Scanlan: 'Hollyoaks reaction is flattering'

Emmett Scanlan has revealed that he is flattered by the positive response to his role as Hollyoaks' Brendan Brady.

The actor has built a cult following among viewers since being introduced as the eccentric bad boy, who has been having an on-off relationship with established character Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) in recent months.

Speaking to Inside Soap about the reaction to his alter ego, Scanlan commented: "People are always coming up to me for a chat - I think they buzz off Brendan. He's a Marmite character - you either love him or you hate him.

"But that's so much better than sailing through a scene and not being remembered. The public have all been really, really nice to me."

He added: "I found out the other day that you can get Brendan ringtones for your phone, which really made me laugh. There's a message alert of him just saying 'Boo!' It's mental, but utterly flattering."

Scanlan also confirmed that he auditioned for two other Hollyoaks roles before being cast as Brendan.

"I was up for the parts of Father Kieron and Des Townsend, but the producers wanted me to drop my Irish accent," he said. "Luckily, they really wanted me for Brendan regardless of my voice."

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