Coronation Street’s Joe Layton has opened up about receiving some “mean” comments from soap fans after his character Mick Michaelis caused controversy on the cobbles. The actor first arrived on the soap earlier this year and has received an overwhelming response for his powerful portrayal of Weatherfield’s newest villain.
Since arriving on the street, Mick has made a name for himself as a real danger to other residents, killing Craig Tinker and most recently, stabbing Kit Green.
Meanwhile, his wife Lou grew closer and closer to Gary Windass before ultimately lashing out which has seen him left in a coma for the past two weeks. Monday’s broadcast brought even more tension on the cobbles as Mick Michaelis made a dramatic escape from prison and headed straight for Weatherfield High.
Following the news that his family was falling apart and Lou was in trouble, the episode followed Mick’s breakout as he was desperate to see his kids and do a runner. He ended up at UnderWorld, where Sally was giving Joanie a tour of the factory.
In the fight to find his daughter, Mick attacked Sarah, locking her and Tim in the office before taking to the scaffolding and stabbing his lifelong enemy Kit Green. In the end, Mick was re-arrested and he is expected to be locked away for a very long time.
The Mick Michaelis star recently appeared on ITV’s This Morning to discuss his whirlwind adventure on the cobbles. The actor has also been nominated for Best Villain at the Inside Soap Awards.
However, his experience on the soap hasn’t been completely positive. From the moment Mick arrived on the street, viewers were frustrated by the family who were quick to ruffle feathers.
Joe Layton shared that “people are mean sometimes”, and experienced hateful comments over his role on the soap. However, he has since received nicer feedback as the storyline has continued to unfold.
He told hosts Ben and Cat on This Morning: “As we’ve gone on, they’ve [fans] got a bit more of the complexities of the family, a bit more of the dynamics and more context. We had that flashback episode as well. Initially [fans said] get out, sling your hook.”
The actor continued: “You kind of have to take the rough with the smooth because I overwhelmingly, as time has gone on, I’ve got really really nice messages as well. But you know, people are mean sometimes.”
Despite the initial controversy over his character’s dramatic entrance to the soap, Joe explained it is a “treat” to be remembered as one of Coronation Street’s most notorious villains.
Speaking about the role, he said: “It’s a dream, really. When I had the call with the producer, I couldn’t believe how much we were going to cram into six months. As an actor, that’s such a gift to have the opportunity to get in and get out and have that arc as well.”