Coronation Street’s Connor McIntyre says old ladies are "frightened" of him because of his villainous alter-ego Pat Phelan.
The 57-year-old actor – who portrays the conniving builder in the long-running soap – feels disheartened when he sees old age pensioners walking down the street and they avoid eye contact with him because they think he’s nasty in real life.
Speaking to the Radio Times magazine, Connor explained: "The reaction I usually get is: ‘You’re so horrible. We really hate you. But we don’t want them to kill you yet.’ The only time it gets disturbing for me is when it’s older people, whose memory isn’t quite what it was. So they see my face and they it doesn’t have good association. That’s when I rush over to put them at their ease. It upsets me to see anyone get genuinely frightened."
However, Connor is proud of how well he’s taken on the role because people have started referring to his character when someone is doing anything "untoward" and believes he’s finally made it as a "proper soap villain."
He said: "A builder was telling me that getting ‘Phelan’d’ is now a recognised term. If someone is doing something untoward, it’s called ‘doing a Phelan.’ You’ve made it as a proper ‘Corrie’ villain if that happens. It’s a real compliment."
Viewers have watched Pat – also known simply as Phelan – take part in a dodgy building work, defrauded neighbours, forced Anna Windass (Debbie Rush) to have sex with him and kidnap Andy Carver (Oliver Farnworth) over the years but, although fans would like to see him get his comeuppance, Connor has revealed his alter ego hasn’t actually killed anyone.
He explained: "When people say to me on the street: ‘How many have you killed now?’ I always reply: ‘I haven’t actually killed anyone yet.’ But they already think I’m a serial killer. That perception is already there…"
Coronation Street’s Connor McIntyre: Old ladies are scared of me
