Coronation Street newcomer Jonathan Howard has revealed which Weatherfield part he missed out on 17 years ago.
The actor recently joined the ITV soap as Kevin and Debbie Webster’s younger brother Carl, whose arrival sparked a fiery showdown with his sister-in-law Abi. After moving into the Webster household, tensions have continued to rise between the pair, with an affair rumoured to be on the cards.
Though Howard has appeared in a range of Hollywood blockbusters, including Thor: The Dark World, he described his new Corrie role as “the dream”.
“As a Lancashire lad born and raised, the dream was to be in Coronation Street – that was the ceiling, so it feels wonderfully surreal to now be acting with people like Kevin Webster that I watched religiously as a kid,” he told the Mirror.
“My friends ask me, ‘what you have been up to today?’ and I reply ‘I took Tracy Barlow for a drink in the Rovers Return!’ It’s just incredible to say these things.”
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The star went on to prove his interest in the soap, sharing that he had previously auditioned for the role of Gary Windass in 2008. The role was ultimately given to Mikey North and Howard went to drama school instead.
“It’s come full circle,” he reflected. “It feels like the universe has brought me back to Coronation Street and the north of England. I remember going for the screen test for Gary Windass and I was down to the last handful. I was really disappointed not to get it.
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“In the moment, it was hard to have a philosophical outlook on it, but at the same time I knew that the universe had got something else for me. I wouldn’t have had a career in America if I’d got the part of Gary. And I wouldn’t have met my wife, who I met at drama school.”
Elsewhere, Howard discussed Carl and Abi’s chemistry, saying his character is “a charmer who knows how to work people”, but insisted “he’s not a bad guy”.
“He’s aware that it’s his brother’s wife and tries to back off from time to time, but he can’t help how he feels. At the same time, Kevin hasn’t been part of his life, so he feels he doesn’t owe him anything.”
