We had the pleasure of sitting down with the brilliant Connor McIntyre at Corrie's recent press day on Monday and talking all things Phelan...
How do you feel about
leaving?
As always it’s sad to lose the people you’ve grown close to,
it’s been some ride hasn’t it? From three scenes up to where we are now, and
the opportunities I’ve been given to play out. It’s the right time, the viewers
have really stuck with us all the way through, we’ve tested their patience and
it’s a fit time for it to conclude, but tinged with sadness.
There has been some
criticism of Andy and Vinny’s deaths. Do you think it’s right that Coronation
Street moves with the time and shows scenes like that?
Sure, I do and I respect everybody’s opinion but thankfully
it’s not my problem, my obligation is between action and cut. The scripts have
been great, we’ve really taken it as close as we could get to, some of those
scenes have been good as any drama that we’ve seen on television in my opinion
– set against Aidan’s story, set against Bethany’s story. It’s fantastic.
How much of Phelan is
going to be in panto?
I suspect that the audience are going to bring an awful lot
of that to the panto. I think it’s a great idea. I wasn’t thinking about it, it
seems such a normal thing to do – leave a soap and do a panto – but I wasn’t
looking for it, and I’m very much looking forward to getting back to my studio,
but Claire Heseltine, who is Les Dennis’ partner, she said to Les “Wouldn’t it
be a great idea if we could get you two together in a panto?” so we really owe
Claire for that. I think it’s a great idea and I think it’s a lovely
counterpart to Phelan at the end of the year. I’ve been playing this really
vile character in many respects for two and a half years this time round, so I
think it’s a really nice way to tie the year up.
How do you feel about
being part of Coronation Street history?
It’s a great privilege when you think of the iconic
characters and the history of the show. I was born nine days after the first
episode went out so we grew up with it. To be part of that – my mum, God rest
her soul, would be very pleased.
Have you taken any
souvenirs or bits of costume?
I’ve taken a couple of little bits, not for myself,
hopefully there’ll be a charity that I can sign them for. I did think about the
van – I got very protective about the van! I said “What’s going to happen to
the van?” because somebody had said to me “It’ll probably just get scrapped”
and I was like “Really?” I said “If that’s the case, I’ll buy it or whatever”
because maybe there was something charitable we could’ve done with that. But
the good news for the guys going on the Corrie tour is that Phelan’s van is on
the Corrie tour.
What did you think
about his exit when the scripts came through?
I thought it was terrific. Let’s go right back to the
beginning. What started this whole chain of events was when Owen came to the
house, looking for money, Phelan said he hasn’t got any, and they steal his
motorbike. So one very bad choice at the beginning started this whole chain of
calamitous events. Phelan’s made some very calamitous choices, and this part of
the story starts with a calamitous choice – why not just call the police? But
no, this is Coronation Street and it’s “Let’s get him back to the street”. And
once he arrives back on the street, it’s not going to end well, is it?
How would you
describe Phelan?
A dangerous narcissist. He’s a cat in a world of mice.
Is he evil?
Is it as simple as that? I think one of the things that has
given Pat Phelan some longevity is the fact that we see qualities in him that
are very human. People often say to me “We know there’s a good man there
fighting to get out.” We can see a sense of decency in there somewhere but
again, because of his pathology, bad choice after bad choice.
What has been the
public reaction to you?
What would you guess is the question I get asked the most?
It’s, “Do you love Eileen or not?” – and I think that’s really heartening about
people. It’s not about the murders – no, no. It’s “Do you love Eileen or not?”
which is really quite touching, isn’t it?
Did Phelan really
love Eileen?
I believe he very much did. I always refer people back to
the scene where the guy came into the house and attacked Phelan in the kitchen.
He thought that Eileen was possibly going to get hurt, so he was beside
himself, running out into the street, screaming for Eileen.
Is there a side to
Phelan that’s quite likeable?
Yes, and as a villain, that’s what’s given him traction.
He’s fully rounded. Then there’s the question “Is he evil?” Well, he is
sometimes and sometime he’s not. Unfortunately, the evil seems to outweigh
everything else.
Do you relish the
fact that, because they are going out post-watershed, these episodes can push
the boundaries a bit?
It gives us a bit more licence to go further with this
story. We’ve really pushed the boundaries. So we’ll have to see what the
reaction is.
Now he’s back on the
street, does Phelan have any conscience left or his blinded by revenge?
That’s a good question. Would he have come back by choice?
Maybe at some other time. But it’s still about control, as it is with dangerous
narcissists. He’s still involved in Nicola’s life, he still knows what’s going
on. Would he have come back by choice? Possibly not. But being forcibly dragged
back, strapped into a chair and held hostage – I think we know it’s not going
to end well!
Why do you think
Phelan’s story has divided the nation?
He's a fully-formed, three-dimensional character. There are
bits about him that people loathe. But again, people think there's a good man
fighting to get out. It's about that internal battle. In another world, him and
Eileen would have been a great couple. The reaction to most of the stuff with
Andy down in the cellar was, "Just let him go. Go back to Eileen and we'll
even forgive you for Michael." There was a real tug at people. If it
divides them, it's great.
They're fast
forwarding 18 months in New Zealand. Do you have a message for viewers there?
We love the New Zealand fans, and I hope it makes some
sense! They'll be saying, "Where's this guy from? What's his
problem?" Because it's as well to point out that this has been five years
roughly in the cooking, and we've seen Phelan develop incrementally through
that time.
Why do you think this
is the right time to go?
We've taken the audience with us on a couple of false
starts. "He's almost gone, almost gone. He deserves his comeuppance, but
he's stretching it a little bit further." So we've really asked the
audience to come along with us for the ride, and they have done. So they
deserve the pay-off, and I think it's a decent pay-off.
Are there any roles
you'd love to play in the future?
I'd love to do Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare. As actors,
we're not really in control of that - and if we are, it's with a small c. So
we'll see what happens. I've learnt to become a bit more philosophical about
it. Who'd have guessed that from three episodes we'd do all this? You couldn't
have foreseen that. I love to be at work. I love what I do. So, Shakespeare?
Sure. I love all of that.By Sophie Williams, on twitter: @sophie_jw26
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1 comment:
It's only Connor McIntyre's amazing performance which has made the character of Phelan work. Phelan, the character, isn't fully-formed or three-dimensional at all. The only people he cares for are extensions of himself, as you might expect of a narcissist. The writers could have given him an unexpected tenderness towards wild life, linking it back to the childhood experience with his father which he told Todd about. We know little or nothing about his mother (if so, I've forgotten). Was he brought up in a strict religious home? It works the other way in Corrie, too, where promising characters are let down by ho-hum acting. If Phelan had been played by a lesser actor, the preposterous nature of the storyline would have led to a swift exit for the character.
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