Jason Merrells on brothers in The Comedy Of Errors
Actor Jason Merrells (pictured left) is currently playing Antipholus of Syracuse, opposite his brother Simon in the RSC tour of The Comedy of Errors, which is currently at the Lowry. But he is no stranger to Manchester as he has starred in Queer As Folk, Cutting It and currently plays the headmaster in the TV hit Waterloo Road. We caught up with him before press night.
Have you ever worked with your brother, Simon Merrells, before?
Yes. I’ve directed him twice – most recently in a short film this year, and then in a play in the 1990s.
We also acted together in a play in 1993, which toured and went to Edinburgh.
Can you tell us a bit about your family? Do any of them work in theatre? How did you both come to be involved in the business?
We’re not from a theatrical family, but as children we both went to Saturday morning drama classes, and loved it. We were briefly at one of Sylvia Young’s schools, and I went to a group called Link Arts in Sussex.
Simon, who’s a couple of years older than me, went to drama school and then went travelling. I went to Chichester Art School, but found myself doing more drama and taking plays to Edinburgh. When Simon came back from travelling we did a show together in Brighton.
Tell us a bit about your previous TV work. Have you got anything in the pipeline?
People will probably remember me from Cutting It, Clocking Off, Queer as Folk and Waterloo Road. In fact I’ve just finished the third series of Waterloo Road which is out now. It’ll be my last series as the character I play leaves the show.
How do you feel to be working with the RSC for the first time?
It’s something that I’ve wanted to do, so I’m very happy and excited about it. It’s challenging and different, especially after doing TV for quite a while.
In The Comedy of Errors Simon and you play the twin brothers, Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus. How did that come about? Do you think being real brothers will be an advantage?
I was auditioning for the role of Antipholus of Syracuse, and I wasn’t sure if they were going to see Simon, so I mentioned to the RSC Casting department that Simon would be perfect as the other Antipholus. After my audition I spoke to Simon and said he should get his agent on to the RSC, but I think they wanted to see him anyway, which was great. He got an audition and got the part. I think it’s quite a while since real brothers have played these roles. We sound similar which is good, as it will add to the layers of confusion that are such a part of the play.
Do you have any connection with Manchester or Salford?
I worked in Manchester for seven years, on Queer As Folk, Clocking Off, Cutting It and Waterloo Road.
What does Shakespeare mean to you?
At school discovering Shakespeare was brilliant - suddenly here was something I could get my teeth into. And, as a teenager, it was rewarding to realise I had a modicum of talent in both understanding and performing Shakespeare.
His work has so much to offer. It opens your mind, it’s beautiful and you re-evaluate him each time you see his plays. He’s continually interesting – for example, the supposedly lighter plays reveal much more depth than you expect at first reading.
Academics pour over Shakespeare, but we shouldn’t forget that, as well as being a great poet, he was primarily in the business of creating popular, fast turnover theatre.
Do you prefer working on stage or TV?
I’ve done a lot of TV over the last 7 years, but I’m really happy to be working on stage now. I love working in front of the camera, but ultimately being an actor, whether it’s on stage or on screen, is about truth. Both disciplines have their own challenges and techniques, but truth has to be at the root of both of them.
Comedy Of Errors plays at the Lowry until Saturday, 27 October.