Brookside legend Louis Emerick hits out at critics of soap stars as he insists there is still a ‘stigma’ against ‘underestimated’ actors in continuing TV dramas
Louis Emerick believes there is a ‘stigma’ surrounding soap actors.
The 64-year-old TV star made his name as Mick Johnson in the now-abandoned Channel 4 series Brookside in the 1990s and later appeared in Coronation Street and Doctors.
But now he has criticized the genre, saying ongoing drama series don’t always get the praise they deserve.
He told The Daily Star Sunday: ‘Soap actors are underestimated. There is still a stigma.
“But some of the scenes you get in a soap opera wouldn’t be out of place in a drama. Look at the stuff they’re doing now.
Louis Emerick believes there is a ‘stigma’ surrounding soap actors and has called on others to realise how ‘fantastic’ their performances really are
The 64-year-old TV star made his name playing Mick Johnson in the now-defunct Channel 4 series Brookside in the 1990s (pictured next to his co-star Kate Beckett as stalker Jenny Swift)
“If some of those storylines were in a drama, people would say, ‘That’s fantastic.’ But because they’re in soaps, people don’t make enough of a fuss about it.”
Louis worked with esteemed actors Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston, future stars of BBC sitcom The Royle Family, on Brookside and he stressed that it ‘doesn’t get any better’ than that kind of talent.
He said: ‘When soaps do well, they are just as good, powerful and relevant as the other programmes.
“When I was on ‘Brookside,’ we had Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson in the cast. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Louis has also starred in Casualty and Holby City over the years and believes the only two series he has yet to conquer are Yorkshire-based ITV series Emmerdale and BBC flagship EastEnders.
He said: ‘I think the only soaps I haven’t been in yet are Emmerdale and EastEnders.
“It wasn’t my intention to be in so many of those situations.”
During his time on Brookside, Louis’ character was a victim of racist abuse and became addicted to steroids.
He first appeared on Coronation Street in 1984 as a bus driver and then returned to the country’s longest-running TV soap in 2018 to play Steve McDonald’s old schoolmaster
In addition to his role in many soap operas in the country, Louis has appeared in a number of other programmes (pictured in 2005 as Lionel Richie in Stars In Their Eyes)
He even appeared opposite Daniel Craig (left) in the 2004 film Layer Cake as Liverpool gangster Trevor
Outside of soap operas, Louis has had a varied screen career, playing Lionel Richie in Stars In Their Eyes in 2005, and before that starring opposite James Bond star Daniel Craig in Layer Cake.
But he stressed that it was “never his intention” to become a soap actor, and that he just wants to work on projects that inspire him.
He added: ‘First of all, I’m a hireable actor. I want to work and I want to be in something good.
“I want to find something that gets the creativity flowing and makes me want to go to work in the morning. Soap meets that requirement and I’ve been lucky enough to be in so many of them.”