~*~CrAiG~*~
Craig Dean aka Guy Burnet
How did you first get into acting? It was only about two years ago, just before I started here. I was playing football, almost at a professional level. Then I decided to finish my A levels, including drama and theatre. It just all went from there, really. I spent a year doing not very much at all, a few auditions, and then this came up. I was quite lucky. I'd got myself an agent, but that took me about seven months because nobody really wanted to speak to me seeing as I hadn't been to drama school. I eventually got an interview with an agent off the back of making a short film, and got onto his books that way.
How did you get the part of Craig? When the HOLLYOAKS auditions came around I was actually abroad in Greece on a club 18-30 holiday. When I got back I had a phone call from my agent telling me to go to a HOLLYOAKS audition. I was like, oh no, please, I don't want to, I'm too tired! But he convinced me to go, so I went up to Liverpool in a real mood. I went to the audition not really caring if I got the part - I was so tired. I guess I was relaxed because of that, and maybe that helped because I got the part!
Were you told much about your character before you started? Not really. I originally went for the part of Jake, but ended up playing Craig. Which was fine - he's had these crazy storylines, and he's more satirical than Jake's character. But I wasn't told much about Craig at all. I'd an idea from the audition that he was a bit of a cheeky young lad, but I wasn't actually briefed on how they wanted the character to be. I guess it just developed, because he is similar to me when I was that age: a bit naughty, a bit cheeky, and who carries everything off with a smile. He's quite a bit younger than me, but it's the writing that makes the character. I don't really think about the age gap too much.
How has Craig's character changed over the years? He's obviously developed. I've brought a lot of myself to the character, which I think you have to do because it's been a year and a half since Craig arrived and you can't play somebody completely different to yourself for such a long time.Some people will say it should be all about method acting, and how you should always try to get into your character, but I think it's not really possible for such a long period of time. Craig's developed and grown - he's now having relationships, and there's a storyline coming up where he learns the art of love! Basically he's maturing. But I'd still explain Craig this way: he's a genius with no common sense!
Is it easy to empathize with Craig? He's easy to slip in to, because he's mostly me when I was younger, except for the more silly things he might say. I suppose there is a lot of difference, but that's mostly down to the writing. I can't change my face, and I use my hands a lot which inevitably comes with the character. So he is similar to me when I was that age, but a lot else is down to how it's written. I don't find it hard to slip into character. I don't go into a room and think of terrible things - unless I want to make myself cry, I guess.
What have been some of your favourite storylines to play so far? The most fun I think has been my character's relationship with Abby. I enjoyed that a lot, because it was quite different from what I'd done before. It was Craig's first love interest. Helen Noble was great to work with, and it was very well written. Then was the story with X Factor, which was probably the most fun I've had since I've been here. In contrast we had the storyline involving Steph and her epilepsy. We were all in hospital having to do emotional scenes, and that was another first. So it's very much a learning curve for me. It's a bit like being in a drama school for me. I'm learning all the time.