Louis Emerick said it is an “exciting” time for him as an actor
Actor Louis Emerick has revealed the “back door” he has opened for Brookside characters. The 65-year-old dad was among those who were at the Liverpool Empire Theatre to celebrate the opening of Matilda the Musical.
Celebrating 15 years on stage, the highly-acclaimed musical – based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book – is running for the first time until Sunday, January 4. The Broadway favourite follows the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.
The global phenomenon has won more than 100 international awards and has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities worldwide. This is the first time the show will be staged in Liverpool.
To celebrate the show’s opening, and 100 years of Christmas at the Empire Theatre, a handful of familiar faces were at the venue. This included Brookside, The Traitors and G’Wed cast members.
The ECHO caught up with Louis while at the launch about all things Brookside and Hollyoaks. The actor is most recognised for his portrayal of Mick Johnson in the Merseyside-based series across a remarkable 12-year stint.
The performer brought Mick to life throughout 1,037 episodes, despite initially being cast for merely one appearance in the Channel 4 series.
Now, appearing in Hollyoaks and on the back of the crossover episode with Brookside, Louis told the ECHO: “The crossover episode went really well. Channel 4 has just released figures and said it was the biggest audience rating they have had in around five years.
“We now have three characters coming into Hollyoaks – Tinhead, Nikki, and Sinbad. What I’m saying is, I’ve opened the back door to let them in.”
Hollyoaks viewers are currently watching a male rape storyline, involving Louis’ character and Danny Mac’s Dodger Savage, unfold. Louis added: “With Mick at the moment, we are tackling male rape. Hollyoaks do it very well and the two policemen show how they both deal with it differently.
“One is saying forget it, it never happened, while the other wants to open up about it. We’ve been working closely with We Are Victims. It is exciting stuff, it’s not great, but it is one that needs to be done and, it’s great for me as a actor to be doing.”
Also among the talent at the launch night was Johnny Vegas. Beyond the opening night, the star, from Thatto Heath, already has a connection with Roald Dahl, having recently starred in Netflix’s animated adaptation of The Twits.
He took on the role of Mr Twit in the film, with US actress Margo Martindale voicing Mrs Twit. The pair starred alongside Emilia Clarke, Natalie Portman and Jason Mantzoukas.
Johnny told the ECHO: “I’m the only English actor in it, which is mad. I thought that with having such a colloquial accent, I kept waiting for the phone call to be told I had been dropped. Well, not dropped but let go gently.
“It has done really well, it has had a fantastic response and I’m really grateful for the director. It was a risk for him, on something that is global, to cast a bloke like me from the North West.”
The Twits is the first film to be made of the classic UK children’s book by Roald Dahl, about a dastardly couple who enjoy playing mean tricks on each other.
It has been made by Netflix and Jellyfish Pictures, the company who also worked on Boss Baby 2 and The Bad Guys. The film was released back in October.
