Former Coronation Street star Gray O'Brien has said playing villain Tony Gordon in the ITV soap from 2007 to 2010 almost ruined his career. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk during rehearsals for his latest role in a stage production of Twelve Angry Men, he said: "It is the death of a career - the Corrie villain. It's just almost impossible to work afterwards in television."
Labelled by the role
O'Brien, who played the evil character in the long-running soap, explained that the exposure from the show made it hard to find work afterwards. "You're labelled so badly because you're so well known [from it]. They really overexpose you on that show," he said.
"You end up allowing every other storyline to happen - everybody gets involved. You become the Venn diagram, if you like. So it's very lucrative and it's very good for the number of years you're in. But you come out and people say they can't use you because you're just too well known."
He recalled the public reaction to his character: "I used to walk down the street or I was in a corner street, and every single person would go: 'You alright, Tony.' It was like everybody knew you," he laughed.
A memorable bad guy
The character was a memorable villain from the start. He arranged the murder of Liam Connor, played by Robert James-Collier, out of jealousy after discovering he had an affair with his fiancée and later wife Carla Connor, played by Alison King.
After confessing all to Carla, he later entered a relationship and became engaged to Liam's widow, Maria Connor, played by Samia Longchambon. Overcome by guilt, he eventually confessed to the murder and tried to kill Roy Cropper, played by David Neilson, before turning himself in to the police in late 2009.
His story continued as he broke out of prison in May 2010, returned to Weatherfield seeking revenge, and in a dramatic siege week held hostages before dying in an explosion he caused at the Underworld factory.
From Casualty to the stage
Before his stint in Corrie, O'Brien played a more palatable character as Senior House Officer doctor Richard McCaig in Casualty between 1996 and 1998. His character was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which meant he was written out of the show.
"We had a discussion about it. They said we've given you this character that's just going to become debilitated, and you'll get to the point where you won't be able to work so that was a bit unfortunate for me," he quipped.
He claimed the public reaction to that role is very different. "A lot of people think they recognise you, but they can't quite put their finger on it. So they'll say, 'Did you used to cut my hair? Do you do windows? Are you a window cleaner?' Because they know you. They recognise you."
His latest role is juror number eight in the play Twelve Angry Men, the classic legal drama about twelve jurors who must decide the fate of an 18-year-old boy accused of murdering his father. It also stars fellow Corrie alumni Tristan Gemmill, who played Robert Preston, and Bill Ward, who played Charlie Stubbs. The role was played by Henry Fonda in the famous 1957 movie, and O'Brien describes it as a "bucket list part".
"Most actors I speak to will say: 'Oh, I'd love to play that role - it's just one of those classics.' Atticus Finch [in To Kill A Mockingbird] is another one as well. There's certain roles you want to play. You want to play Frank in Educating Rita. So it is a bucket list moment for me. You know, you're in good hands because it's such a well-written play."
Twelve Angry Men will tour the UK from September 1.
