SCREEN hardman Craig Fairbrass has revealed he turned down major reality TV shows after leaving EastEnders in a bid to relaunch his movie career.
The actor, 61, gripped the nation over two action-packed years in the Square that culminated with the memorable Who shot Phil? storyline.
Craig Fairbrass refused to do reality TV after leaving EastEnders in 2001Credit: IMBD
Dan Sullivan had a bitter rivalry with Phil MitchellCredit: BBC
Though Craig’s stock was high in 2001 when character Dan Sullivan fled abroad with £150k of dodgy cash, he shunned lucrative shows such as I’m A Celebrity and Big Brother.
And it paid dividends.
Instead, he crossed the Atlantic to star in horror sequel White Noise 2: The Light which ultimately paved the way for him getting the role of Essex drug dealer Pat Tate in Rise of the Footsoldier, a character he is now synonymous with.
Reflecting on that period of his career,: “I’ve tried not to do any poo. You know, really tried not to. I’ve tried to keep my life private, no reality s**t, and the stuff I’m doing is good as it possibly can be.
“The funny thing is you come out of something like and you’re going to get offered everything, because that’s what they do. The Big Brothers, the Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, the this, the that, the Dancing On Ices, that gets chucked at you because that’s one route to go.
“When you’re in a big profile show, that is there for you and it’s whether you need the money, it’s a different situation. If you do, then I can understand people who do it for those reasons. But I’ve always felt that those things don’t work for actors.”
It was an uncertain period, which Craig describes as a “crossroads”.
He’d experienced the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood in the 90s as well as the behind the scenes brutality of grafting for work in a saturated market.
But he still harboured big screen dreams and wasn’t willing to sacrifice them for earning a quick buck on telly in the UK.
When he won the part of Henry Caine in White Noise, it gave him a confidence boost and reinforced his belief that he was worthy of big budget films.
“I thought, “I’m back”, he tells us.
That belief carried through to the Footsoldier auditions and the film‘s makers saw it too.
“I was back in the game, in the big American movie,” says Craig. “They were like, ‘forget all that baggage’.
“So it sort of helped me get into that, get that part. And I needed that part. Because there was lots of really good, low-budget, really gritty London movies being made at that time.
“And I was like, I’ve got to get in one. No matter what I do, I’ve f**king got to get in one.”
The first film focused on events from former West Ham hooligan Carlton Leach’s autobiography, before subsequent sequels switched the focus to late Essex gangster Tate and Tony Tucker (Terry Stone).
Both Tate and Tucker were shot dead in the infamous Rettendon Murders in 1995, along with Craig Anthony Rolfe.
It took nearly a decade for the franchise to morph into the animal it is now, largely through word of mouth and impressive DVD sales.
“What that film was, was about geezers saying to other geezers, ‘have you seen that Footsoldier?” laughs Craig.
“There was a fascination about the Essex Boys at that time. So the timing was absolutely bang on.
“The only shame of it was when they did all their due diligence and all their analytics and looked at the characters that came out of the film and did well… it was 10 years later that I had a meeting with them and they said, ‘listen, we want to do another film, but with just you as the lead playing Pat Tate in the Pat Tate story’.
“I was like, why’ve we waited so long to do it?”
The next film in the franchise is wrapped and will screen in February. It’s swapped the bleak urban landscapes of Britain for sunny Ibiza as Pat causes havoc on the White Isle and Craig says it’s the biggest and best yet.
“Nick Nevern, the director, was showing me bits and I’m so proud of it,” he says.
Craig with David Suchet in The Bank JobCredit: Alamy
Craig stars in a visceral drama called Trapped, inspired by 90s classic Nil by MouthCredit: Trapped
While decades of experience and dozens of credits carry weight, they don’t guarantee the next role and Craig admits he’s had a “very fortunate” career.
“It’s not been easy,” says Craig. “I’m still getting up and I’m still chasing it now. It never ends.”
Movies were always Craig’s goal and as an aspiring actor his mates told him that he had what it takes to replicate screen hardmen like the villains in Die Hard.
It wasn’t long after that he landed a minor role as a henchman in Sylvester Stallone classic Cliffhanger, proving them right.
He says: “It just gave me an insight into how the business works and how brutal it is. It’s two steps forward, one step back constantly.
“It’s still now, you know. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in a much better position, I’ve got lots of stuff happening but it ain’t an easy game.”
Some of his favourite career roles have happened in recent years, notably Netflix hit Villain, his award-winning turn in A Violent Man and art house flick Muscle, in which he got to flex his emotional range.
More recently, he’s collaborated with his friend Roland Manookian on visceral domestic violence drama Trapped.
He plays Lee, the brother of addict and abuser Frank, who’s played by Shane McCormick.
“It was Roland’s directorial debut,” Craig says. “He’s an incredible writer, Roland.
“It shines a light on abuse and abusive relationships when they do go on. You know, everybody knows someone or knows somebody in that relationship.
“When you watch something that’s done with realism or heightened realism violence, it has a much more pronounced effect on you.”
Never one to rest on his laurels, Craig says his upcoming work is “fresh, edgy and different”. Bring it on.
Trapped is available to rent or buy from Amazon Prime, Google Play or iTunes.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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