Anthony Quinlan eyes more hard-hitting TV drama roles

The former Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star couldn’t give too much away about his appearance in the upcoming series, which could air on our screens towards the end of this year or early in 2027.

Speaking exclusively to Freebets.com, the home of the best slot sites, Anthony said: It was a phenomenal experience.

“Working with the cast and the crew, they were outstanding. The director Paul [Whittington] was brilliant. I can’t wait for it to come out; it’s very exciting.

“A bit of gritty material is what I like to get my teeth stuck into. More gritty roles in hard-hitting dramas, those are the ones for me.

“I’ve had a vast number of roles, obviously most recognised for Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. Gilly [Roach] in Hollyoaks was more of a hapless fool, unlucky in love, fun and outgoing, and took nothing too seriously apart from his love life. He was a great joy to play.

“Pete [Barton] on the other hand, pretty much lost his whole family; his mum, his dad, his brother Finn, with only him and Ross left of the brothers. He went through the mill, and was also unlucky in love.

“But I’ve done films and short films playing much more intense characters and those are the roles I really prefer.”

Anthony also spoke about the support that his partner and co-parent, Nikki Sanderson, has given him throughout his career, and he would welcome the chance to appear alongside the former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks star.

“That’s something I’d totally embrace, and I’m hoping Nikki would too,” he added.

“There are many benefits to being with a fellow actor. We help each other out on audition tapes and it’s always nice to get a second opinion from someone who understands the craft.

“I’d fully embrace it 100 per cent. It’d be great to play a role alongside my partner.”

The 42-year-old revealed what had been the stand-out role of his career to date and cited a short film called ‘Asphyxiate’ released in 2020, written by Michaela McCormick, who also starred in the film.

“It was an abuse-based film about gaslighting, with some really quite heavy material. The character I was playing was the abuser.

“It was a really heavy role to play, but in terms of the research and the psyche behind the character, that was really interesting.

“There were long days filming, and it was quite hard to shake off in terms of how it made me feel.

“You just think how people can go about their daily lives in that way. It was harrowing to go through, but you fully divulge yourself into the role.

“It was one of my favourite roles for different and difficult reasons. You get into the psyche of the character, break it down, and understand the behaviour patterns. It was interesting, yet horrible at the same time.”