Emrhys Cooper. Say it with my kittens: Em-Riss. Remember this name. You may not know him now, but in a little while, you will come to this site and read my “I told you so” post.
As you can see from his pictures, Emrhys is top-notch eye candy. But lassies, that’s not all he is. When he opens that adorable mouth of his, a British accent comes flowing out. You know the kind? The kind that makes you giggle every time he says, “straight away” and “mum”. Yes. That kind.
Luckily for you I scored an interview with one of my new favorite people and got down and dirty with him…OK, maybe not too dirty; just a little scuffed.
From the little town of Devon, England, Emrhys was born into a creative family. His father, an actor turned drama teacher and his mother, a former dancer who became an artist didn’t, believe it or not, push their son into showbiz. Instead, it was his sister’s dance instructor that gave him the bug when he was around six years old.
“My mum couldn’t afford a babysitter, so she would take me to my sister’s dance classes. One day, the teacher said, ‘Why don’t you join in?’ so I did. And that’s when it started. Since then, I’ve never wanted to do anything else.”
Oh, did I forget to mention that Emrhys is an incredible dancer?
Oh, la-la…I digress.
About a year ago Emrhys took the biggest step in his career and made the move from London to Los Angeles where he admits, he knew only his manager.
“It was a bit of a culture shock…It was like I had a new life. I had to get an apartment, a car, an American license.”
And though he admits that the move was both scary and tough at times, he managed to assimilate and even make some new friends thanks to acting classes and public appearances.
Yet when I tried to squeeze any juicy gossip about his celebrity friends out of him, he remained quite humble. When I asked about his experience making “Mama Mia” with big names like Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, he described the movie as, “The best job I’ve ever done.” He described Streep as being “…a nice, warm lady who was at ease straight away.” But he did admit, with a little chuckle I might add, that he was a little star struck meeting former ‘James Bond,’ Pierce Brosnan:
“I nearly called him Mr. Bond! Thankfully , I didn’t.”
When I asked him what other actors he admires, he hit the Hollywood tri-fecta listing Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Jude Law as his favorites. He also admitted that he is often compared to Jude Law which he views as an honor. Yet I couldn’t help but compare him to another young British actor who currently has the world in a frenzy: Robert Pattinson.
“His mum and my mum are actually friends!” He told me while laughing. “He was one of my competitors [for acting jobs] in the UK. We both tried out for the part in ‘Harry Potter’ (i.e. Cedric Doggory) which he got. I am quite proud of him, actually.”
When I asked him if he is ready to achieve the current level of fame being enjoyed (or annoyed) by Pattinson, Cooper credited his parents with providing him with a good upbringing and his knowledge of self to keep him grounded. He merely laughed when I told him that no man would mind women throwing themselves at them.
Cooper is currently working on the film “Moon Over Malcolm”. In it, he plays an American stuck in a virtual town that no one leaves. There, his character discovers himself. He describes the film as a fantasy flick and is excited to use the American accent he has been working hard to perfect (oh, and he used it for me-it was spot on, though not nearly as sexy as his native accent).
Emrhys spent 2 1/2 years working on The West End in London and has aspirations to someday return to musical theater. In the meantime, Cooper will return to London for two weeks after “Moon Over Malcolm” wraps to do a show and spend time with his family before returning to LA.
In the meantime, you can check him out at his official website: http://www.emrhyscooper.com But keep the drooling away from all electronic devices.
Sidebar: I really want to thank Emrhys Cooper for the interview. He was incredibly polite and, before answering any questions, asked me about the health of our dear Dame Cara, who was under-the-weather.
[Keep Clicking Thumbnails for a Larger Image]
Image Via: Gerry, AP
He IS quite cute!
Devon isn’t a little a little town in England it’s actually a whole county in the South of England.
YUM! Too bad you couldn’t have done that interview in person!