Perdita
23-10-2009, 06:08
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronationstreet/interviews/a183222/kenny-doughty-jake-corrie.html
Coronation Street's new lad on the cobbles Jake - played by 30-year-old Kenny Doughty - falls head over heels for Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh) next week when he literally tumbles into her life through her bathroom window. The builder's tending to Michelle's roof when he loses his footing and ends up dangling from the guttering. Wearing nothing but a towel, Michelle rushes to help and inadvertently bears all to her uninvited guest. Taken by what he sees, Jake kisses Michelle, before embarking on a mission to coax her on a date. We recently caught up with Kenny to chat about his brief stint, working with Kym Marsh, getting naked and a potential return.
How do we first meet Jake?
"We first meet him when he's repairing the roof above Michelle's flat and being the kind of guy that he is, he hasn't got his safety harness on. He falls off the ladder and ends up hanging on the guttering outside Michelle's window so he's scrambling around trying to get his feet back on terra firma and not fall and break his neck. She comes to the window in a towel because she's been in the bath. She opens the window and pulls me through and as I land into the flat, her towel falls down and that's the first meeting!"
He goes in for the kill straightaway, doesn't he?
"Yeah - I think he's really smitten by her. He's very cheeky and says he's very shocked that he fell off the ladder and maybe needs a little time in her flat to compose himself again and as he leaves he steals a kiss. It stuns her and she's furious with him and tries to get rid of him and calls the police and everything but he's not dissuaded at all, he just sees it as more reason that they should be together. It's lovely actually. I was doing a scene yesterday in the Rovers which is brilliant and terrifying where I have to do a deal with her and say, 'I saw you with your towel', so I go into the Rovers with just a towel on and I say, 'If you don't have dinner with me, my towel will slip off as well!' So we're having this whole negotiation and Beverley Callard is just brilliant, having a good laugh at it all. It's my third ever time in the Rovers and I'm just wearing a towel!"
Was you getting naked part of the brief?
"Yes! It was one of those things where I read it and thought, 'OK, I should probably join a gym for that one!'"
So you worked out for it?
"You have to, don't you? Mainly because he's a labourer and they're well fit guys, they're in shape. So I needed to get in shape anyway but obviously there's a mild actor neurosis which says there's probably ten million watching so I should probably make a bit more effort!"
Are they expecting you to get naked more often, then?
"I don't know what's going to happen to be honest with you. I've done six episodes and I've had a fantastic time on it but the way we've left it is like, 'Watch this space'. I really hope I can get her to come back and I feel there's a lot of unfinished business with Jake and Michelle so fingers crossed that might be explored. I guess that means I'll need to keep my gym membership up if that's the case!"
Do you think Jake's tried to grab women's attentions by standing on their roofs before?
"No, I don't actually. I think that's quite interesting because it's a very unusual thing for him. What I'm finding interesting about him is he does go round places and obviously he's met other women and things have happened with them but I don't think he's instigated things in that sense before. He's more of a carpe diem kind of guy - he'll seize the moment if the opportunity comes to him - he doesn't seem to be the sort of person to search something out deliberately and this is very definitely a chance meeting the way it all happens. It's certainly not contrived at all."
Do you think it's fate?
"I think he feels there is something in that. There's a certain something beyond intellectualness where he feels there's something connecting them."
Would you ever employ the roof trick to woo a lady?
"I don't think I would, no! I'm much more shy than Jake. When I met my wife it took me about four months to ask for her phone number. I don't think falling off a ladder and going through a window would have been good for me!"
Does Michelle agree to a date?
"Yes. He puts her under enormous pressure and eventually to save her embarrassment in front of everybody - and my embarrassment - she agrees she'll go out for dinner as long as I pay. We go out for this fantastic romantic meal. Slowly they get to know each other a little bit better. It confirms for him that it wasn't just an instant physical attraction (which obviously is there and he's besotted by her - who wouldn't be?) but there's something else going on which is really interesting for him."
It's quite a brief stint - how is the situation left?
"It's just over a week and how it's left is Jake gets a job to go to Glasgow and do more building work. That's the nature of his business - he'll just go wherever the work is. He asks her to come to Glasgow with him and obviously she can't because she's got commitments where she is. He's so genuine about it and he even says, 'I think we are made for each other', but circumstances mean they can't be together at that moment. That's how it's left and you know as much as me - I want to come back, I want Jake to come back and I want to find out what happens with them but as it stands it's left that he goes off to Glasgow and she stays in Weatherfield."
Corrie newbie Kenny on his Weatherfield stint
Friday, October 23 2009, 06:00 BST
By Kris Green, Soaps Editor
I recently caught up with one of Coronation Street's latest signings Kenny Doughty - and what a great chap he was. Even though he's only initially around for a handful of episodes, I hear that the producers were bowled over by his performance, so I don't think it's the last we'll be seeing of him...
Click here to read the main limb of the interview or continue reading to see what Kenny has to say about landing his role, his character, Kym Marsh and his dream of a scene with Betty Driver...
How did you land your Corrie role?
"I've been very lucky actually - I met Kim, the producer a couple of years ago and we talked about a different part which obviously didn't work out. Then I was filming something else in Manchester in the summer and I got a call through to say Kim had developed a new character called Jake and they were interested in me to play it - what did I think? I was like, 'Are you mental - what do I think? That's a fantastic idea!' So I get the biog and read it all and came up and met her again. We talked about it and I did a little read-through for them and the writers and came up with what I think is a brilliant character. I'm really lucky because they're really supportive and really want you to be a part of the creative process."
What did the character biog say?
"It actually changed from what I first read because they go through this whole development process. First of all they create a character, then they have to see how it fits in with the show and the storyline. The initial impression I got from it was this guy who comes from a background with no roots as such but he comes in and is absolutely smitten by this gorgeous woman who's Michelle (Kym Marsh) and he just had this determination and a cheekiness and a bit of a chancer attitude. I like that he lives his life by his heart in that sense and doesn't shy away from difficult situations."
Do you think Coronation Street's been lacking that strong alpha male of late?
"I don't know. I think Jake's definitely something fresh they're bringing to Coronation Street and hopefully I can bring something slightly different to what's here before anyway. Saying that, they've got so many wonderful strong characters as it is so the idea that they can come up with a character that can come in and add to what's already there is fantastic. It's probably the most successful soap we've got so they've done so many things right I can't really say they've been lacking anything."
Could you relate to the character when you read it?
"Yeah. You process it as an actor - what am I like? What's the character like? The first thing you do is find a characteristic you like about the character and what I like about him is he's driven by what he feels is right. There's a strong sense of being guided by his heart and not missing an opportunity. In this story he makes advances towards Michelle and she rebuffs them but he's not deterred at all. He insists that this is the right thing and they should be together. He really listens to his heart and doesn't get swayed by other things. He's very instant - he's right in there - and that's why I feel very lucky, he's a strong character immediately. It's terrifying as well though, because you have to go on and do it straight away."
What was it like walking onto the Street for the first time?
"Terrifying! It's legendary and it feels very surreal knowing I'm going to be a part of this. You feel very honoured and lucky but at the same time there's an undercurrent of anxiety going, 'I actually have to do this!' Apart from all the excitement you step out of it and you do have to do it - it's not just some kind of dream."
What's it been like working with Kym?
"She's been absolutely brilliant and we get on so well. It is quite daunting coming onto the Street and she was so generous and fun to work with which made it easier for me to do that. She's a brilliant actress as well. We have a nice playfulness when we're doing the scenes. I've been lucky enough to work with lots of brilliant actors and the sign of a good actor is someone who really listens and responds to you and plays within the scene and Kym is really up for that. Especially in the dynamic of Corrie - it is a soap and it's very quick - you don't get much opportunity to rehearse so you have to rely on your instincts and be brave within that. You can't hide or play it safe. I've been lucky actually that they've written me with Kym because it's really worked out."
You mentioned working with Bev Callard as well - have you crossed paths with anyone else?
"I haven't - I've been slightly cocooned in the Jake and Michelle story so I got to work with Beverley which was brilliant and I love watching her work. There's so much to learn from her. You're constantly learning and I think you should always take the opportunity to look at an actor who's brilliant and experienced and take note of what they do and Beverley's certainly up there."
Are there any characters you would like to work with if you did return?
"I'm desperate just to do a scene with Betty - that's all I want to do - my life will be complete! I've been here three and a half weeks and I've been running up and down the corridors and Betty's not been in. I've got to go back to London tomorrow - they've got to bring me back just so I can meet Betty! If I could ask Betty for a hotpot in the Rovers that would be my dream. I don't know where I could go from there - that's like the pinnacle - but I'm ready to enjoy that peak."
What are you doing now?
"I'm trying to work out what's going on with Coronation Street and there's another thing that ITV are making - actors always hear this phrase, 'You're in the mix', so I'm in the mix but at the minute I've finished today and I'm unemployed. That's how it works but what's amazing is that it can all change in a day - you get a phonecall and then you start filming the next day. There's always that thing of having something in the pipeline but unless it's concrete I always prefer to say I'm not doing anything. Actors are afraid to say they're not working but it's part and parcel of the job. Even the most successful actor can only work maybe nine months out of a given year."
What do you do when you're not working?
"I do quite a lot of writing and I'm interested in film so I directed a short film a couple of years ago so I'm very interested in the other side of it and developing other ideas. I keep myself creatively occupied and my wife writes a lot as well. I don't feel like I'm not working. I might not be getting paid but I certainly keep myself busy as much as possible."
Coronation Street's new lad on the cobbles Jake - played by 30-year-old Kenny Doughty - falls head over heels for Michelle Connor (Kym Marsh) next week when he literally tumbles into her life through her bathroom window. The builder's tending to Michelle's roof when he loses his footing and ends up dangling from the guttering. Wearing nothing but a towel, Michelle rushes to help and inadvertently bears all to her uninvited guest. Taken by what he sees, Jake kisses Michelle, before embarking on a mission to coax her on a date. We recently caught up with Kenny to chat about his brief stint, working with Kym Marsh, getting naked and a potential return.
How do we first meet Jake?
"We first meet him when he's repairing the roof above Michelle's flat and being the kind of guy that he is, he hasn't got his safety harness on. He falls off the ladder and ends up hanging on the guttering outside Michelle's window so he's scrambling around trying to get his feet back on terra firma and not fall and break his neck. She comes to the window in a towel because she's been in the bath. She opens the window and pulls me through and as I land into the flat, her towel falls down and that's the first meeting!"
He goes in for the kill straightaway, doesn't he?
"Yeah - I think he's really smitten by her. He's very cheeky and says he's very shocked that he fell off the ladder and maybe needs a little time in her flat to compose himself again and as he leaves he steals a kiss. It stuns her and she's furious with him and tries to get rid of him and calls the police and everything but he's not dissuaded at all, he just sees it as more reason that they should be together. It's lovely actually. I was doing a scene yesterday in the Rovers which is brilliant and terrifying where I have to do a deal with her and say, 'I saw you with your towel', so I go into the Rovers with just a towel on and I say, 'If you don't have dinner with me, my towel will slip off as well!' So we're having this whole negotiation and Beverley Callard is just brilliant, having a good laugh at it all. It's my third ever time in the Rovers and I'm just wearing a towel!"
Was you getting naked part of the brief?
"Yes! It was one of those things where I read it and thought, 'OK, I should probably join a gym for that one!'"
So you worked out for it?
"You have to, don't you? Mainly because he's a labourer and they're well fit guys, they're in shape. So I needed to get in shape anyway but obviously there's a mild actor neurosis which says there's probably ten million watching so I should probably make a bit more effort!"
Are they expecting you to get naked more often, then?
"I don't know what's going to happen to be honest with you. I've done six episodes and I've had a fantastic time on it but the way we've left it is like, 'Watch this space'. I really hope I can get her to come back and I feel there's a lot of unfinished business with Jake and Michelle so fingers crossed that might be explored. I guess that means I'll need to keep my gym membership up if that's the case!"
Do you think Jake's tried to grab women's attentions by standing on their roofs before?
"No, I don't actually. I think that's quite interesting because it's a very unusual thing for him. What I'm finding interesting about him is he does go round places and obviously he's met other women and things have happened with them but I don't think he's instigated things in that sense before. He's more of a carpe diem kind of guy - he'll seize the moment if the opportunity comes to him - he doesn't seem to be the sort of person to search something out deliberately and this is very definitely a chance meeting the way it all happens. It's certainly not contrived at all."
Do you think it's fate?
"I think he feels there is something in that. There's a certain something beyond intellectualness where he feels there's something connecting them."
Would you ever employ the roof trick to woo a lady?
"I don't think I would, no! I'm much more shy than Jake. When I met my wife it took me about four months to ask for her phone number. I don't think falling off a ladder and going through a window would have been good for me!"
Does Michelle agree to a date?
"Yes. He puts her under enormous pressure and eventually to save her embarrassment in front of everybody - and my embarrassment - she agrees she'll go out for dinner as long as I pay. We go out for this fantastic romantic meal. Slowly they get to know each other a little bit better. It confirms for him that it wasn't just an instant physical attraction (which obviously is there and he's besotted by her - who wouldn't be?) but there's something else going on which is really interesting for him."
It's quite a brief stint - how is the situation left?
"It's just over a week and how it's left is Jake gets a job to go to Glasgow and do more building work. That's the nature of his business - he'll just go wherever the work is. He asks her to come to Glasgow with him and obviously she can't because she's got commitments where she is. He's so genuine about it and he even says, 'I think we are made for each other', but circumstances mean they can't be together at that moment. That's how it's left and you know as much as me - I want to come back, I want Jake to come back and I want to find out what happens with them but as it stands it's left that he goes off to Glasgow and she stays in Weatherfield."
Corrie newbie Kenny on his Weatherfield stint
Friday, October 23 2009, 06:00 BST
By Kris Green, Soaps Editor
I recently caught up with one of Coronation Street's latest signings Kenny Doughty - and what a great chap he was. Even though he's only initially around for a handful of episodes, I hear that the producers were bowled over by his performance, so I don't think it's the last we'll be seeing of him...
Click here to read the main limb of the interview or continue reading to see what Kenny has to say about landing his role, his character, Kym Marsh and his dream of a scene with Betty Driver...
How did you land your Corrie role?
"I've been very lucky actually - I met Kim, the producer a couple of years ago and we talked about a different part which obviously didn't work out. Then I was filming something else in Manchester in the summer and I got a call through to say Kim had developed a new character called Jake and they were interested in me to play it - what did I think? I was like, 'Are you mental - what do I think? That's a fantastic idea!' So I get the biog and read it all and came up and met her again. We talked about it and I did a little read-through for them and the writers and came up with what I think is a brilliant character. I'm really lucky because they're really supportive and really want you to be a part of the creative process."
What did the character biog say?
"It actually changed from what I first read because they go through this whole development process. First of all they create a character, then they have to see how it fits in with the show and the storyline. The initial impression I got from it was this guy who comes from a background with no roots as such but he comes in and is absolutely smitten by this gorgeous woman who's Michelle (Kym Marsh) and he just had this determination and a cheekiness and a bit of a chancer attitude. I like that he lives his life by his heart in that sense and doesn't shy away from difficult situations."
Do you think Coronation Street's been lacking that strong alpha male of late?
"I don't know. I think Jake's definitely something fresh they're bringing to Coronation Street and hopefully I can bring something slightly different to what's here before anyway. Saying that, they've got so many wonderful strong characters as it is so the idea that they can come up with a character that can come in and add to what's already there is fantastic. It's probably the most successful soap we've got so they've done so many things right I can't really say they've been lacking anything."
Could you relate to the character when you read it?
"Yeah. You process it as an actor - what am I like? What's the character like? The first thing you do is find a characteristic you like about the character and what I like about him is he's driven by what he feels is right. There's a strong sense of being guided by his heart and not missing an opportunity. In this story he makes advances towards Michelle and she rebuffs them but he's not deterred at all. He insists that this is the right thing and they should be together. He really listens to his heart and doesn't get swayed by other things. He's very instant - he's right in there - and that's why I feel very lucky, he's a strong character immediately. It's terrifying as well though, because you have to go on and do it straight away."
What was it like walking onto the Street for the first time?
"Terrifying! It's legendary and it feels very surreal knowing I'm going to be a part of this. You feel very honoured and lucky but at the same time there's an undercurrent of anxiety going, 'I actually have to do this!' Apart from all the excitement you step out of it and you do have to do it - it's not just some kind of dream."
What's it been like working with Kym?
"She's been absolutely brilliant and we get on so well. It is quite daunting coming onto the Street and she was so generous and fun to work with which made it easier for me to do that. She's a brilliant actress as well. We have a nice playfulness when we're doing the scenes. I've been lucky enough to work with lots of brilliant actors and the sign of a good actor is someone who really listens and responds to you and plays within the scene and Kym is really up for that. Especially in the dynamic of Corrie - it is a soap and it's very quick - you don't get much opportunity to rehearse so you have to rely on your instincts and be brave within that. You can't hide or play it safe. I've been lucky actually that they've written me with Kym because it's really worked out."
You mentioned working with Bev Callard as well - have you crossed paths with anyone else?
"I haven't - I've been slightly cocooned in the Jake and Michelle story so I got to work with Beverley which was brilliant and I love watching her work. There's so much to learn from her. You're constantly learning and I think you should always take the opportunity to look at an actor who's brilliant and experienced and take note of what they do and Beverley's certainly up there."
Are there any characters you would like to work with if you did return?
"I'm desperate just to do a scene with Betty - that's all I want to do - my life will be complete! I've been here three and a half weeks and I've been running up and down the corridors and Betty's not been in. I've got to go back to London tomorrow - they've got to bring me back just so I can meet Betty! If I could ask Betty for a hotpot in the Rovers that would be my dream. I don't know where I could go from there - that's like the pinnacle - but I'm ready to enjoy that peak."
What are you doing now?
"I'm trying to work out what's going on with Coronation Street and there's another thing that ITV are making - actors always hear this phrase, 'You're in the mix', so I'm in the mix but at the minute I've finished today and I'm unemployed. That's how it works but what's amazing is that it can all change in a day - you get a phonecall and then you start filming the next day. There's always that thing of having something in the pipeline but unless it's concrete I always prefer to say I'm not doing anything. Actors are afraid to say they're not working but it's part and parcel of the job. Even the most successful actor can only work maybe nine months out of a given year."
What do you do when you're not working?
"I do quite a lot of writing and I'm interested in film so I directed a short film a couple of years ago so I'm very interested in the other side of it and developing other ideas. I keep myself creatively occupied and my wife writes a lot as well. I don't feel like I'm not working. I might not be getting paid but I certainly keep myself busy as much as possible."