Emmerdale fans know Danny Miller as the iconic Aaron Dingle, but the actor has revealed he nearly didn’t attend his second audition for the role. In a candid chat on the Live, Laugh, Luke podcast, Miller admitted that after countless auditions and mounting rejections, he was ready to give up—and book a holiday instead.
Early Career Struggles
Danny Miller first appeared on British screens as Kyle Brown in Grange Hill. However, his audition journey for Emmerdale was far from smooth.
“I auditioned for it and I must have done into the 30s of auditions of ‘no, no, no’,” Miller said. “Nobody likes rejection that many times… There were so many weird auditions I thought ‘I’ve had enough of this, I’ll just do something else instead’ and went to Faliraki.”
Even when Emmerdale initially called him back for a potential role as Aaron, a six-episode character who would “cause a bit of a riot,” he wasn’t particularly interested. But fate had other plans.
The Lads’ Holiday That Almost Cost Him Aaron
Miller revealed that he was already preparing to leave for his first lads’ holiday to Faliraki when he received a call from Emmerdale:
“Oh hiya Danny, it’s Sam here… Great news, Emmerdale want to see you again on Tuesday.”
Miller’s initial reaction? “Oh no, I’m going away on my first lads’ holiday…”
With a split-second decision to make, he almost prioritized the holiday over the audition. Fortunately, one of his best friends intervened, paying for his flight home so he could attend the callback.
“I came back and did the audition… I ended up coming back for another audition and apparently from that second audition, Faye the casting director said ‘it was always you’,” Danny shared.
Aaron Dingle: Breaking Stereotypes
Interestingly, Miller had no idea that Aaron would become a groundbreaking character for LGBTQ+ representation on the soap. Initially, he based Aaron on a close friend and portrayed him as a “tough lad,” unaware that the character would be gay.
“The idea was this tough lad just happened to be gay… Let’s just get rid of the stereotypes,” Miller explained.
Producer Gavin Blyth reportedly told Miller:
“I don’t want to do this storyline with anyone else. If you don’t want to do it, we won’t do it, but I think we need to educate the country.”
Over the years, Miller’s portrayal of Aaron has addressed complex issues such as self-harm, sexual abuse, and homophobia, cementing the character as one of Emmerdale’s most impactful and celebrated roles.
From Hesitation to Iconic Role
Looking back, it’s remarkable that one impulsive decision—almost choosing a holiday over an audition—could have changed British soap history. Danny Miller’s willingness to return, even at the last minute, set the stage for a decade-plus of memorable storylines, touching on important social issues and redefining stereotypes around gay characters in daytime drama.
Aaron Dingle remains one of the soap’s most iconic figures, and Miller’s journey is a testament to perseverance, talent, and the sometimes unpredictable nature of showbiz.
