You Ask… Paddy Wallace (Jude)
Mary’s beloved boy Jude is a marine biologist by trade – but is actor Paddy set to be all at sea as he dives into answering your probing questions?
“Would you like to have a mum like Mary in real life?”
Well, believe it or not my real mum’s name is also Mary – and they’re very similar! But yes, I would like a mum like Mary. Her character is mad, yet great – she’s a star. My mum and Corrie Mary haven’t met yet, so we need to organise that…
“Is it right that you were born in Northern
Ireland – and if so, what happened to your accent?”
My family are Irish – my dad is from Belfast, and my aunt, uncle and nan still live over there – but I was born and brought up just outside of Chester. I went to university in Northern Ireland when I was 18, and worked there for a bit after uni, as an actor. I can do the accent for roles if required, though!
“What’s the cheekiest thing the baby who plays Jude and Angie’s son George has done on set?”
He does cry a bit sometimes! He knows he’s an actor, so he does a scene when he wants – and when he doesn’t, he won’t. But that’s about as cheeky as it gets! I’ve worked with kids quite a few times before, but Romeo, who plays George, is wonderful – he’s a brilliant little babba.
“Jude is a marine biologist – is that a subject you’re interested in?”
I have to admit, I had no real knowledge of it before I started playing Jude, so I had to do a bit of research for the role. I’ve learned about warty venus clams recently… It’s an interesting world, all right! Blue Planet is one of my favourite programmes, and I love David Attenborough, so that’s been a great resource for doing my research.
“We know that Jude used to live in South Africa. Have you ever been there?”
No, I haven’t, but I’d love to go! If you fancy sending me on a plane, I’ll head over there and do some research, if you like? I do reckon it’s important for the character that Jude should go back and visit South Africa…
“Where would you like to visit on your next holiday?”
“Is it true that you were in Game Of Thrones?”
I was just talking about that, actually. I’ve never been to Australia or New Zealand, and I’d like to see that part of the world – so that should be my next trip, I think. I’m a big fan of the Lord Of The
Rings movies, which were filmed in New Zealand, and I’d like to see some of that landscape. And everyone says that Melbourne is a beautiful place, too.
“What’s the best thing about working with Patti Clare, who plays Mary?”
Everything! Patti is wonderful. She’s one of the most generous actors I’ve ever worked with. Everything is easy with Patti – you just couldn’t wish for a better person to work with. She was incredible when I first came into the show. Everyone here loves Patti!
“Is it true that you appeared in Game Of Thrones?”
I did! I played a Kingsguard – but blink and you’ll miss me. It was an incredible experience. I spent about nine days in Dubrovnik in Croatia, where the show is filmed – and it feels as big as you’d expect, if not bigger! It was amazing just to be a very small part of it. I was working with Dean-charles Chapman, who played King Tommen. I had a great costume, too – I was heavily armoured!
“What’s been your favourite TV show to guest star in?”
I did a really nice job on a BBC series called Father Brown – that was great. It has a very nice cast, and I had a fun and interesting storyline. Jude is just about the nicest person I’ve ever played, but
I’ve been a suspected murderer in most other things, and was a prime suspect in Father Brown
– I must have that sort of face! My character Tom was the gardener at a convent where two nuns were killed.
“I read an interview with Victoria Ekanoye [Angie] in Inside Soap, and she said that you’re really good at football – is that true?”
I don’t know about that – but I used to play semi-professional football. I played in Northern Ireland while
I was at uni there. And I played for a team called Winsford United over here. If I could have played fully pro, I’d have loved playing for Manchester United, as that’s my team. Nowadays I play for the
Corrie footy team on a Monday night. It’s made up of cast and crew – and it’s a competitive hour of football!
“We’re about to see various
Corrie characters go head-to-head for a charity boxing match. Who would you like to go up against?”
Ha ha! Let’s see… How about Jude versus Norris – why not? But Norris would absolutely whoop me. I wouldn’t stand a chance. He would be able to cut me down with his tongue!
“What’s the best thing about Patti Clare [Mary]?”