‘We are definitely not trying to be a presenting couple!’
Matt Willis on working with wife Emma and his exciting new acting roles
It’s hard to believe it’s nearly been 20 years since Matt Willis and his two Busted bandmates, Charlie Simpson and James Bourne, topped the charts with their insanely catchy hit What I Go To School For.
Their tongue-in-cheek pop-punk made them household names, and although the trio have reunited a couple of times since – their third studio album in 2016, Night Driver,
was recently certified silver – the boys have gone on to forge different careers in recent years.
Matt, 38, returned to his roots as an actor, playing Garth Stubbs in the revival of Birds Of A Feather on ITV and Luke
Riley in EastEnders – the boyfriend of Stacey Branning – in 2014. And after re-enrolling at drama school a few years ago to hone his craft, he’s now secured highprofile parts in a nationwide tour of the musical Waitress
and in World War Two movie Wolves Of War with Ed Westwick.
Here, Matt, who shares three children – Isabelle, 12, Ace, nine, and five-yearold Trixie – with his TV presenter wife of 13 years, Emma Willis, chats about his exciting new roles and the challenges of the past year…
How has the last year been for you, Matt? There have been beautiful, incredible
moments – mostly the quality time I’ve been able to spend with my family – but sometimes it’s been scary, because most of the things that I do rely on an audience. I’ve had so many jobs cancelled during the pandemic.
But there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
‘I’ve been socially awkward my whole life’
Are you excited to be returning to the stage in
Waitress?
I’m really excited. I saw the show three years ago; I remember thinking,“I want to be in this so badly.”
Is it a great part to play?
My character, Dr Pomatter, is so like me, which is handy. He’s socially awkward and a bit nervous, and I’ve had that my whole life. So I felt a real connection to him. It’s written so well and the music is phenomenal.
We hear you’re in a movie, too…
I’ve just finished filming a World War Two film called
Wolves Of War.
I’m a bit of a nerd about that period of history. I worked with some great actors like Ed Westwick. He’s a fantastic bloke. He’s so focused and he helped me to go much deeper than I thought I could with my role.
you find it hard being away from your family while filming?
Yeah, it’s the hardest part. I have a get out of jail free card at the moment because I’ve been at home as a stay-athome dad for a while!
You
and Emma have just celebrated your 13th wedding anniversary. you do anything special?
Did
I was filming in Suffolk and she was covering on The One Show. So she jumped in a car after she finished and drove up to see me. We met in Ipswich and had a night in a hotel. We would never do that usually. We made a big deal of our 10-year anniversary, with a vow renewal party, but normally we just do cards and a little present. What’s the secret to your marriage? We’ve been together for 17 years and we met when I was 21 – I’m now 38, so I’m very different to the person I was then. But I had a very good guide in Emma. She’s a little bit older than me, so she’d been there and done that and she was exactly the influence I needed at that time in my life. We appreciate each other, we know ourselves well and I love her to pieces.
There’s a rumour that you and Emma are going to do some presenting together…
I read that as well and I was surprised. She’s brilliant at her job, but presenting isn’t my bag. I did a little bit once upon a time but it was never something I’ve done seriously. If something came up and it made sense, we might do it, but it’s not something we’re planning. We are definitely not trying to be a presenting couple!
You
last reunited with your Busted bandmates in 2016. Will you be getting back together again soon?
Yeah, definitely. I don’t think we’ll ever stop working together, and we’re talking about things now. It will hopefully be something I do for the rest of my life. I honestly can’t believe we’re still going strong; it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
How does music compare with your career as an actor?
Music is actually something that I have to work hard at, because I’m not a very naturally gifted musician. I’m on my guitar, practising every day, but I love the challenge.
What’s next for you?
I’ve got goals and aspirations, and there are certain roles I’d love to play and things I’d love to do, but mostly I just want to improve. I want to work as much as I can and I don’t care what scale the production is or how successful it is, all I want is to get better and better.
Matt plays Dr Pomatter in Waitress, touring from 4 September.Visit waitressthemusical.co.uk