They ANSWER!
James is still harbouring the secret that he and Grace shot Mercedes, but will Gregory be more forthcoming as we ask him your reader questions?
“Do you remember your first day at Hollyoaks and what was it like?”
I remember it well – I only had a few scenes in what was then the Bean café. The thing I remember most was that I came in and Faye, our head of makeup, sheared me like a sheep. Any hair on my face or body at the time, there was none left when she was finished! I had a spray tan too, which
I’d never had before.
“Can you tell us a secret about Lysette Anthony [aka Marnie]?”
What can I tell you? That’s the question! Lysette is constantly buzzing as she owns several selfmassaging products. She wears a neck massager in-between takes, and has a massage seat which hums away. Lysette hasn’t offered it to me as of yet – but I’m hopeful that one day she will.
“Where is your favourite spot to film on set?”
It varies with the way things are scheduled. Sometimes if there are lots of scenes in James’ apartment, we’ll do them all on the same day, which can be quite a long stretch! But I like being in there, and I like the village too – as long as there’s good weather, otherwise it can be a bit miserable in winter. We’re about to unveil the new-look village, though, so there will be a bit more cover going forward.
“Are you pleased that James Sutton is back as John Paul?”
No – I loathe the man! No, I’m joking, he’s a good pal. It’s great that James is back on the show. It’s nice to have a mate to knock about with. We saw a lot of each other when he was away – we’re writing some stuff together at the moment.
“Do you think you would make a better lawyer than James?”
No, as he’s literally the best lawyer in the country – I filmed a scene recently where I said that line. I studied law at A-level and didn’t do that well – so no, I don’t think I would be.
“What would you get up to if you and James went on a night out together?”
Oh, well, I would try to find things we have in
“Can you tell us a secret about Lysette Anthony?”
common. We both like red wine and a good meal, so I think we’d go and watch a classic film at a nice cinema and share a bottle of wine.
“Your wife [Ariana Fraval] has recently joined the show as DS Cohen. What’s it like working together, and have you worked together before?”
We have worked with one another before – very briefly – on a short film. It was bizarre, but fun at the same time. I hope we get to do more with each other. Although it’s quite amusing being in Hollyoaks with Ariana, because she keeps arresting me!
“You’ve previously mentioned that your kids are too young to watch Hollyoaks – but have they seen you in anything else?”
I don’t think they have seen me in anything else actually – maybe I should get out the showreel and make them watch it! My eldest, Rex, often comes home and repeats what some kids have said about my character at school – that James is a baddie and things like that.
“Which former co-star would you most like to see make a return?”
There are so many. I was looking at pictures of the Nightingales the other day, and I’d happily take any of the them back. But certainly Richard Linnell, who played Alfie – he’s just such a lovely guy, and we’d be very happy to have him back anytime.
“Can you tell us a time when you’ve been star-struck?”
I once had an audition with theatre director Stephen Daldry, and I was star-struck by him. Mostly as he’s about 7ft tall, and a rather imposing figure.
“What do you get up to on a typical day off work?”
Trying not to sound like too many other parents out there, but I generally run as a taxi service to clubs, and if it’s during the week then I deal with the school drop-offs. But if I do get any time, which is rare, I like to go to the golf driving range for an hour’s peace.
“If you hadn’t gone into acting, what would you be doing for a living?”
I honestly don’t know, as it never really came up. But I’ve done pretty much every job in the book – I was an estate agent for a while. I’ve done all sorts of different things. I’m a jack of all trades, and hopefully a master at one.
“What would people be surprised to know about you?”
Actually, someone was talking about Robert Pattinson coming to Liverpool to film his Batman movie. What people may not know is that Robert owes his career to me! We were once both at a film audition, and it was down to the two of us. He was very nervous, so I chilled him out, gave him a bit of confidence and he got the part! Then I realised what I’d done, and that I’d screwed myself over. But the rest is history – you’re welcome, Robert!
“What do you get up to on a typical day off ?” “Are you a football fan and which team do you support?”
…asks reader Sarah Symons from Aberdeen
I’m a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, and long-suffering! Most people at Hollyoaks support Liverpool – and now my son is a Liverpool fan, so I have to go along with it. We saw Liverpool vs Sheffield United recently, which was his first time at Anfield. And we went to the Everton vs Tottenham game – we sat with the away fans, and at least I got him into a Spurs shirt that day!