Perdita
14-11-2008, 09:55
Coronation Street's relative newcomer Craig Gazey returned to our screens last week as 'eccentric mentalist' Graeme Proctor. Viewers will recognise the 26-year-old Oldham actor as David Platt's (Jack P. Shepherd) cellmate from earlier in the year when David spent time a Young Offenders' Institute at Her Majesty's pleasure. Next week, Graeme joins David and Tina (Michelle Keegan) as they wreck the Windass family's kitchen. Yesterday, we caught up with Craig for his first interview since joining Corrie to chat about his acting career, his character, and potential on-screen love interests.
You've had some fantastic acting experience already with the Royal Shakespeare Company, haven't you?
"Yeah, it's great grounding - a fantastic place to start. I've done the Globe Theatre and the Royal Court. What's great for me is being able to be all-encompassing and having an eclectic mix of work. It's amazing to go from something like the RSC to Coronation Street."
What made you turn to soap?
"It found me, really. The thing about me is, being a Northern lad, Corrie's always a benchmark of success. I started acting when I was five - not professionally - but everyone, when I was a kid, was always asking 'when are we going to see you on Corrie?' And here I am."
How did the part originally come about?
"It was just the normal audition process. They didn't give me the script until the day, so I grabbed a coffee and digested it. Then I was given a breakdown of the character. The funny thing is that I didn't really know who or what Graeme was. I don't think they quite knew at the beginning either. In the first few scenes, it seemed that Graeme was going to victimise David [Platt in the Young Offenders' Institute] and I even thought he was going to be a bad bully. But then as time went on and I started to read more scenes, I started to realise that they were going to become good mates. And that's good for me because there's more mileage in the character!"
How would you describe Graeme?
"He's a bit of a mentalist. I'd say he was eccentric, too. I call him a fantasising scally. He's always going off on these little rants. He's quite switched on, though. Just a bit mad and playful."
Did you always know that you were going to return at some point beyond Graeme's release?
"No, I didn't. It was never on the cards, but everyone was so supportive of me and my character. On my last day of filming of my first ever block, the crew gave me a clap to say goodbye and they all said 'goodbye Craig', while a couple of them added 'for now' on the end."
How have you settled back in? What's it like working with Jack P. Shepherd and Michelle Keegan?
"It's great. I get on really well with the pair of them. Obviously I didn't work with any of the other actors when I first appeared, only Jack and a couple of times with Michelle. It's still all quite new to me, but with Corrie, it's like a fast train that you have to jump on the back of and ride it."
And you're heavily involved in the Windass storyline. What are they all like?
"I've just moved in with Mikey [North], who plays Gary Windass, so we're really good pals in real life. To be honest, apart from the storylines coming up with the kitchen and car, I don't really have much more to do with the family. They're a really interesting group of characters, though, who'll be causing a lot of trouble."
Are you in Corrie long-term?
"Yeah, I'm here for as long as they'll have me!"
If Graeme could embark on a relationship with anyone on the Cobbles, who would you see him with?
"That's a good question, that. In a non-sexual way, I'd like to see him in some scenes with Becky. They might be too alike, but I think they'd have some great fun. As for a relationship, I think that Sophie [Webster] is brilliant, played by Brooke Vincent. Sophie can be quite gobby and I think she'd give him a run for his money. I'm not sure if she's a bit young, though! At the moment, I'm having lots of first scenes in different places, so it's like they're dangling me over people to see who Graeme fits with."
What's to come for Graeme in 2009?
"I honestly don't know. That's what I enjoy, though. They're keeping me on my toes that way."
Bonus Scoop: Corrie's Graeme Proctor
Yesterday, I managed to catch up with Coronation Street's Craig Gazey, who plays eccentric scally Graeme Proctor in the soap, in his first ever interview for the programme. If you haven't seen it yet, the main interview can be found here. However, here are some nuggets of transcript which didn't make the final cut.
On a personal note, I'm extremely pleased with the character's introduction. He's the much-needed additional light relief to Weatherfield that rounds Corrie off just nicely. All credit to the show's leading producer Kim Crowther for seeing the character's potential. And they've not thrown him into the deep end, either. He's simmering at the moment and will continue to bubble under for the next few months. However, I hear that there's a relatively big storyline on the horizon.
All I can say at the moment is that Graeme's the quirky kind of character that could easily become infatuated with things or people. Read what you will into that, though. It's a good'un!
Anyway, as promised, here are the extra morsels:
What was the reaction like from your family when they heard you'd be appearing in a semi-regular role?
"Well for my dad, I've made it now that I'm on Corrie! He can go down to the pub and someone will go 'hey, Mick, is that your Craig on Corrie' and he'll go 'Oh yes' [in the voice of Churchill the Dog from the TV advert]. I've done the RSC and some other big jobs, but that's it now. I've made it!"
For a smaller part, you've made a great impact…
"Quite overwhelming, really. I've seen that there's been a bit of a buzz about Graeme. I think a lot of it's down to the writing, though. I know it sounds a little clichéd! I look at the script when I get it and I think 'it'll be very difficult to mess this up' because it's very funny material. Corrie's great in that it doesn't take itself too seriously. There's a scene next week where I'm fantasising about doing the model Agnes Dean's mum's garden, so then Agnes will say that I'm really good at doing the garden and then go on holiday today! It's great because it allows me to have a rant which has nothing to do with the plots, but they just work. It really gives you a sense of a character if it's coming out of his mind, rather than their actions."
You deliver some some fantastic one-liners, too…
"I think that doing Shakespeare and theatre has really helped me with my comic timing. Doing theatre, you have to be sharp every night and it's the same here at Corrie. I'm just getting used to it all here at the moment, looking at scenes that I don't think I nailed as well as I could have done, trying to make my scenes better. I don't want Graeme to become too bold, though. The dialogue's bold, but I want viewers to believe in him."
You've had some fantastic acting experience already with the Royal Shakespeare Company, haven't you?
"Yeah, it's great grounding - a fantastic place to start. I've done the Globe Theatre and the Royal Court. What's great for me is being able to be all-encompassing and having an eclectic mix of work. It's amazing to go from something like the RSC to Coronation Street."
What made you turn to soap?
"It found me, really. The thing about me is, being a Northern lad, Corrie's always a benchmark of success. I started acting when I was five - not professionally - but everyone, when I was a kid, was always asking 'when are we going to see you on Corrie?' And here I am."
How did the part originally come about?
"It was just the normal audition process. They didn't give me the script until the day, so I grabbed a coffee and digested it. Then I was given a breakdown of the character. The funny thing is that I didn't really know who or what Graeme was. I don't think they quite knew at the beginning either. In the first few scenes, it seemed that Graeme was going to victimise David [Platt in the Young Offenders' Institute] and I even thought he was going to be a bad bully. But then as time went on and I started to read more scenes, I started to realise that they were going to become good mates. And that's good for me because there's more mileage in the character!"
How would you describe Graeme?
"He's a bit of a mentalist. I'd say he was eccentric, too. I call him a fantasising scally. He's always going off on these little rants. He's quite switched on, though. Just a bit mad and playful."
Did you always know that you were going to return at some point beyond Graeme's release?
"No, I didn't. It was never on the cards, but everyone was so supportive of me and my character. On my last day of filming of my first ever block, the crew gave me a clap to say goodbye and they all said 'goodbye Craig', while a couple of them added 'for now' on the end."
How have you settled back in? What's it like working with Jack P. Shepherd and Michelle Keegan?
"It's great. I get on really well with the pair of them. Obviously I didn't work with any of the other actors when I first appeared, only Jack and a couple of times with Michelle. It's still all quite new to me, but with Corrie, it's like a fast train that you have to jump on the back of and ride it."
And you're heavily involved in the Windass storyline. What are they all like?
"I've just moved in with Mikey [North], who plays Gary Windass, so we're really good pals in real life. To be honest, apart from the storylines coming up with the kitchen and car, I don't really have much more to do with the family. They're a really interesting group of characters, though, who'll be causing a lot of trouble."
Are you in Corrie long-term?
"Yeah, I'm here for as long as they'll have me!"
If Graeme could embark on a relationship with anyone on the Cobbles, who would you see him with?
"That's a good question, that. In a non-sexual way, I'd like to see him in some scenes with Becky. They might be too alike, but I think they'd have some great fun. As for a relationship, I think that Sophie [Webster] is brilliant, played by Brooke Vincent. Sophie can be quite gobby and I think she'd give him a run for his money. I'm not sure if she's a bit young, though! At the moment, I'm having lots of first scenes in different places, so it's like they're dangling me over people to see who Graeme fits with."
What's to come for Graeme in 2009?
"I honestly don't know. That's what I enjoy, though. They're keeping me on my toes that way."
Bonus Scoop: Corrie's Graeme Proctor
Yesterday, I managed to catch up with Coronation Street's Craig Gazey, who plays eccentric scally Graeme Proctor in the soap, in his first ever interview for the programme. If you haven't seen it yet, the main interview can be found here. However, here are some nuggets of transcript which didn't make the final cut.
On a personal note, I'm extremely pleased with the character's introduction. He's the much-needed additional light relief to Weatherfield that rounds Corrie off just nicely. All credit to the show's leading producer Kim Crowther for seeing the character's potential. And they've not thrown him into the deep end, either. He's simmering at the moment and will continue to bubble under for the next few months. However, I hear that there's a relatively big storyline on the horizon.
All I can say at the moment is that Graeme's the quirky kind of character that could easily become infatuated with things or people. Read what you will into that, though. It's a good'un!
Anyway, as promised, here are the extra morsels:
What was the reaction like from your family when they heard you'd be appearing in a semi-regular role?
"Well for my dad, I've made it now that I'm on Corrie! He can go down to the pub and someone will go 'hey, Mick, is that your Craig on Corrie' and he'll go 'Oh yes' [in the voice of Churchill the Dog from the TV advert]. I've done the RSC and some other big jobs, but that's it now. I've made it!"
For a smaller part, you've made a great impact…
"Quite overwhelming, really. I've seen that there's been a bit of a buzz about Graeme. I think a lot of it's down to the writing, though. I know it sounds a little clichéd! I look at the script when I get it and I think 'it'll be very difficult to mess this up' because it's very funny material. Corrie's great in that it doesn't take itself too seriously. There's a scene next week where I'm fantasising about doing the model Agnes Dean's mum's garden, so then Agnes will say that I'm really good at doing the garden and then go on holiday today! It's great because it allows me to have a rant which has nothing to do with the plots, but they just work. It really gives you a sense of a character if it's coming out of his mind, rather than their actions."
You deliver some some fantastic one-liners, too…
"I think that doing Shakespeare and theatre has really helped me with my comic timing. Doing theatre, you have to be sharp every night and it's the same here at Corrie. I'm just getting used to it all here at the moment, looking at scenes that I don't think I nailed as well as I could have done, trying to make my scenes better. I don't want Graeme to become too bold, though. The dialogue's bold, but I want viewers to believe in him."