Former ‘Emmerdale’ star Mike Parr admits he was “actually crying” when he shot his final scenes on the ITV soap, and he is set to head to Los Angeles in search of new roles.
The 32-year-old actor departed the Dales earlier this month after five years playing Ross Barton on the ITV soap, and admits that he couldn’t help but get emotional when he shot his last moments opposite Natalie J. Robb (Moira Barton) and Anthony Quinlan (Pete Barton).
He said:
“It’s been really sad already because the people in scheduling are really kind and in the scenes where I’m saying goodbye to Moira and Pete I felt like I really was saying goodbye so I was actually crying.
“It’s the end of a chapter. When I got given the character of Ross in 2013 we didn’t know he would be so well liked because he was nasty and the response when playing characters like that can be love or hate but everyone just took to him being a lovable rogue and it’s been great to play him.
“Leaving ‘Emmerdale’ is scary; this is the first time since the age of 14 that I’ve not had a job, but it’s also exciting.”
Mike is planning to head to Los Angeles in January in search of other roles, but he has ruled out appearing on an American soap opera after starring in ‘Emmerdale’ for so long.
He added to the St Helens Star newspaper:
“I wouldn’t want to become a regular on a soap in the US as I have just spent so long in one, but I’d like to play different characters in guest spots.
“The kind of roles I’m looking forward to are still the baddie but different kinds of storylines – maybe in a HBO boxset or a Netflix show.
“For me it’s more than the part, I didn’t get into acting for money or anything, I want to earn enough obviously, but it’s about the art of it.”
Mike confirmed in May he would be departing the ITV soap, but joked he would stick around if he won the Best Actor award at the British Soap Awards – but he later lost out to Coronation Street’s Jack P. Shepherd.
He tweeted:
“Yes I’ll be leaving the soap soon. Have had the best few years at Emmerdale but it’s time to move on and explore other avenues. If I win that soap award I might stay though (sic)”