Coronation Street star went for another role before Will Driscoll despite ‘never watching’ soap
Lucas Hodgson-Wale has revealed that he actually showed interest in playing another role in the ITV soap
Lucas Hodgson-Wale playing Will Driscoll in Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street star Lucas Hodgson-Wale has revealed that he actually showed interest in playing another role before making his debut as Will Driscoll, despite ‘never watching’ the long-running show.
As fans know, the young actor joined the ITV soap in the role of the teenager back in October, which was when Catherine Tyldesley made her return to the cobbles as Eva Price, with her new family in tow, after seven years away.
Will was the last of the Driscolls to make their appearance in Weatherfield, with father Ben surprising Eva, who returned with her daughter Susie Price, by buying the Rovers Return for her to become landlady. However, Ben’s mother, Maggie Driscoll, later arrived and revealed she was actually the landlady, as her son had to borrow money.
But Will’s arrival on the cobbles came slightly later than the rest of his family, as he kicked off about having to leave his athletics training behind. However, the truth was that he was having a secret fling with his coach, Megan Walsh, and following her move to the cobbles as part of the Driscolls plan to keep Will happy, the pair have gone on to sleep together just as he turned 16.
But, Megan and Will’s secret looked set to come spilling out and while it looks like it takes Sam Blakeman, who has already tried to expose predator Megan, being hospitalised for the truth to out. It’s been revealed that the Driscolls will be out for the truth in a dramatic trailer for what’s ahead on the cobbles for the rest of this month.
Will is being groomed by Megan Walsh(Image: ITV)
The promo shows Leanne Battersby launching an investigation after seeing how terrified Sam is of her lodger while lying in his hospital bed, and it’s not long before she discovers the horrifying truth. And once Megan’s secret us exposed, Ben and Eva are desperate to protect Will from predatory Megan and end up in a race against time to get what they need to bring Megan to justice.
Speaking about joining Corrie for the first time, Lucas said: “Honestly, it’s been brilliant. Everyone is so lovely and the energy is just great. I’m absolutely loving every minute of it.”
Sharing how he got the role, Lucas revealed it wasn’t his first time being up for a role in the soap. “My agent originally sent in a self-tape for the role of Theo’s son – Miles,” he explained. “I did the tape but wasn’t successful. A couple of months later, I got another request for Corrie and thought, ‘Okay, here we go again!’
Luca made his Corrie debut as part of the Driscoll-Price clan last year(Image: ITV)
“I read the script for Will and sent that tape off. The funny thing is, I went on holiday to the Dominican Republic literally the day after my screen test. I was sitting by the pool on holiday when my agent called to say I’d got the part. It turned the whole holiday into one long celebration!”
And his family were the first to get the news. “My family was right there with me, but I actually kept it to myself for about an hour!” Lucas admitted. “I saw my phone ringing and ran up to my room to take the call. I just sat there alone for a bit, soaking it in. When I finally went back down, I tried to play it cool – I told them the agent just gave me some ‘tips’ for next time. My mum saw right through me, though. She got a bit teary, and I even saw my dad smile, which is a rare sight!
But it was when asked about his character being at the heart of the Rovers alongside his on-screen family that Lucas made his admission. He said: ” It was a lot to take in. In all honesty, I actually never watched the show, but everyone knows the Rovers Return. When I read that Will was moving into the pub, I knew it was going to be a massive deal. Seeing the studio set versus the lot outside was surreal. I’d seen pictures of those pigeons and that sign my whole life, and suddenly I’m standing right there.”
