Coronation Street Blog: Maximus Evans interview: Will Corey get away with murder?

After surviving the court case and surviving Abi pointing a gun at him, does Corey think he’s got away with Seb’s murder now?

Currently he thinks he’s a bit of an untouchable! In the sinkhole it was either compromise or demise for Corey, that was his attitude in the moment, but then he was fortunate enough to be saved by Roy Cropper. However I think he’s the most vulnerable he’s been at the minute, even though Stefan is still pulling out all his resources it feels like neither of them have the power they used to anymore. He’s survived by the skin of his teeth these last couple of months and now this is really the final straw as to whether he’ll get away with it or not.

It then emerges that Stu, a homeless man, has Corey’s backpack that he disposed of the night Seb was killed, is he worried about this latest development?

Absolutely he’s worried and he should be, we saw what Corey did with that backpack that night. It catches him off guard, Stu showing up with the backpack. After the sinkhole he thought this couldn’t get any worse but now it is again. The past is coming to get him, he can try and run away from it all he likes, and even if he does successfully get out of the country and get to his new football club in Germany to pursue his professional career, there’ll still be that worry that the past is going to catch up with him at some point.

How does he feel when he knows the police are looking for him again, does he realise the game could be up or does he still think his dad can fix things for him?

He’s convinced himself of the power that he and his dad have but it’s getting to a point where nobody can save him now, you can have all the money in the world but if you’ve murdered someone as horrifically as Corey did eventually they’ll get you. With the police opening the case again that’s definitely a worry for him, he’s terrified.

How scared is Corey?

The thought of going to prison is the worst thing imaginable for Corey because deep down he knows himself he’s just a scared young lad that doesn’t have the power he’s convinced himself that he has.

With the police seemingly onto them Corey and his dad disappear, what’s the plan?

They’ve made a run for it, Stefan has arranged a van to pick them up from this warehouse where they’re both hiding out. Stefan has almost become a fugitive himself as well as he tries to help Corey escape out of the country. Stefan’s pulling out everything he has in his armour but it’s whether it’s good enough now that the net is closing in. Their plan is that Christian will pick them up and get them to the border where hopefully Corey will be en route to Germany.

Would you like to see Corey get away or would you like to see him face his crime?

I’m like the majority of the audience, I despise Corey as much as they do so I’d love to see him behind bars. With villains the show has had previously there’s often the expectancy that they die but in a way then they’ve cheated their own outcome. If you take someone like Pat Phelan who was a serial killer, who one by one took people out before he died, then that’s not the case with Corey, he’s an accidental killer who killed Seb in an outburst of rage. I think him being behind bars would emphasise the fact that there are consequences to our actions at whatever age. Corey is only a 17 year old lad but his age shouldn’t get in the way of his outcome, which for me would be him having a hard time in prison.

Going back in time would Corey change things? And if so would he be changing them to get out of this mess or do you think he has some genuine remorse?

I absolutely think if he could take back what he did he would but more because of the mess that it’s caused him. We have to remember he did this through his prejudice for Nina and really Seb was just in Corey’s way. At first when he didn’t know Seb was dead it was a case of if Seb wasn’t there he’d have done it to Nina but as time went on, Seb died and he ended up on trial for this then yes there’s regret. But it’s more for himself, it’s the last thing he wants now because look how vulnerable he is. He’s in the public eye now, his football career is taking off and maybe his attitude has changed but actions have consequences. During the past few months we’ve seen him behave like he’s untouchable but he slips in and out of these different moods. There’s a switch I find between the anger and the dominance he possesses but as soon as the tables are turned, where the gun is turned on him for instance, he turns into this scared, vulnerable child. He’s a hypocrite, that’s what he is.

Whatever happens to Corey, whether he gets away and escapes the country or he’s caught and he goes to jail, that means you leave the show for a while. How are you feeling about that and what are your plans?

He may not leave the show for good but I’ve recently moved down to London to further my training at The Guild Hall School of Music and Drama. At the same time that’s only 2 years then I’ll be back on the market as they say so we’ll just see what happens from there. It’s been a great taster at Corrie for TV and acting for screen but I’d love to get back into theatre. As an actor it really tests you theatre and I just want to challenge myself as much as possible and take on a role that’s really different to the one I’ve created at Corrie.

Would you be interested in resurrecting the character of Corey in the future?

Of course, I’ve loved the last 2 years, it’s been some of the best times of my life, the experiences and the people I’ve met have just been incredible. I owe the show a lot so of course I’d come back, I’d love to see it happen further down the line to create that bigger impact if it ever was to happen but I love the show and it’s been an honour to be part of it.

What have you enjoyed the most during your time on Coronation Street?

What’s been brilliant is that as time has gone on it’s got more and more intense, super soap week has to be the high point of my time on Corrie because of how grand a scale that week was but also it’s the people I’ve worked with. These are actors that I’ve looked at at a young age and never would I have thought I’d be working with them but now I’m mates with them, it’s a very strange position to be in and it did take me a while to get used to. So I’d probably say the best thing about the experience is the people I’ve met, both cast and crew, you’re constantly meeting new people and that’s the best part about it I think.

Who will you miss the most?

There are too many to name names but I’ll really miss those early days with Tanisha because that’s where it all started. It started as this one date then grew into this huge scale, important storyline where we were able to work with The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. I remember mine and Tanisha’s last scene, it wasn’t an emotional scene but it was for us looking back to 2 and a half years ago when we did that first scene in Speed Dahl. But I expect Tanisha to be hanging around on the street for years and years to come as she’s fantastic so hopefully I’ll get to do a scene with her again one day if they ever decide to bring Corey back.

Glenda Young

Novelist published by Headline