Corrie - Richard Hillman

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Brian Capron: My son was bullied because of my role as Coronation Street baddie
Aug 26 2009
Rick Fulton
dailyrecord.co.uk

AS Brian Capron's career soared playing Britain's best ever soap baddie, so his son became the victim of more and more bullying. It became so bad the actor, who played Coronation Street's Richard Hillman, had to take his youngest child out of school. Six years later, the family are back on track although Brian admits it was a terrible time and reveals Louis, now 13, still has to deal with the ghost of Weatherfield's greatest villain.

Speaking for the first time about the traumatic time, Brian said: "I have a normal family life again but what your family go through is very upsetting when you reach that level of fame. My little boy was bullied at school and we had to move him from his state school to a private school. They used to call him Louis Hillman and say, 'your dad is a murderer'. No matter how many times I went into school and tried to be Mr Normal Dad, nothing changed. Being on the telly causes jealousy. They think because you are on TV you are rich and well off, which I'm not. He was picked on all the time because he stood out. He's had a terrible time."

Brian admits Louis is still seen as Richard Hillman's son but thankfully he's making a name for himself. He added: "He's becoming Louis. But it was tricky for him. He's holding his own and is happy."

Actors often talk about how difficult it is to find careers after being in a soap or a part that makes you a household name. But the family's journey through their famous father or mother's career is often forgotten and sometimes, as in Louis' case, be upsetting. While Brian, 62, had to deal with a level of fame only a few people ever achieve, his young family were also having to cope with it.

Nearly 20 million viewers watched Richard tell wife Gail Platt and step-daughter Sarah-Lou how he killed his first wife and battered to death crimper Maxine Peacock. Richard then tried to kill Gail and his step-children by driving them into a canal - but only ended up killing himself.

Brian, married to actress Jacquline Bucknell, added: "I couldn't go anywhere without someone shouting at me or grabbing me. They would ignore my wife. She became a non-person and it's hard to cope with. Everywhere you go, people are giving you attention and it was rare that anyone would acknowledge the person standing next to you."

At home Brian found it difficult to switch off from being Richard. He said: "I was so ensconced in the role. The pressure of 200 episodes in just less than two years made me nearly explode. At the end I couldn't have done another day. It was only later that I realised how difficult it was for my wife and child. I wouldn't say I nearly lost my family but there were all sorts of negative effects. We are happy now but it did go through a tricky stage." Brian lives in Hove, Brighton with Jacqueline and Louis. But he is also close to his two daughters Lucy and Ellen from his first marriage and his two grandchildren Charlie and Betty.

Since Coronation Street Brian's career hasn't exactly rocketed but with a stint as ruthless businessman Ozias Harding in Where The Heart Is and a new career in stage musicals he is doing alright. He feels he's chipping away at the long shadow of the Richard Hillman character. He recently filmed a new episode of Midsomer Murders to be shown next year and will be stopping off at the King's Theatre, Glasgow, next month with Jessie Wallace in a tour of Stepping Out.

He said: "I'm looking for anything that helps to unstitch Richard Hillman so people accept me playing other parts. I try to opt for characters that reinvent me all the time but Richard is always there. Which is fine because if he wasn't I'd probably not be speaking to you now.You need the profile to get the parts and I'll always be grateful to the character."

As he prepares for another day of rehearsal (dancing and piano practice) it's clear Brian is in a better place. A jobbing actor before his breakthrough role in Corrie, he was Mr Hopwood in Grange Hill in the early eighties, and appeared in EastEnders, Birds of a Feather, The Bill and Taggart. So after the huge flood of fame he was in a better place to withstand any drought.

Brian, who won three awards at the British Soap Awards in 2003 - best actor, best exit and villain of the year - said: "I'm glad it happened. I used to chew the carpet with bitterness at all these award shows then Corrie gave me the notoriety and history and I don't have to prove myself. I went to the parties and the awards and found what I already knew - it's all a load of rubbish but I had a lovely time doing it. And I don't need that level of fame again."

When Suffolk-born Brian left Corrie he thought he was made. There were two massive television series on the table, an MI6 character and a Robin Hood-style policeman as well as films. Neither series happened and he took a year out making money from personal appearances. He got back on the acting horse with a part in Where The Heart Is but then the series was axed. Luckily he'd taken a part as the narrator in the stage musical The Rocky Horror Show while waiting for the new series to happen.

It opened the door to the West End and three years ago he was asked to play Nathan Detroit on a Guys and Dolls tour with Claire Sweeney. He said: "It was a massive thing for me. I'm not a singer or dancer but I can put a song across."