Danny Dyer is back on TV screens this month in Sky’s hilarious comedy Mr Bigstuff – but has explained how he landed a new film role that was meant for Gary Oldman
Danny Dyer has shared his top piece of advice for landing work – to be cheaper than the other actors going up for his roles. The 48-year-old star has enjoyed a long career in the spotlight which began back in the early 1990s.
The actor got his big break at the age of 16 when an agent secured him a role in the hit ITV show Prime Suspect – led by Oscar winning star Dame Helen Mirren. He has appeared in other smash shows including Hotel Babylon, Skins and the BBC soap EastEnders.
Danny has recently been filming an Irish movie titled Three Quick Breaths where he plays a football agent named Jimmy Banks trying to secure a final deal for a major client. The project is written by Peter Howlett and directed by Brendan Muldowney – but apparently those behind the film originally wanted Gary Oldman to take the lead role.
Now Danny has joked that he was hired instead because his fee is more budget friendly. Giving an eyebrow raising insight into the world of Hollywood, Danny hinted that the Oscar winner wanted a huge amount of money before he even started working.
He told the Radio Times: “I believe they went to Gary Oldman first. They told me he wanted £2 million just to read it. But I was next in line, which I’m chuffed with.”
He then quipped: “If you go Gary Oldman and I’m next, it’s because I’m obviously cheaper. I’m happy to be a cheaper version of Gary Oldman.”
Danny went on to explain that working on the project almost drove him “crazy” as he was required to tape 15 pages of dialogue per day – with the filming process taking place in Ireland earlier this year.
The London actor grew his fanbase when he appeared in EastEnders as Mick Carter from 2013 until 2022. The character was written off in tense Christmas scenes as he disappeared into the Channel following a dramatic car accident.
The long-running soap also stars Laila Morse, who has played Mo ‘Big Mo’ Harris since 2000. The 79-year-old actress is the older sister of Gary Oldman, 67.
Laila has previously opened up about the fact her brother got her into acting as he cast her in his directorial debut, Nil By Mouth, in 1997 at the age of 51.
Danny is now starring in season two of the Sky Comedy series Mr Bigstuff where he plays a character searching for his father that abandoned him. In the first episode of the new season, the TV star strips naked and runs down a street in a hilarious scene.
Discussing the nude scene with The Sun, Danny commented: “Ever run through a council estate naked? It’s a whole new ball game, literally. I was concentrating on the weather, more than anything else, you know, that it wasn’t too cold!
“It was broad daylight. I didn’t go fully [nude], I had a little sock over my Hampton.”
He continued: “You read this stuff, and you go, ‘OK, I’ve got to physically do it’. But it’s important to the show, it’s a vital scene. You go, ‘He’s back’. It’s the way of showing the alpha is back.”
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