From Corrie villain to Hollywood legend
Sean Cernow played bad boy Tony in Corrie, pictured threatening Ed Bailey (Trevor Michael Georges) in 2023(Image: ITV)
He’s used to playing villains in his lengthy career, with a bad boy role in Coronation Street and more recently in smash hit drama Slow Horses.
But now Manchester actor Sean Cernow is preparing to embody a bona fide Hollywood legend.
Sean, who played dodgy Tony in tense scenes with Ed Bailey in Corrie in 2023, will take centre stage this month to star as iconic Welsh actor Richard Burton.
He will star in a new production of acclaimed drama Playing Burton written by Mark Jenkins at Salford’s King’s Arms in November.
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The play is an exploration of the life of the legendary Welsh actor who rose to Hollywood stardom in the 1950s and 60s in hit filmes like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Cleopatra.
Burton’s life off screen became just as fascinating to the public thanks to his on-off relationship with fellow film icon Elizabeth Taylor, marrying her twice, as well as his well-documented battles with alcohol.
Oldham actor Sean is relishing the chance to take on the role, and has shared videos from rehearsals in character, puffing on a cigar as Burton.
He says: “It’s been one of the hardest and most challenging pieces I’ve ever done in terms of having to step into numerous roles he played, such as George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and O’Brien in 1984.
Sean pictured in character as Richard Burton for the new play Playing Burton heading to Salford(Image: Sean Cernow)
“The writing is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever read and it’s a must for Burton fans and afficionado’s. There’s not just Richard in this piece, there’s Philip Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Dylan Thomas and Laurence Olivier to name a few so it’s been a huge amount of research, of films and interviews so I could inhabit each character realistically but, as a Burton fan myself, it’s one I’ve been terrified of and enjoyed in equal measure.”
He admits that for audiences it will be quite a change from the roles they have become accustomed to – in his varied TV and film career which has also included roles in Netflix hit The Witcher, HBO’s House of the Dragon, BBC’s The Musketeers and Great Expectations.
Sean says: “Doing a one man show and one as beautifully written and compelling as this is a nice step away from what I’m known for as a villain and a step into one of the most eloquent, complex and intelligent actors of all time.
“Burton’s demons and angels and his battles with alcohol and the press are equally as tragic as they are enlightening so it’s a nice thing to step back on stage which is where all actors begin.
Film legend Richard Burton with then wife Elizabeth Taylor pictured in 1962(Image: Getty Images)
“Playing a man who is still fondly remembered and as fiercely respected as Burton was has been a twenty year ambition of mine and I really hope I’ve done his memory justice. I think his views and insights on Shakespeare and how the world saw Burton himself from his own perspective has opened my own vocabulary up, too.”
He adds: “His connection to his home town and how that shaped his career and how he never changed despite his success is one of the greatest history lessons within the piece.”
First performed to great critical acclaim in the 1990s, Playing Burton is an intimate and unflinching portrait of Richard Burton – a miner’s son from South Wales who rose to international fame as one of the greatest actors of his generation. Told entirely in Burton’s own voice, the play explores his celebrated career, stormy marriage to Elizabeth Taylor, struggles with alcoholism, and the fierce contradictions that defined his life both on and off screen.
Sean Cernow is relishing the new role(Image: Sean Cernow)
Sean adds: “Richard Burton was a once-in-a-generation actor with a voice that could command any room. Taking on his story is a real privilege and a huge challenge – I want to do justice to his brilliance, his demons, and his poetry.”
Playing Burton is at the King’s Arms, Bloom Street, Salford from Sunday 9th – Wednesday 12th November 2025. Evening performances start at 8pm.
Tickets are vailable now via the King’s Arms website www.kingsarmssalford.com and box office 0161 832 3605.
