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Interviews
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Leaving Casualty for the Wider World Sheila Connor talks to Will Thorp After appearing in Casualty as the flirty paramedic Woody, and then putting on Latin heels for a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, Thorp is now facing another challenge, performing in the psychological thriller Strangers on Train (from a novel written by Patricia Highsmith which became a Hitchcock film in 1951), and is about to embark on an eighteen week national tour, he is very much looking forward to it. “I’ve done tours in the past,” he says, “but never in a role this big, and it’s done in such a way that I think the show will grow, so you might see it today and then in three months time and it could be quite different. A performance can also change with a different audience – it’s amazing what that does to a show. I’m not a big fan of those musicals which go on for twenty years and are still exactly the same. I feel it a little bit soulless. The writing here is really good and that’s been a massive help, and Robin Herford is a fantastic director – really actor friendly. He’s an actor himself and he gives you the perfect situation to work in and to make your own suggestions.”
Robert Herford also directed the eerily sinister Woman in Black which has been playing to packed houses in London for over seventeen years – not to mention the numerous touring productions.
“Working on a show like Casualty doesn’t give you a free pass to that world – you only have to watch UK Gold to see that! Since I left, fingers crossed, so far it’s been great and I haven’t stopped working. I’m doing a play now, but I know it’s tough out there and you just need to keep the quality of your work high and keep interested in the work and not get distracted by the other stuff.”
‘Other stuff’ would appear to be the fashion for celebrity status that is the ambition of so many performers (or even those who are only famous for being famous). “The important thing” he says, “is to make sure you have a trade – have a job – not just be a celebrity. I’ve never trusted being a celebrity, going to parties or premieres. There’s a danger that people will have more pictures of them going to parties than in their job and I think that’s a dangerous game to play.”
Thorp will also be seen soon in two episodes of Doctor Who as a character called Toby – a baddy. “An uptight, slightly arrogant archaeologist, quite shy, but at the end of the first episode he has the devil inside his head and starts going absolutely crazy.” Having been a great fan of the series for many years he is thrilled to now be part of the action – a little boy’s dream – and although Tom Baker was his first Dr. Who, he was particularly fond of Peter Davison and Colin Baker simply because they had blonde hair like his own, making it acceptable for a hero, instead of the usual brunette.
The tour will take him away from his wife and baby son for a while but “it kind of pays for the nappies, so I need to work” he laughs, “but having said that I love working, it’s not a chore. I feel really privileged to be in a job where I go to work every day and love it.”
Thorp is a very engaging and pleasant young man who loves both his job and his very supportive family, and who is determined to progress in his chosen career. “Hopefully no more soaps and definitely no more reality TV shows. Casualty was fine, but unfortunately doing as many episodes as forty eight in a year has an effect on the quality!”
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