Firstly, how does it feel being back on Coronation Street?
It was a long wait, but it was worth the wait. It’s been great to be back.
You first appeared in the role of Dylan in 2011 with your twin brother Connor - what age were you and how did you get the part?
We were three years old and it was a total fluke way to get it. My neighbour across the road was on work experience for a local agency and she asked my mum if we would want to go and do an audition for her. She said even if we didn’t get it, it would help her with her work experience. My mum, dad and even nursery teachers all thought we would be too shy to do it. When we got here, and were in the casting, as soon as the cameras were on, we were like totally different children with our confidence and were laughing away.
When did you take over the role on your own?
Antony had always been in touch while I was off so when it was rumoured that Dylan was going to come back, Antony called to let us know. Connor doesn’t act anymore, he is focusing on sports now.
Have you always wanted to be an actor?
Yeah, I was around 13 or 14 when I realised I really wanted to do this forever. When doing previous jobs other than Coronation Street and experiencing working with different people, that's what made me know I definitely wanted to be an actor.
Can you tell me about your other acting experience?
The Bay was one of my first gigs after Corrie which was about a police investigation going on in my family. After that, I had other small things in between and then I was in The Last Tango in Halifax, which we did in 2019. This is where I would say I learned the most of my skills that I have now, excluding Corrie, by working with the likes of Derek Jacobi, Timothy West and Sarah Lancashire.
How would you describe Dylan?
I think my whole description of Dylan is that he just wants to fit in. He wants to make friends no matter what, probably because of his previous encounters in London.
Do you think with Dylan being relatively new to the street after returning to the Cobbles on a more permanent basis, that he will be easily influenced, especially by Mason?
Yes. Like I said, I think because of what happened in London, he wants to fit in with the cool kids and be like them. He doesn't want to be what he was in London - it's a total change to who he previously was. It's almost like a new start for him and he can have a bit of freedom so I think that would make him very easily influenced.
Does Dylan realise how dangerous Mason’s influence could be?
I think Dylan is very niaive in what he's going into. I think Sean realises how dangerous Mason’s influence is but Dylan ignores him quite a lot. Mason isn’t a true friend to Dylan, but as I’ve said he’s very easily influenced so I don’t think he realises what he’s getting himself into.
Do you think Dylan just wants to fit in, or do you think he’s also scared of Mason?
I think there's an element of both especially when we start hearing of what Mason has done and we don’t actually know what else he’s capable of doing. Ultimately, we're not going to go against him. So I do think it's a balance of both wanting to fit in and being scared of him.
What advice would you give Dylan?
My advice would be to only listen to the people around you that mean a lot to you - your family and your true friends. I would like to tell Dylan to listen to them because they're only looking out for your best interests.
What do you love about Coronation Street?
The thing I love about Coronation Street is, and it sounds very cliche, but it really is like a family and I’m grateful to be a part of it.
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Who is Mason??
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