Done and Busted: Matt’s acting up
Waitress King’s Theatre, Glasgow, Tuesdaysaturday, Edinburgh Playhouse, April 19-23
Busted star and actor Matt Willis’s latest role sees him playing a doctor who goes through a life-changing journey of discovery. This time 12 months ago,willis was going through his own eyeopening experience when he and wife, broadcaster Emma Willis, decided to train and volunteer with St John’s Ambulance to be part of the Covid vaccination programme.
“I did around four or five months with them and I loved it,” he smiled. “They took pictures on our training day because they wanted to publicise the volunteer vaccination process, but the rest of the time I was just another person turning up to help.
“At the beginning, especially, it was amazing because it was the elderly people and they were grateful to be out of the house and so many said they were looking forward to being able to see their grandkids again – it broke your heart a little in the most amazing way.
“People often have negative opinions about others, but 99% of the people I met were polite, pleasant, lovely humans and it made me love Great Britain in such a big way.the amount of people volunteering was amazing and it was a beautiful experience.”
Willis, 38, is back in the day job and on the road again with musical Waitress, which is based on the cult 2007 film. He plays Dr Pomatter, who falls in love with the show’s main character, Jenna.
“Jenna’s in a bad relationship – she’s not married to the greatest guy – and she falls pregnant,” Willis continued.“i play her gynaecologist.
“He’s a nervous sort of guy but he’s blown away by her. He’s also married, so it’s an awkward relationship. Both are at a crossroads and I think a lot of people can relate.”
While he attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School in London as a youth, alongside future stars such as Amy Winehouse and Billie Piper, his route to acting wasn’t direct. Instead, he became a pop star with millions-selling pop-rock band Busted.
When they split up, and after a brief solo career,willis, who has three children with Emma, decided to pursue his acting ambitions and in 2010 he made his theatrical debut in Flashdance. While he was successfully landing roles, he felt things could be going better and so decided to take action.
“It was really daunting at first, because I hadn’t done anything since school,” he explained.“i got a few roles but I wasn’t always getting the parts I wanted, so I thought maybe I wasn’t good enough and decided to go back to school and train for another two years. It was the best decision I’ve ever made and was a real turning point for me.
“People ask if it was humbling but I don’t think of it like that – I was just worried I was going to be way older than everyone else! There was another my age and one a little older, but we were all in it together and part of the class, and the teacher was fantastic – brutal and honest and forcing me out of my comfort zone.
“This role of Dr Pomatter is different from anything I’ve played before, but it’s also more like me than anything else I’ve ever played. I’m a bit like him – this socially awkward, strange character, so I knew who he was and felt, and I knew what I wanted to do with him, and I was allowed to do it.”
Willis is looking forward to playing Glasgow and Edinburgh back-to-back after a two-week break in what has been a long tour.
“I love both cities but for different reasons and they are completely different from each other. In England, you can go to Manchester or Birmingham or London and feel like you see the same things and go to the same places, but the difference in feel and atmosphere in Edinburgh and Glasgow is so dramatic and I love it. I can’t wait to have a week in each place, because usually I’m in and out.”