…NOW GET ONE LIKE IT
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‘It’s quite amazing how resilient she is, really. And she is giving amazing performances, people are blown away by how good she is.’
Jake, who originally played Ben opposite pop star Lily Allen, 37, in 2021, discussed how some people were closed minded when it came to Cheryl appearing in the production.
He said ‘certain areas’ feel ‘some people should stay in their boxes’ but he thinks it’s a positive move for people to ‘branch out’.
The ex soap star recognised that performing in a theatre in front of a ‘few hundred’ people is like water off a duck’s back for pop stars who have played to arenas packed with thousands of fans.
Meanwhile, Jake said Cheryl caught the giggles while performing in 2:22 A Ghost Story, with the pair ‘getting in trouble for laughing quite regularly’.
Cheryl took over from television presenter Laura Whitmore when she joined the new cast for the show, which is running at the Lyric Theatre until April 23, featuring Horrible Histories actress Louise Ford as Lauren and theatre star Scott Karim as Sam.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain this week, Jake was probed over his ‘mischievous’ behaviour on stage recently, causing former Popstars: The Rivals contestant Cheryl to ‘corpse’ on-stage.
He said: ‘It’s all sort of new to Cheryl, she didn’t know what corpsing was – corpsing is when you laugh on stage.
Unafraid: Jake told the Mirror : ‘I’m sure Cheryl felt the pressure but, after years in the industry, I think she’s pretty fearless’
On-stage: The former EastEnders actor reprised his role as Ben in the supernatural thriller after People Just Do Nothing’s Hugo Chegwin withdrew due to illness during rehearsals
Beaming: It came as a beaming Cheryl was seen heading home following her latest performance in 2:22 A Ghost Story
Chic! The singer put on a stylish display in a brown trench coat as she jumped into a car
Good show? Cheryl briefly paused to sign autographs for fans as she made her way out of the theatre after her performance
‘We’re getting in trouble for laughing quite regularly.
‘It’s part of the show and the characters – although it’s very scary, there are very sort of funny moments, so it’s just trying to stay in the moment.
‘When the audience are enjoying it, it’s difficult to keep a straight face.
‘You catch someone’s eye and you just know someone’s about to go.
‘You can’t look at them again for the next sort of five minutes.’
He said that Cheryl, who has been acting for a total of four weeks, has had ‘amazing reviews’ and is ‘incredible’.
Elsewhere Jake, who is best known for playing Max Branning in EastEnders, did not rule out a return to the much-loved BBC show.
He said: ‘I felt quite lucky when I joined EastEnders, I was 33 when I joined and I’ve been acting professionally since 10 years old, so I’ve got quite a lot of experience before I joined, so I felt lucky for that.
‘They’ve kept the door open. I don’t think at the moment, but never say never.
‘You know an actor’s life is normally different jobs and different characters and I’m enjoying that at the moment.’