HE is best known as hunky mechanic Scott Windsor in Emmerdale, but Ben Freeman has decided to try his hand at something a little different.
The soap star is currently touring the UK in the hit show Dreamboats and Petticoats The Musical, which comes to the Liverpool Empire from Mon 22 - Sat 27 June.
And in an exclusive interview with Click.. Ben talks about singing, Emmerdale, and his new single status..
Click: Hello mate, how are you?
BF: I'm fine, very good.
Click: Busy day?
BF: Yeah very busy, and we've still got work to do tonight, so yeah it's not over yet, but yeah, it's good, good fun.
Click: Tell me a little bit about how you got this role:
BF: I auditioned for Keith Strachan and Bob Thompson before Christmas and they asked me to come back to perform on New Year's Eve, so I auditoned twice over the Christmas period and then they asked me to come back again for Bill Kenwright so I sang infront of him, so yeah that evening I got phoned up and they said; 'Would you like to do it."
I only sang the same song three times and they said, 'Sing another song if you want, or you can sing the same song you've just sung' and I was like 'I may as well just sing the one song', so I just sang the same song three times and eventually that was good enough.
Click: Predominantly you are known as an actor?
BF: Yeah I'm not really a singer to be honest, I can sing a bit, but I'm slightly out of my comfort zone, but that's where I like to be. Being in a soap for a while, you know I'm playing the same character, and you know that character better than anyone and it becomes you in a way so it's nice to be able to do something that you not sure whether you're completely confident about and that makes you more hungry and more aware and yeah, more confident.
And I just wanted to , as a performer, as an actor to try and be the best at everything I put my mind to, that is what attracted me to this job really, that I'd never done anything like that before.
Click: You've worked with the likes of Jennifer Biddall and Scott on this, what were they like to work with?
BF: Absolutely brilliant, I've worked quite a lot with Jen, not too much with Scott, he is a great singer and she is a great dancer and singer, so it's a pleasure to work with them.
Click: And Jenn is absolutely gorgeous.
BF: She's not bad is she.
Click: You mentioned soaps, I've got to ask you about it, Emmerdale is a massive part of your life, your career.
BF: It has been, it's been a massive part of my life for ten years, so yeah, I might not have got this job if it wasn't for the fact I was on Emmerdale so it has been brilliant.
Click: Rumours recently you might be making a return?
BF: I don't know mate, I'm really so busy doing this for at least six months, I haven't really thought about that, that's for my agent to sort out.
Click: Would you like to do it?
BF: I haven't been approached officially no, but I still talk to all of them, people in front of the scenes and behind the scenes I class as friends as well, so I talk to them a lot so yeah there is a chance of going back, busy at the moment.
Click: Yes, of course. Do you always feel the cast supported you throughout all your recent troubles?
BF: Absolutely, they have all been unbelievable.
Click: No hard feelings your contract wasn't renewed after the trial?
BF: Oh no, I've been there since I was like 18, and you know you grow a lot of friendships at that time, and I love every single person, a lot of them have come down to see me. So it's great, no bitter feelings at all.
Click: As we've mentioned you work with a lot of stunning girls and you're a good looking guy yourself, but apparently you're very happy in your relationship at the moment, with Sophie is it..?
BF: No I'm not actually, I'm single, I have been for about six weeks, yeah the last couple of months, so single, yeah.
Click: Was that just like a natural progression, things just came to an end?
BF: Yeah it was, it just broke down, not everything is meant to be forever, so you know.
Click: Now you're back single, have you had a chance to enjoy the single life?
BF: Yeah, I've not really had a chance to be single to be honest because I've been working every evening, rehearsing during the days so yeah I don't really feel single. I don't really have a chance to go out drinking anyway so it makes no difference.
Click: You are a little bit older now...
BF: Thanks very much yeah
Click: I've read a lot of interviews recently were you say you feel you have matured as a man as a person.
BF: Yeah I feel so, I think everyone does as they get older but I mean I've had a lot of things happen to me over the last few years so I think that's erm helped me become a stronger, more aware person the amount of things that have gone on around me.
Click: Now you're single are you looking for Miss Right?
BF: Erm, no not really, no, but I'm not looking for Miss Wrongs either, I'm just very concentrated on my career, one thing I took out of all the stuff that happened to me was I thought, 'D'ya know what, I just want to really, really focus on my career.
I mean I have had a great career, but other things were starting to kind off take over really so now back to..
Click: How's life been since the trial?
BF: Life has been brilliant, absolutely brilliant, a lot better than it ever was so there you go.
http://ticketsuk.at/clickliverpool/17004194B21461C3.html
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