PLAYING the anxious, but charming Dr Jim Pomatter in the hit musical Waitress is a far cry from Matt Willis’ days of going out on the lash in Glasgow after Busted performances.
The 38-year-old actor revealed he is a very different person from his time as one-third of Britain’s biggest band of the early noughties.
Starting a week-long run at The King’s Theatre, he is looking forward to exploring the city’s hidden gems.
“Glasgow was absolutely fantastic for a night out, but I’m not that person anymore.” He revealed.
In the Busted days, the band would start every tour here because of the sheer energy and attitude of the crowd.
It is perhaps for that reason, Waitress kicked off its UK tour here this week. He admitted: “I absolutely love it here. Especially for Busted. We always used to start every tour here. The crowd is arguably the best in the world.”
After the band split up in 2005, Matt wanted to make a return to acting.
Winning I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here in 2006 saw him make a brief foray into TV presenting where he and his wife, Emma Griffiths presented I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here…Now!
Busted was a “happy accident” for Matt, who went to theatre school and trained to be an actor.
“I met James Bourne after I left school at 15. We wrote some silly songs and we got signed.
“After Busted split up though, I went straight back into shows and I completely fell in love with it again.”
He made his theatre debut in 2010 playing Nick in Flashdance and aged 33, he decided to return to theatre school to complete his studies having previously trained at the renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School in London.
“There is just something about being in a live theatre show. Anything can happen and you’re in control.”
Matt plays the awkward Dr Pomatter, the gynaecologist of the lead character, Jenna Hunterson.
The pair ultimately fall in love and have an illicit affair.
He is excited to take on the role and added: “They asked: do you want to come in and read for the role? So I phoned my agent, they got me in and I was offered the role.”
The actor believes the musical will be a great antidote to the doom and gloom in the world right now. He promised: “It’s a fantastic show. I think within the first 30 seconds, you will get a laugh.
And despite the moral implications of a doctor becoming involved with his patient, he admits that he found himself rooting for the two romantic leads. He said: “This guy is not a great guy.
"You know, he’s married. But you do feel for him and you think: this is the path that was meant for you. The part is so beautiful. For me, it was a really great script and a really great character.”
“Although it is a serious subject matter, you’ll be up on your feet dancing at points.
“There are parts where I am standing at the side of the stage laughing because it’s so funny.”
“Ultimately, the show is a romantic comedy.”
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here