Soap star thrills students at a Shropshire college
An actor and a scriptwriter from popular soap Hollyoaks delighted an audience of performing arts students, when they visited a Shropshire specialist college this week.
Hollyoaks actor Gabriel Clark, who plays Ollie Morgan in the Channel 4 soap, and scriptwriter Jayshree Patel dropped in at Derwen College, in Gobowen, to talk to a captivated audience of students. The pair answered questions on a variety of topics relating to acting, writing and Hollyoaks. They inspired students and staff, while also entertaining them.
Gabriel, who has acted in Hollyoaks for a year and a half, explained to students how excited and surprised he was to be first told he had the part.
“I was on holiday in Italy with my family when the call came. My screen test and auditions had all been virtual, so it was a strange process. I had to get straight back on a plane to start work two days later. I hadn’t even had a chance to meet the cast, so my first line: ‘Hi, Dad’, was the first time I’d ever spoken to the actor playing my onscreen dad.”
Gabriel said he’s always acted, and always liked to tell stories.
“Actors are just people who never want to grow up and want to keep on playing!” he said.
Gabriel joined Hollyoaks to play a role previously played by a different actor.
Though, he said, this didn’t faze him.
“I’ve played Hamlet on stage, which has been played by countless actors before. There have been 13 Doctor Whos and seven James Bonds. In some ways it was easier, as a lot of the usual research and background I do for a part had already been done.”
Offering advice on getting into acting, Gabriel said:
“You have to accept that you’re never always going to get everything right. Take risks and don’t take yourself too seriously.
“Be the best storyteller you can be. Go to the theatre, enjoy film, television, books and art and approach everything with a child-like wonder
