You Ask: James Sutton (John Paul)
Hollyoaks’ John Paul Mcqueen ...faces your questions!
John Paul returned to the village only to date the man who shot his own sister – but as we talk to James Sutton, he couldn’t be happier to be back in the Hollyoaks fold…
“You’ve returned to Hollyoaks a few times now – what is it that keeps bringing you back?”
I really love the character. But more than anything, I think it’s the people who work here. You just kind of fall in love with everyone, from the crew to the make-up team – it’s a happy place to work. And coming back this time is a good opportunity to show John Paul as
a strong, confident, outgoing guy.
“What’s been your fave John Paul storyline?”
I have to go over 11 years of telly now! From an actor’s point-of-view, it’d be the coming-out storyline we did years ago, or the male rape story. Simply because – after all of the work, preparation, research and time that goes into it – when it comes together, it’s really rewarding. But we’ve also had so much silliness and fun in the Mcqueen family too.
“Do you think you would make a better teacher than John Paul?”
Oh, hands down! John Paul’s a rubbish teacher! I teach as well, and I think I’m a very good teacher. I teach acting – I love working with the kids, it’s just an incredible thing to do. Some of my students have got into drama schools, and a lot of them are auditioning for drama schools now.
“Which of your absent Mcqueen family members do you miss working with the most?”
That’s a really tough question. I really loved working with my mate, Barry Sloane, who played Niall. We used to have a really good time together. Either him, or Jorgie Porter [who played Theresa Mcqueen] – hopefully we’ll work together again one day!
“Which of the Mcqueens would you like to bring back?”
I loved working with Leah Hackett, who played Tina – she was a delight. And Mandip Gill [Phoebe]. She might come back when she’s finished in the TARDIS [Mandip plays Yasmin Khan in Doctor
Who]. Never mind, actually, her and Leah’s Hollyoaks characters both died!
“Are you still in touch with Guy Burnet, who played John Paul’s former lover, Craig Dean?”
“What’s your best memory of being in Emmerdale?”
We speak on social media occasionally, and he’s doing really well in the US. When we worked together, it was sort of my first move into TV and I learned an awful lot from Guy. I think for actors, it’s really easy to take our job seriously, but actually what we do is fun. And finding the fun in it was something Guy did well, so I took that from working with him.
“You played Ryan Lamb in Emmerdale – what is your best memory from the show?”
Oh, we had so much fun! My character worked in the garage, so I used to work a lot with Jeff Hordley [Cain], Danny Miller [Aaron], and that kind of gang. It was like a boys’ club – we’d all hang out in overalls just having a ball. It was fantastic, and I had a great time.
“You’re a huge Liverpool FC fan – who is your favourite player?”
Everyone’s a huge Steven Gerrard fan, aren’t they? He’s the kind of figurehead of Liverpool FC for the past 20 years, so he’s probably my favourite. But in terms of current players, I love Virgil van Dijk. He’s a great defender, and a
hunk too – all the ladies love him.
“What do you get up on a typical day off work?”
I wish I had something interesting to tell you, but I don’t. I do a lot of podcasts related to football – I do a thing called The Redmen TV and the Anfield Wrap. I also go to the gym, and my wife [Rachael] and I cook a lot. But it’s rare to get a whole day off at the moment – everyone’s really busy at Hollyoaks!
“What’s it like working with
Matthew Clohessy, who plays your screen son, Matthew?”
He’s adorable! I worked with Matthew today, and he’s a little poppet. It’s difficult for child actors – you can’t really give a child a job, so you have to make it a fun experience for them. But then it’s really fun for everyone else because you just get to act like kids.
“What do you reckon you would be doing if you weren’t an actor?”
I think I’d be a teacher, actually. I don’t teach as much any more, because I’m filming at Hollyoaks a lot. You kind of perform as well when teaching, though – you are playing a character in front of the children. I’d probably teach English, as I love literature. Oh, God – I sound like John Paul!
“If you could play another
Hollyoaks character for the day, who would it be?”
I’d probably play Warren Fox, or just one of the villains, one of the bad guys. I haven’t played a bad guy, and John Paul hasn’t had a dark side to him… yet! Maybe he will in the future, but all actors like playing bad characters because it’s just delicious. You can get away with all kinds of things if you’re playing a villain.
“Which absent Mcqueen would you bring back?”