Corrie - Bill Ward on Nasty Charlie

[faceless]

It's nice being Mr Nasty
Aug 18 2006
By The Evening Chronicle

Coronation Street has had its fair share of nasty characters. But there's something about Charlie Stubbs, played by Geordie actor Bill Ward, that's particularly nasty. Handsome Bill, 39, announced he was leaving Corrie after three-and-a-half years earlier this year and is due to depart in an explosive storyline next January.

He says: "It was a difficult decision - I've had a fantastic time doing this show and there's some very good people here who I'll miss very much. I'm also voluntarily putting myself out of work, and that's a weird position to be in. But I just felt I'd done what I could with Charlie. I think every character has a natural lifespan, and for some that's 30 or 40 years, but for me, because he's a nasty piece of work, I couldn't quite see where he would go. So I thought it would be good to play him to the hilt, then get out before people get sick of him. You have to leave while the character still works, so that's what I'm trying to do."

So what will Bill do next?

"I just want to stay working. That's it," he says, matter-of-factly. "The trick with acting is to stay working, because 95% of actors at any one time are unemployed. I've got my head very much in the present at the moment and I try not to look too far into the future. We'll just see what happens. The idea is to stay as busy as possible. So if I can do that and make a career from this, then I'll be happy."

And so will we Bill, so will we.

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It's taken a while but I think his character's become a good part of the scenery now, so when he leaves I hope he's trained young Jason up to be a proper bastard too!

[tasst]

I'm sure he will surface elsewhere, and do an excellent job.

[Kezza]

He's such a wonderful bad guy, the quintessential cad, as it were. Hope to see him in future projects after his departure. Still, I'm bummed out that he's leaving Corrie!!

[Twirley]

[cori]

I'll miss this bad boy, the kinda character you just LOVE to hate

[ramona]

Can't help wondering how all this will end for Maria

[white]

hmmmmm soapland its gotta be pregnant tracy going psyco charlie remains psycho and haily has another sex change and roy just wants to butter some more baps lol

[faceless]

The 5-minute Interview: Bill Ward, Actor
'In moments of weakness I cook mince'
07 December 2007

Bill Ward, 40, was Charlie Stubbs in 'Coronation Street' until last year but now plays Sir Lancelot in Monty Python's 'Spamalot' at the Palace Theatre, London

I wish people would take more notice of...
People around them, and of the earth.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...
Having a quiet sit down before the warm-up for Spamalot. It helps me to get my head in the right place.

The most surprising thing to happen to me was...
Getting run over when I first came to London. I didn't realise Tottenham Court Road was one-way. I ended up unconscious. I came round but I hurt some knee ligaments.

I am not a politician but...
It must be an extraordinarily hard job running an entire country. I'm an actor so I'm not qualified.

A phrase I use too often...
"Two things". There seems to be at least two things to say about most things.

A common misperception of me is that...
Because I've been in Coronation Street people think I must be from Manchester – but I'm from Newcastle.

I'm good at...
Boiling eggs. I always know when they're ready.

I'm very bad at...
Being patient. I don't like being put on hold or waiting for buses

The ideal night out is...
Seeing friends and the people who are closest to me.

In moments of weakness I...
Cook mince and listen to country and western. It makes me feel better. My dad was a butcher, so we grew up eating a lot of meat, especially shepherd's pie. I like country and western but it gets a bad press. I'm into Uncle Tupelo and Ryan Adams.

You know me as an actor but in truer life I'd have been an...
An ad man. I worked in advertising for 10 years but I always wanted to be an actor. At the age of 30, I thought it was now or never. I'd acted before at school and university and performed at the Fringe, but it was a question of whether I could make a living from it. You never know if you're good enough, so you have to try and see if you are.

The best age to be is...
Whatever age Jack Nicholson is. He always seems to be having an extraordinarily good time.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this...
Try your best because that is all you can ever do.

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He would have been ad ad man who cares about the planet and cooking mince? humbug!