Coronation Street’s Jack P Shepherd has stunned Celebrity Big Brother viewers with a jaw-dropping revelation about career opportunities that could’ve steered him away from the iconic soap.
Best known for his portrayal of David Platt since 2000, when he took over from Thomas Ormson who had played the character since birth on Christmas Day 1990, Jack has been at the heart of some of Corrie’s most dramatic moments.
His character has given the Platt family nightmares, from pushing his mum down the stairs to enduring a spell behind bars, suffering through an excruciating rape ordeal, experiencing the agony of his wife Kylie’s death in his arms, and in recent episodes, contemplating his own demise.
But before he became a fixture on our screens, the Pudsey-born actor cut his teeth in the drama series Where the Heart Is, showcased his talents in theatre, and featured in the BBC’s Manchester-based drama Cutting It.
However, Jack recently left fans abuzz on social media after chatter emerged from the Celebrity Big Brother house about his near-misses with two massive movie roles none other than Harry Potter and Billy Elliot, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Tweeting the scoop, @superTV247 shared: “Jack P. Shepherd just revealed he got down to the final four potential actors to play HARRY POTTER? AND Billy Elliot #CBBUK.”
Meanwhile, @R3formite wittily commented: “We need to go back in time and make sure that David Platt was fighting Voldemort.”
Twitter was abuzz with fan chatter when @Mr_Goomantash exclaimed: “Wait.. Billy Elliot! ? So he can dance?” While @AylaxJane chimed in with: “Jack made the final rounds to play Harry Potter and Billy Elliot the film! ! Imagine! ! ! #bbuk #CBBUK.”
Jack’s trip down memory lane revealed his brush with stardom as he reminisced about his audition for the iconic film, Billy Elliot, that premiered the same year he graced Coronation Street.
Despite his audition not hitting the mark, leading Jamie Bell to scoop up the BAFTA-winning role, Jack shared his reflections on an episode of his On the Sofa podcast, which he co-hosts with Corrie pals Colson Smith and Ben Price.
On the podcast, Jack reflected: “When this film came out I was like 11 to 12-years-old and I’d obviously been for an audition.”
The thought of what might have been clearly touched a nerve, as he admitted: “I was only gutted in the sense that I did not get it because of the success the film went on to do – Academy Award nominations. And I used to watch the Academy Awards religiously, getting up in the middle of the night to watch them.”
With the candour of someone who’s learned to laugh at life’s twists and turns, he continued: “So, when you sort of see a film that you auditioned for, it could have been you and you could have been there, it’s kind of like…”
He then added: “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’d have done anywhere near as good a performance as Jamie Bell did.”
But that wasn’t all; when Colson prodded further, asking: “But you’d have liked the chance?” Jack didn’t hold back, confessing with bluntness: “Well, I did have the chance and I f***ed it up.”