and that was that,” he said.
“It is quite an unusual way to get a job and for some reason it worked.
“I wouldn’t recommend it as a way into the business.
“Six months later I was in it so I got the chance to create the character along with the producers which is also very unusual.”
And while he no longer has an input into what happens to Sean, he’s currently writing a drama that has caught the interest of ITV executives.
But it’s Corrie where his loyalty lies.
“I have no intention of leaving Coronation Street,” he said.
“I am very happy to be there and as long as they are happy to have me then I don’t see any reason why I would want to leave.
“We are in very uncharted waters at the moment in all areas of business so certainly now would not be the time to walk away from a very
successful television show — nor do I have any want or need to at the moment.”
With his common sense approach, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find him opening Poundland stores across the UK.
“It is a pleasure because it means I have been up and down the country. There is nothing better than meeting people and seeing new places.
“I have had an absolute ball doing it.”
Two years ago he won over the nation during
Soapstar Superstar and also had his own teatime chat show.
But despite this, the 34-year-old claims he tries his best NOT to stand out in a crowd.
“People don’t believe it but I am quite shy,” he told Sunday Life.
“I don’t really want people to notice me.
“I don’t go high-kicking into bars shouting ‘look at me!’ — I’m not that kind of person.
“In Manchester I don’t go to the big trendy bars, I go to the little pub round the corner.”
Antony, who was brought up in Bury, Co Lancashire, caught the acting bug when he was five years old.
“I had a beautiful childhood,” he said.
“I come from a very small, close-knit family and me and my brother were born 18 months apart.
“My brother ended up playing football and I ended up doing what I do.”
Despite being on stage from such a young age, it was never Antony’s ambition to become famous.
“Fame never, ever interested me — I wanted to be an actor,” he said.
“When I was a kid you weren’t aware of fame like you are aware of it now.
“Now people want to be famous and they don’t know what else they want to do apart from being famous.
“I’m not knocking it — if people want to be famous then good luck to them, but when I was growing up that wasn’t part of the deal.
“Now I realise that it is, and if you are on the telly five nights a week it makes you famous, but it was never something I chased.”
Antony’s fame has meant he’s been invited all over the country on personal appearances and last weekend he was in Belfast to open Northern Ireland’s first Poundland at Castlecourt shopping centre.
“I have been here about half a dozen times to open nightclubs so I have seen the nightlife,” he said.
“I once went to the Kremlin with my old friend Brian Dowling and during the day I had a fabulous tour of Belfast in an open-topped car.”
But he deliberately avoids the limelight when he’s not working and refuses to talk about his personal life.
“I don’t ever talk about that — I have no interest in talking about it.
“I will talk until the cows come home about my job and then that’s where it ends,” he said.
“I avoid confrontation — I don’t go to certain places where I know it will be difficult or where I know it will draw attention to me.
“Cap on, coat up, collar up — keep your head down and keep walking.”
Antony got his first taste of fame ten years ago when he appeared in controversial show Queer As Folk, a graphic drama created by Russell T Davies which charted the lives of three gay men in Manchester.
But he said the public’s reaction to Queer as Folk was similar to that of Corrie — “except ten million more people watch Coronation Street”.
He added: “Queer as Folk was a much-loved show. The British public are very smart — they know what they like and they are not shy about telling you what they like.
“It’s nice to be involved in anything that is successful, let alone as successful as Coronation Street, but no, it’s exactly the same.”
But at the time Queer as Folk was criticised by some for reflecting badly on the gay community.
“We spent so many years in the desert.
“There was never really a show that had those characters as the main part of the action,” Antony said.
“We had waited so long for that kind of representation — everybody wanted it to represent them.
“When it didn’t represent particular people they said ‘that’s not my life’.
“Queer as Folk at the time was the only one and as Russell said at the time if it doesn’t reflect your life and it doesn’t tell your stories go away and write it yourself.”
A few years later Antony also found himself taking that advice when he helped create the character of Sean in Corrie.
“I sent a card to the producer saying ‘gis a job’ and the next day I got a phone call and that was that,” he said.
“It is quite an unusual way to get a job and for some reason it worked.
“I wouldn’t recommend it as a way into the business.
“Six months later I was in it so I got the chance to create the character along with the producers which is also very unusual.”
And while he no longer has an input into what happens to Sean, he’s currently writing a drama that has caught the interest of ITV executives.
But it’s Corrie where his loyalty lies.
“I have no intention of leaving Coronation Street,” he said.
“I am very happy to be there and as long as they are happy to have me then I don’t see any reason why I would want to leave.
“We are in very uncharted waters at the moment in all areas of business so certainly now would not be the time to walk away from a very
successful television show — nor do I have any want or need to at the moment.”
With his common sense approach, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find him opening Poundland stores across the UK.
“It is a pleasure because it means I have been up and down the country. There is nothing better than meeting people and seeing new places.
“I have had an absolute ball doing it.”